I just can’t keep my feet warm this year. I bought some insulated paddock boots to use with the half chaps I usually use for winter; they are thinsulate lined and very nice but once the temps dropped to the 30s they are not warm enough. I have foot problems that make my right foot tricky to fit and prone to going numb. I was looking at the Ariat Conniston boot - it’s expensive, but I might buy them if I could trust they would be warm enough. I’ve also looked at rechargeable heated insoles, not sure how those would actually work. How do others deal with this? I am old as dirt now and I just can’t seem to stay warm this year.
Are you buying the right size? One of the biggest causes of cold feet is lack of space - any place there’s reduced blood flow due to contact with the shoe is going to get very cold, very fast. It might sound crazy, but shoe and boot fitting is a big part of my job. Are your toes being squeezed, or the top of your foot? Can you walk down a significant incline and not feel the end of the boot with your toes even a little?
A LOT of people wear shoes a half size or more too small. Riding boots aren’t particularly “foot shaped” either, which can exacerbate the issue. Also, feet get bigger as we age, and companies change their sizing constantly, so if you’ve worn an 8 your whole life you could very well be a 10 now.
Next, socks. Wool socks are great, and a silk liner sock can help add warmth without bulk. A midweight Coolmax sock can be an alternative if you get sweaty feet (common if you’re warm until you leave the barn to ride). Avoid cotton like your life depends on it. Wool or synthetic only. Also, make sure you have your exact sock setup when you got try on boots! I wear a whole size bigger in the exact same boot for winter vs summer. It’s all because of the socks.
Not to make this a book, but the disposable foot warmers are worth trying a few times just to see if adding ambient heat will solve your issue before investing in rechargeable. Again you’ll need to have enough space in your boot for the insole which is WAY thicker than the stock one.
Lastly, wide track stirrups can also help with blood flow issues so if you don’t have those already I’d see if you can borrow a set for a few rides.
I have terrible circulation and don’t tolerate cold well, so in addition to wearing my riding boots ONLY for riding (tacking and untacking in Bogs insulated boots), I have wool socks and wide track stirrups. Works for me!
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Everyone at my hunt club rides all winter in Mountain Horse -the cheap ones might be Rim Frost? And I also use electric socks–on Amazon–$50. Work very well!
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I ride in these, and I find them to be very warm.
Note I am limited to very few winter tall boots due to the size of my calves - there are likely better ones out there if you’re more normal sized. 
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Mountain Horse or Ariat winter paddock boots, a half size or one size too big, with warm socks.
I did order a pair of rechargeable insoles but am waiting for them to arrive (also not cold enough here yet to need them). A fellow boarder recommended them and said they are amazing.
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I second the Bogs and wool socks for all barn time except actually being in the saddle. I have terrible circulation and if my feet get just a little cold my body shuts down blood flow to them. It can be dangerous in the winter and I’ve tried everything. Bogs are the only boots I can wear that don’t make me cold standing on the barn concrete or walking in the snow. They don’t look like they’d be warm, but I swear they have some sort of magic in them.
I keep my regular boots in the warm tack room and change right before I am going to mount. I move my feet around while my horse is warming up and by the time we’re working my feet at still warm and don’t get overheated when we are working. Then back to bogs as soon as the crossties are secure!
Hunting is a heated foot pad (or socks) with a sized up insulated boot. Feet still get painfully cold, I can’t go out in really cold weather anymore.
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I have the Ariat Conistons and have worn them for three winters now. I’ve been very pleased with them and have found them warm enough and roomy enough to wear wool socks. Because they’re insulated all the way up the leg, they help keep my whole leg warm as well as the foot.
They’re also still waterproof, although I’ve done minimal care on them. (Okay, maybe if I stood in shin-deep water, they wouldn’t keep me dry, but…)
The only caveat I’ll add is that I find Ariat boots in general a very good fit for my feet. If you don’t like the fit of Ariats, you probably won’t like these boots either.
I rode in the Ariat Bromonts with a HotHands insole and a thin merino sock - I was TOASTY in New Jersey winters and I run really cold.
Get some genuine sheepskin insoles and report back. I’d bet my next paycheck you’ll give me a thumbs up.
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oooh, NICE
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Thanks all! I had not considered buying boots in a larger size than normal but that would make some sense. The downside would be that the fit might be too loose on the left. One thing I have noticed about thicker socks in the past is that they can actually make the problem worse. But maybe a roomier size would help. I probably really need a wide width for my right foot but off the rack riding boots seem to only come in medium widths. I’ve invested over a thousand dollars in a pair of custom boots for my primary boots, but I don’t want to spend like that for just winter boots. I didn’t know sheepskin insoles existed, I will check those out.
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