I am considering getting a pair of Donatello tall boots and would love to hear if anyone has any opinions on them? Are there any other plus size boots that you all like? My problem is that the 18" height that most boots come in is just not tall enough for me. My current Ariats have reallt shrunk in height. The Donatello boot comes in a 20" height.
Thanks for your help!
I got a pair for Christmas. I bought them for schooling, so since the weather has warmed up, I’ve been riding in them 3-4 days/ week. Overall I’m really happy with them.
Pro’s:
The leather is very supple, took almost no time to break in.
The footbed is pretty comfortable.
Con’s:
Because of the way they fell on me, the zipper digs into the back of my ankle- fine for riding when my heel is down, but I can’t walk in them (But, this is probably related to them being a tad tall for me).
The tread is pretty basic- just horizontal lines straight across. I haven’t had any issues, I just feel like they could have done something nicer.
Neutral:
The calf shape is a little weird (I think one review called it an “Arnold Schwarzenegger” shape)- works for me, but not for everyone.
They actually have a stretch-leather (?) panel on either side of the zipper, not elastic with leather strips like is shown on the Smartpak picture. I think it looks nicer with the stretch-leather. I’m mildly concerned about how it will hold up, but so far it looks good.
So, I think they look nice, I think they’re a good value, and I’m thrilled to have boots I don’t have to fight with to get zipped up 
Cheerio280,
What height did you get? The 20" will probably be a little bit tall for me but I am thinking of ordering heel lifts with them. :). And I am thinking of ordering the 18-19 inch calf which will be a bit wider than I need. I guess if they don’t fit I can go down a size. Smartpak has always been good about returns.
Thanks for the review!
[QUOTE=Madaket;8079526]
Cheerio280,
What height did you get? The 20" will probably be a little bit tall for me but I am thinking of ordering heel lifts with them. :). And I am thinking of ordering the 18-19 inch calf which will be a bit wider than I need. I guess if they don’t fit I can go down a size. Smartpak has always been good about returns.
Thanks for the review![/QUOTE]
I got the 18"- I really need about a 17", so I opted to go up instead of down. They came with a tiny heel lift- I used that plus an additional lift.
My old Mountain horse boots were a 16 3/4" calf (and still fit), so I ordered the 16-17" calf. That did not fit. When I actually measured, I was 18 1/4", so I ordered the 18-19" calf and they fit easily. Smartpak was excellent with the exchange.
I have had a pair since July, and like them very much for schooling. If these ever wear out (they are durable), I plan to get another pair, but in a different size. I got the taller/normal height, and the wider calf. Once they broke in, I knew that I should have gone with the shorter height. The calf also seems to have stretched, but it could be that I lost some weight…
Overall they are nice boots, and I would recommend them. They look really nice, hold up well, and are comfortable.
I think these look great, but I have also had really good success with the Fuller Fillies dress boot–I have had them now for 3 years and they fit well, wear well and haven’t needed any repairs yet.
I just bought them as emergency replacements for a show because Smartpak could get them to me in two days and they fit my enormous, soccer player calves. The odd fit people talk about worked for me because I have big calves and very normal ankles - they are quite slim through the ankle. The first three rides, I had to pull my breeches up right to the bottom of my calf so they would zip normally on my bigger leg (my right is 1/4" bigger than my left. My trainer loved the way they looked, they arrived thursday night and I schooled in them Friday and showed Sat + Sun with only a little bit of ankle rubbing. They are very hard to walk in while breaking in - like a previous poster mentioned, the zipper rubs a little. I’m going to try riding in them with heel lifts this week and see if that makes a difference. All told, great value for the money and a solid option for those of us who need a wider than industry standard boot.
Anyone care to post any updated reviews on this boot?
I have big feet, tall legs and wide(it’s all relative!) calves. So I just went up to a men’s size for my dress boots - the tuffrider baroque boots. These boots weren’t bad for the price. the leather was nice, boots were broken in within moments. Have owned them 2.5 years replaces zippers on both boots once, and a zipper head on one recently. unfortunately, the inside calf leather is so worn, there is now a quite sizable hole in the leather where my calf touches the horse. I can’t feel it, but it’s knowing that it’s there.
I’ve also owned the fuller fillies dress boots. These boots will come in all sorts of wide sizes. Quality was what you would expect for the price (not so great). Leather was thin and meh. The soles split on both boots so I used to get a lot of dirt inside my shoes if I was longeing horses in them. But I still keep them around for back-up boots.
I have the Donatello tall boots in a tall calf. The leather is very supple right away and the boots broke in way to fast for my liking, although are very comfortable. If you truly need a very tall calf, I would not go with this boot as they sink down fast.
I have the Tuffrider Plus Rider Dress Boots (I think that’s what they’re called) and they’re great; They fit my monstrous legs, they took zero time to break in, and they look pretty sharp. The leather is cheap, though, so it’s starting to break down pretty quickly in the wear spots. Since they are so inexpensive, I plan to have a pair just for clinics and shows, and then the ratty schooling pair that I’ve got now.
I have these too, and they are great. I ordered the extra wide calf, and it was too big! I’ve never had that happen. They were cheap enough that I just kept that pair for the winter when I wear thick breeches, and ordered the regular calf that I have been using daily for months now. They are comfy - feel like tennis shoes!
I have to say I don’t like the Donatellos. They are cheap and you get what you pay for. One snap broke in week two. They smelled so funky when they came, I couldn’t leave them in the tack room. They don’t fit me well in the calf and are way too big at the top, though the foot is fine. They don’t look good. But I needed something. I am waiting for other brands to restock and will spend more to get better quality.
I don’t have the plus size version, but I am assuming that they are still quite similar.
I’ve had my pair for 3 years now and they’ve held up just fine. I ride 5-7 days a week and sometimes I don’t take them off right away and hose my horse down in them, walk to the field, or whatever else.
At first they did bother the back of my ankles/heels walking around, but I either used moleskin or stuffed some gauze between the back of my heel and the boot while zipping up (it’s just what I had laying around and it worked). Now I don’t have to do any of that, so it’s not a problem. They did come with small heel lifts that I kept in. They are super soft so that’s nice if you like that style. I prefer the flexibility of the boot for riding out. Especially if I have to get on and off.
I like that they really fit around my leg because I find other tall boots to have huge ankles or just not be as close of a fit as I’d like.
I’ve really had no issue with them and for the price, I think they’re just fine.
So question on the plus size boots… What do people like that doesn’t look so “clunky”? While I am plus size, I do not have fat ankles. I really just need a big calf. All the plus size boots seem to also come with a wider ankle. There is one pair of Ariats that comes large enough in the calf, but not in a dress boot of course… I’m really on the hunt for a classic/un-clunky boot.
I like the Ovation Olympia’s but the wide is not very wide. I have the Donatello field boot and much prefer the Olympia’s.
You might like the Tredstep Donatellos mentioned upthread, then- I believe they have a dress boot option. They’re quite curvy in the calf and fitted through the ankle. I’m on my second pair. I simply wear them out because I’m tough on boots. They fit pretty well, especially for a non-custom, wide-calf boot, but they have a little bit of a rumpled ripple down the back of my calves where the zipper is. The fit is close enough everywhere else that I keep buying them. They break in pretty easily and clean up well. The foot part isn’t particularly supportive, but I can deal with that for a boot that fits my leg shape.
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