(Raises hand, sheepishly) 
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Me too.
1989 Vogels, still use them for (rare) shows.
@kirbydog Mine have been back to NY 3X:
1st for gussets
2nd for full zips
3rd & last to repair 1 zipper
Those are jodhpur boots, not paddock boots.
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How old am I? My riding instructors were retired Army officers who competed at the 1948 Olympics, Col. Hank Frierson. Others were officers who trained at Fort Bliss and Fort Riley. One of my favorites was a Native American warrant officer, Chief Wilson. Col. MacWillie and Col. Robertson (Broadmoor in CO) were others. Our equitation training was so different from now.
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Yeah I think we may be talking about different models. Dumb me thought that trophy hunters were the only TS breech until I bought a used pair that is NOT what I was expecting. So I truly don’t know what these problematic older styles are 
But people keep mentioning high rise and side zip. I’m sheepishly over here like I thought that was the only way to wear them 
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Ooh, question for you. When you put the zippers in, did the boots still fit as nicely? What did that cost? Who did it for you?
I liked those boots. They supported my ankles very well.
I had forgotten those! I don’t think I was as old as the boots, but I had a pair when I was a kid.
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Vogel did all the redos.
Price? I wish I could remember… It was at least 35yrs ago.
But boots fit exactly as before, just hella easier to put on & get off!
My first lessons were in a barn that was built in a rectangular shape, two of the sides had stalls and the other two walls were concrete block and in the center was a double aisle of back to back stalls. All the horses stuck their heads out as you rode around in the rectangular aisle, you could not see ahead of you except for the aisle you were on, then you turned a 90 degree corner and your only visibility was on that aisle. We even jumped that way despite me not having learned to jump yet. Your horse just followed the one in front of him.
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If the miracle shoe-repair guy can’t stretch my old customs, I’ll have to get measured for new. Frankly I can’t handle the Spanish tops. My legs already are freak-show long. The last thing I need is the illusion of longer.
Also, I can’t go with zippers for myself, and here’s why: Using boot hooks is part of the ritual. You don’t use boot hooks for any other purpose. Same thing with the bootjack. It says, “I’m done with my ride, and it was good, and I’m joyful” like nothing else. Likewise, the behind-the-knees suffering until they drop. When they’re finally molded it feels like you’ve earned something really beautiful. I don’t want customs to be pain-free and easy. I want that connection to bootmakers and riders from long ago.
At least a half-dozen people have told me that this is not a good mindset, and that I’ll really miss out on comfort and ease if I go zipperless. I may yet be talked into it. But I’ll feel as though I’ve lost something.
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I think those were all that was available when I was a kid. I don’t think the lace up paddocks existed. All I remember is those boots (jodphur? I think @Janet is right?) and tall boots, back in the day.
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Tween me had an unreasonable crush on Newmarket boots and, regretfully, showed in my rubber/canvas pair and was deeply wounded when I didn’t place, even though I knew I wouldn’t place.
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Oh Wow… my trainer LOVED those saddles. We had to go hunt them down to find them.
When the Middlesex County Show was in Johnson Park and had an amazing outside course.
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The PDNs? Long after my former coach had the means to upgrade, he clung to his very old, high-mileage PDN. … Oh, I see now. You were referring to the Hartley. Why was your coach such a fan?
There was an old school horse dealer that I remember in my area when I was a kid. His indoor had stalls that opened directly onto it. As I recall, the cardinal rule there was to always shut the stall door after they took a horse out so that none of the horses would try to duck back into their stalls while they were being ridden. Lol.
I also remember going to try a pony there when I was a kid. We did not buy that pony, but we brought home a puppy instead who turned out to be a good dog for many years.
She was the one who hopped up on the stove one day when she was on a diet and helped herself to the casserole my mother had made for our dinner. Lol.
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My first pair of real riding boots looked just like these. Even though I didn’t have a horse at the time (I think I was maybe 10) I wore them everywhere until they fell apart.
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I held onto that saddle for a really long time, even adding front blocks when I started eventing in my 20s. Eventually I had to accept that my body was not the same as it had been as a 14 year old!
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We interrupt this thread for an announcement: I’ve successfully attached a rubber martingale stop and would someone now please hand me something cold with ice, gin and a lime.
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