I am looking for tall dressage boots with a large, round toe box. Neither my leg nor foot is wide, but I have two large neuromas in my right foot that are searingly painful if I do not have a roomy toe box. Any suggestions on brands or particular styles is appreciated. Thanks!
I do not have Morton’s neuromas but they thought I did at first until they x-rayed and found the bone spur. I have to be very carefully about my shoes and I ride in Grand Prix paddock boots. I can not do tredstep, ariat or mountain horse.
Try a custom boot…Kroop Boots in Laurel MD
Ariat makes a paddock boot.
Thank you for the suggestions. I edited my post as I am looking for tall boots. I have a great pair of Ariat round-toed paddock boots that I will never give up as they do not make them anymore.
I do not think I can go custom as there is no guarantee that I will be able to wear them even WITH a wide toe box. It just depends on where the break over is, how flexible the sole is, etc. There is no predicting what will or will not cause pain or be perfectly comfortable. It is very frustrating!
I have VERY wide feet and am usually very hard to fit. I just love Ovations. They are the only ones that will fit me from their measurements. They have a square toe box, which I really like.
I did custom Konig’s for my wide toes/ball of foot. They turned out fine. Because the heel and ankle fit, my feet are very stable. The foot bed is custom, too. The sole is rubber, so it is cushioned which I need also.
I’ve ridden in Ariat Cobalt paddock boots for years. I’ve been buying the men’s for the width and adding a cushioned insole. My heels are narrow and my foot is high arched.
I had neuromas in both feet. I had the surgeries and am very glad I did. I now ride in Petries, which do run wide. They don’t have any metatarsal support so at least with my neuromas, they still would have killed me if I had worn them before the surgery. I normally have ultra-wide feet (D+ width).
I have a wide foot thanks to bunions. I love Ariats; however, I have found the newer ones to be narrower than the older ones. You might look a something with a square toe box, that might give you a bit more room. If you can swing it, get measured for custom boots and invest a pair. If not, look at men’s boots and see if there is a size/measurements combo that would work. Their boots are usually wider.
Just now on line, wish they carried them in the Performer Line, they are a better quality.
I also have the same need for a roomy toe box, for different reasons. Honestly, custom is the only way to go. I cannot recommend the company mentioned above due to my experience (see my old thread if interested), but your mileage may vary. Petries do NOT run wide, as mentioned above, I have my pair for sale for this very reason. I only wish I could’ve found something off the shelf, but that’s never going to happen with my feet. Best of luck!!! 
I have neuromas, I have had the surgery (twice, because they grew back thank you very much :no:) I ride in Mountain Horse boots with a set of custom orthotics inside. I still have pain sometimes, but mostly from the stirrup pressure.
Hmmm. Well, I have ordered a pair of Mountain Horse boots and and a pair of Petries. I will see if either work.
I do not see myself going custom as I do not show. I am just a backyard rider who dabbles in dressage in my own little ring. I will stay with half chaps if I cannot find a tall boot.
How were the surgeries, Scruffy and islgrl? Is there any permanent numbness? Did you try PT, orthotics, injections first?
I tried everything first. I had a horrible reaction to the injections which made the pain dramatically worse. PT helped about 3%- not nearly enough to make anything tolerable. Orthotics helped for a couple of years then the neuromas got too big and they didn’t help any more.
Yes, I have permanent numbness and odd sensitivity in that region. It doesn’t affect me day-to-day at all, except it’s a little freaky to cut the toenails on my second and third toes since half of each toe is completely numb. I have to be careful. Pedicures are not fun events but they wouldn’t have been fun pre-surgery either. I used to enjoy a foot rub, now my entire forefoot area is verboten for touching. That being said, the tradeoffs were worth it. I went from not being able to walk half a block to walking miles and miles in ballet flats all over NYC this past weekend.
I did my surgeries in 2000. I did each foot separately. I didn’t take the doctor seriously with the first one and as a consequence it took awhile to heal. Eventually it did. I was much more compliant with the second foot and it healed much more quickly.
[QUOTE=Snowdenfarm;8336134]
I have a great pair of Ariat round-toed paddock boots that I will never give up as they do not make them anymore.[/QUOTE]
I have good news for you. Ariat still makes the round-toed paddock boot. You can get them from just about anywhere – Dover Saddlery, Valley Vet, BootBarn, Adams Horse Supply, etc. Just google “ariat rt paddock boot.”
Thanks, Scruffy. That was the first detailed description I have read of what it is actually like after surgery. So far, with lots of PT, careful choices in footwear, changing footwear four times a day and conscious foot loading while walking, I have had the same dramatic improvement you have had. Every once in a while, however, you will have to pick me off the ceiling after one step in a different pair of shoes or boots – and I have a very high pain tolerance! Injections and/or surgery may be in my future. I appreciate the helpful information.
Larkspur, thank you.
Both my surgeries were in the same foot. The other foot wasn’t as bad so I decided not to have them removed. I did try everything before surgery, nothing worked. The first surgery they removed two by going in the top of my foot. The second surgery they removed one by going in the top of the foot, the other by going in thru the bottom of the foot. I do have numbness in my toes. The biggest issue for me now is the extensive scar tissue in my foot. I also have no extra padding in my feet so my metatarsal bones bruise REALLY easily so I can still get very sore. I have very few shoes I can wear comfortably all day long. I mostly live in Danskos with the rocker sole. Most shoes either are too flexible or have too little padding on the bottom. I can say with 100% confidence I would NOT be able to do what Scruffy did, walking around NYC in ballet flats. I don’t think I could wear ballet flats for 1/2 a day sitting around my office…
I am interested in this thread ( bunions :eek:). I now have petries because seemed to have the widest foot compared to konigs and cavellos and ordered one foot size too large because of this and stretched the foot as much as possible but still not great.
[QUOTE=islgrl;8338269]
Both my surgeries were in the same foot. The other foot wasn’t as bad so I decided not to have them removed. I did try everything before surgery, nothing worked. The first surgery they removed two by going in the top of my foot. The second surgery they removed one by going in the top of the foot, the other by going in thru the bottom of the foot. I do have numbness in my toes. The biggest issue for me now is the extensive scar tissue in my foot. I also have no extra padding in my feet so my metatarsal bones bruise REALLY easily so I can still get very sore. I have very few shoes I can wear comfortably all day long. I mostly live in Danskos with the rocker sole. Most shoes either are too flexible or have too little padding on the bottom. I can say with 100% confidence I would NOT be able to do what Scruffy did, walking around NYC in ballet flats. I don’t think I could wear ballet flats for 1/2 a day sitting around my office…[/QUOTE]
I couldn’t have lasted 1/2 a block with those ballet flats pre-surgery or even in the couple of years after surgery. But somehow, many years later, I can do it. God help me if I step on a little rock or a Lego right under my scar tissue though. You’d have to peel me off the ceiling. That area of my foot is still ultra-sensitive, just not constantly zinging me without provocation the way it did before.
Both of my surgeries were from the top. The most painful part for me was getting the stitches removed.
