I splurged on a pair when they were on sale for Black Friday. It’s since snowed here, and I’m completely in love. They are a major upgrade from my Dublins, and the Ariat Extreme H20s. I’ve so far done barn chores in them, trudged through snow in them, trail ridden while it was snowing in them, and even gone to a small local schooling show in them. I get a ton of compliments on how cute they are, too!
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I think the Bromonts work great in super cold temperatures, but with two caveats… the calves are so snug that if you wear thick socks, I think it can reduce circulation, which will make you colder. If I wear thin socks and breeches that don’t lump up around the calves and ankle, my feet are fine; if I layer socks and the calves are too tight, my feet will be cold. Also, they can be so toasty that my feet will sweat, which can also make them cold if I wear socks that stay damp. If I wear moisture-wicking socks, again, they’re fine.
If you don’t need waterproof and just warm I like the MIddleburg boot. I have had mine for three years and they keep my feet toasty. Waterproof I have Dubarry’s and yes you can ride in them.
pretty! But maybe too pretty for riding/barn stuff.
I agree with another who rides in Dubarry’s. I ride in mine when I am in a hurry but I don’t ride in them very often simply because I want them to last into the next decade (at that price). If I had my druthers, I would probably wear my Dubarry’s every day, all day long, October through April.
They have been cleaning up beautifully for me, I’ve just been wiping them down with tack wipes because it’s so cold. Seriously in love with these boots, I think I feel about them the way you feel about your dubarrys :lol:
Based on this thread ordered, and wore first time today, in frigid NE temps and snow, the Coniston Pro. Wow! My feet were toasty warm, they are comfortable, and very adjustable for my large athletic calves. So warm I may not need to wear winter socks! I am not a winter fan, and these boots will help me tolerate the season!
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I have been looking at the Mountain Horse winter boots. Does anyone know which models are the warmest? Are they all more or less interchangeable except for design/fit?
Their website isn’t super helpful about this, but it seems like maybe Rimfrost are the warmest then Ice rider/active rider?
If anyone has comparisons/experience with the different models I would love to hear! I’m looking for a super warm pair, this is my first year riding outside through the winter and my toes are not happy.
I can vouch for the Ice Rider. I have had mine for three years and they still look good. They are very warm; I just wear them with a wool sock and I have never had cold toes. I stop riding under 21 degrees. In fact I just took mine off after wearing them for three hours to ride and to do the barn. They are extremely comfortable and relatively inexpensive.My previous winter boots were Ariats and they never even came close to the warmth and comfort of the Mountain Horse ones. They do run big. I buy them in a size 7 and I usually take a 7.5 in shoes and other boots.
Where did you get those boots, and how much were they? Sounds fantastic!
https://www.dutchridingboots.eu. Look at the outdoor riding boots. I ordered the tall freerider grain leather. I have ordered three pair of boots from him. Great to deal with and worth the wait.
Thanks! It says it is out of stock, but I’ll take a closer look tomorrow.
I had a much different experience with the Mountain Horse Ice Rider than you guys did - I found them uncomfortable and not very warm. They rubbed the back of my heel and they were stiff. I also accidentally had my horse lay down with me in a creek part way through a ride in the winter and it soaked through my boot, and that made for a very cold ride home XD. It came through the zipper, not exactly the boot’s fault, but still. I still have them somewhere, need to re-home them.
For now, I just do barn work in my Dublin Eskimo River Boots, and then freeze in my tall boots with as thick of socks as I can fit in my tall boots.
Has anyone found winter half chaps recently? I have a pair of Thinsulate-lined Ariat winter half chaps from about 10 years ago. They are quite warm. But Ariat doesn’t make winter half chaps anymore, and I haven’t found any other companies that do. They were also great because they came in tall sizes, whereas the Ariat winter boots (Bromont, Coniston, etc) only come in regular height.
It always says that because they’re made to order. Six weeks to deliver. There are some sizes available on the 25% discount page.
Bromonts are riding boots, not barn work boots. They aren’t snow boots either.
Would you ride with your Columbias? I guess not since they weren’t designed for that.
Ariat designers had riders in mind, not barn workers.
I would ride in my Columbias if they fit in the stirrups. I did ride in Sorels, and various other winter boots until they wore out. Once I started noticing the lack of a shank support I started buying winter riding boots. 
I don’t actually consider bringing my horse in, grooming, tacking up, and walking between barn and arena “barn work”. It is not unusual for people to do everything from driving to the barn to driving home again, and all things in between, wearing their paddock boots. Ariat uses the same outsole on Bromont paddock boots as they do Bromont tall boots.
Ariat designers didn’t have snow in mind, or simply lacked any real experience or understanding of what long term snow is like. Which is not unexpected given a California based company. :lol:
Regardless, my comment was actually a response to someone saying they didn’t find Bromonts all that warm when things froze up. I’m finding them good down into the minus 20s Celcius - but I am wearing warmer boots up until it’s time to ride the first horse.
I ended up with a pair of Mark Todd winter riding boots by chance - they’ve been fantastic for doing general barn work in and riding. The elastic gusset is nice as I can still fit a heavier pair of ski socks in as needed. The photo makes it look like it has a really clunky footbed, but mine have a much sleeker sole on it and they fit the same as my normal paddock boots in a 4 3/4" stirrup iron.
I’ve had my HKM Artic leather winter boots for three years. They’ve seen a lot of hard use and still look nearly new. They are super warm and very comfortable.
You are riding in -20 Celcius weather? You are a hearty soul! That’s -4 Farenheit. I can’t ride when it’s that cold because I can’t breathe or feel my fingers.
I don’t have an indoor so I ride outdoors all winter (other than when I trailer to lessons) and will ride when it’s in the 20s but not much below that. It’s almost always windy so the wind-chill factor might be why the Ariat Bromonts don’t keep my feet warm.
@LarkspurCO - one of my most precious memories is of the night I took my first horse for a moonlight hack in the snow. It was -31C. The sky was crystal clear, and the stars shone like diamonds. The moonlight winked in all colours through the frost crystals outlining the heads of the long grasses that still poked through the knee deep snow. The snow crunches differently when it is that cold, and your breath twinkles as the vapour crystalizes in the cold air.
It was not a long ride. Perhaps 20 minutes. And the absolute stillness of the air made it possible.
But it was a magic shared with my beloved first horse. <3 :sadsmile:
May I always remember.
Of course the simple answer is that I bought my first horse in October and nothing was going to stop me riding. Not cold, not snow, and not the lack of an arena. I learned how to dress for it.
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Your story is lovely, but you lost me at -31C. I tip my (fur) hat… 
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