I have to say the Deniro tri color boots have been great for schooling, a little more than ego7 but I found the ego7 fit oddly and wore horribly.
I’ve had my pair for almost 2 years, and treat them pretty well but when I’m in them I do wear them for riding, walking, bathing etc etc and have held up well. Even competed in them when the weather was horrible and didn’t want to wear my custom boots. And if you polish them occasionally they look brand new.
I also am surprised at how much I like my cheapie tuff rider field boots!
It’s honestly nice to have a comfortable pair of tall boots that are just wipe and go!
I only do a few local level shows a year, but I have two pairs of boots. The first pair is a pair of Ego7 Aries dress boots. I am a big fan of these boots, but with elastic only on one side of the zipper, they aren’t very forgiving when it comes to layering clothes or fluctuations in weather. They also were not very pleasant to break in. Mainly because they were so hard to zip for a long time.
My second pair is a pair of Deniro Tricolore Field boots, in the pebbled leather. I like that they have elastic on both sides of the zipper. It makes them a bit more forgiving when it comes to layering clothes and weather changes. But the pebbled leather is a bit harder to upkeep. They’re a lot softer that the Ego7s and I don’t think they would be quite as durable. I like both pairs for different reasons.
I didn’t find the tuff riders to be durable. No break in time, yes. But that soft leather didn’t hold up for me. I do ride between 3-8 horses per day 5 days a week, so heavier use than most, maybe. But they were so cheap I didn’t really mind replacing them more often.
True, I wasn’t riding nearly that much, and I can see how if you are it might be different!
Tuffrider Belmonts, I show and school in mine! Look just like Parlantis for a fifth of the price. Mine have consistently lasted me 4 months and I ride 5-6 horses everyday!
How are the ankle and height on these? Long skinny chicken legs here 
I had to go semi-custom (~$900) because nothing off the rack was working or any cheaper. I’d love some decent looking schooling boots!
That’s probably where the downside is, they only offer different calf widths, no option to change the height. The height of the boot just increases with the footbed. They run a little tall, probably not custom-needing tall, but might be worth trying on the next time you’re in a tack store!
They do make different heights–but I guess only short, which works for me, just not, alas, not the vertically gifted! Breeches.com has a good selection of sizes on sale, though. https://www.breeches.com/search?type=product&q=Tuffrider%20boots&_=pf&pf_v_brand=TuffRider
I second this. I’m sort of a hard fit. My Monacos fit off the shelf, which is sort of rare for me. I gave the Madisons a try and I’m quite impressed with them for the price point. They fit super nicely and could be cleaned up to show in in the event my Monacos die a dramatic death. I haven’t had them long but I’ve abused them and expect them to last. My only complaint is the inside of the lower is canvas, and as the boot has broken in and wrinkled some around the ankle, the canvas around the zipper kills my Achilles while walking around after several hours of riding. I think it may still need some more break in time for the canvas to break down some. Aside from that the rest of the boot is comfortable and broke in quickly. They seem durable and I’ll certainly test that out, as their sole purpose is to be abused 
Are there any boots that DON’T have the elastic up the back? That is where I wear out my boots the most, apparently. I keep having to take my schooling boots to the cobbler to have him put in a new elastic insert and restitch everything. I have a pair of old-school Monacos that I got used to wear for everyday and I’ve had to replace the elastic once already and it looks like I’ll have to do it again. I have had to do it on a pair of brown Mountain Horse Sovereigns, too.
I ride two horses 5-6 days a week, and apparently my calves are too much for the elastic!
ETA: I think I’ll get an old pair of the Ariat Quantum Crowne Pros and see if that works. I found one in my size, and they have no elastic. Wish me (and my boot-killing calves) luck!
They’re not durable. But they are cheap and IMHO worth it for the price. I’d rather have something cheap and comfortable that I enjoy wearing and know I have to periodically replace than something expensive that falls apart or that’s not comfortable.
Yup that’s why I said I didn’t really mind replacing them more often 
Although the Dover Madison’s are my new favorite, I think. They are the best balance of quality/durability for the price, that I’ve found so far, and I’ve tried soo many schooling boots. A bit more expensive than tuffriders but, the difference in how long they will last seems big enough that I’ll save money in long run.
I’ll have to try them next!
In Tuffriders’ defense, both my pairs lasted longer than my Ariats did!
Based on my most recent Ariat experiences (paddock and Heritage tall) that is not a high bar.
An 18 month bar, to be precise!
Same here. I love my Madison’s. The Ariats fit me very weirdly, and I’ve been impressed with the breaking in and how they’ve held up as well. My right ankle has been wonky recently as well with the zipper and canvas.
DeNiro also now as like a lower priced “practice brand” called Tricolore - about half the price as the Salentos & Raffaellos.
I am a DeNiro girlie through and through - they wear like iron. I am so hard on my boots.
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