Winter Boots

[phoenixrises]

Don’t kill me for asking this question already. I now live in the North Country, NY (this Ottawa but with American citizenship and no universal healthcare). I have mountain horse tall winter boots. I don’t love them, I have very long legs and they are about 4-5" below my knee and well again I don’t love them.

I need new winter boots and was looking at LL Bean. But then it struck me, couldn’t’ I just get the waterproof, thermal Ariat paddock boots and have them serve double duty? Is there any reason that I’m not thinking of that this may not work? I only mention Ariat because I know there boots fit me (I show in heritage) but if there are others I should look at I’m all ears.

[vagabondrider]

Cavallo Polar winter boots come in tall sizes. They have sheepskin lined feet & thinsulate lined legs. They are quite reasonably priced, but you will probably only find them from Calevo or Reitsport Schockemoehle or another German online tack store (or German eBay). They are the only winter tall boots I know of that come in tall sizes. Other than that, I’ve used Ariat winter half chaps which also come in tall, or I’ve used regular height tall boots & been frustrated at how the tops always get caught on my saddle flap.

[kerlin]

I have those Ariat paddock boots - I got them on a really good clearance some years back. I’ve used them as regular winter boots on occasion, but I’m not wild about them in that context for a couple of reasons: they just don’t seem durable enough, they don’t have enough grip/traction for true winter walking, and the fit isn’t quite right for getting thick socks in there.

The biggest problem is definitely the tread. They have a really shallow tread with a narrower sole than a true winter boot would have. That makes sense if you want to ride in them. If you do ANY kind of walking on snow or ice, you’re going to slip all over the place and the lack of bulk will make them colder. I have the Ariat winter tall boots (the Bromonts I think) and the tread on them is just shot. I don’t wear them ANYWHERE outside the barn or the indoor arena. I learned that one the hard way.

That said, I often use them for late fall/early spring, when it’s cold but not yet very snowy. They’re definitely nicely waterproof and plenty warm down into the 30s.

You’re better off sinking money into really, really good winter boots. I love LL Bean; I have the Wildcat boots for my day to day winter wear. I am neurotically careful about not wearing them into the barn. Until last year, I had a pair of beat up thinsulate mud boots that I would wear into the barn but before I put on my winter tall boots; they cracked last year, so I’m trying to decide what to do this year.

[phoenixrises]

Ohhh good point about the tread, so glad I asked, ice and slick conditions are prevalent here and I walk to work!

[beowulf]

honestly, my Dublin water boots are the best winter boots ever. They’re too big for me, so I double up on cotton sock on inside and wool sock on outside, and then slip them on… no expensive winter boot price tag and can use all year round…

[kerlin]

You could mitigate the problem by getting YakTrax or some other kind of slip-on studs for your boots, but I personally would always forget to either put them on in time or take them off when I got on to ride!