XW Tall boots with a little extra ankle room?

[Ceylon_Star]

After 5 years my beautiful brown Ariat Heritage Contours never did drop enough for my legs, and clearly aren’t going to, so I am looking at potentially getting new boots in the new year, but a lot of boots are too narrow in the ankle/top of arch area. Even those in an Extra Wide calf. I actually ended up removing the laces in mine to give me enough room in the arch, even more so because I need heel lifts (2 in each boot) to make them fit height wise.

I need a boot that has some extra room in the ankle/arch because I have slightly higher than average arches and I need a lateral support brace on my left side to stop it from rolling and prevent wrecking it again.

My calves are also different sizes. My left/bad leg is l6.75" and my right/good leg is 17.75".

Other than going custom (the only custom brand I am near a rep for is DeNiro and I haven’t been impressed with DeNiro’s customer service lately in regards to custom orders), what options are out there for wider calf boots, in brown?

Or, alternatively, are there any wide calf half chaps that are wide enough in the ankle to fit over wide neck boots like the Ariat Terrains?

[Willesdon]

IME the only way to find a boot that fits is to try on a lot of brands and styles, a bit like frogs and the Prince.

[GreyDes]

Take a look at the Mountain Horse Sovereign boots. They are field boots, so lace ankles which will give you more room there.

[Renn_aissance]

If you’re committed to brown, I think you’ll need to go custom.

If you’re willing to have black boots, your options open, but not by a lot- I have enough problems finding stuff to fit my 17" calves to know that there aren’t a lot of manufacturers who make a stock boot that starts bigger than that. Two things you could try. First, there appears to be a UK company called “Plus In Boots” that sells the remainder of the Fuller Fillies line (used to be at SmartPak, now appears to be going out of business) as well as their own line, which would fit your calf.

The other option may or may not work for you depending on how much compression you’re comfortable with. If your bigger leg is bigger because of edema, or for reasons other than super-dense muscle, you may be able to make a 16.5 calf work if the boot has an elastic gusset running down the length of the zipper. In fact, if you’re going stock, you might make a point of looking for this width off the shelf because then it would better suit your left leg and you could get the right one stretched (in my experience, can add 1/2-3/4", but ask your tack shop.) If this turns out to be viable for you, it opens up more options, including the Ariat Volant S (which I wear and love- boxy in the foot, has room for my fat ankle, will survive the apocalypse) and maybe the aforementioned Mountain Horse Sovereign, which comes in brown.

[Ceylon_Star]

@Renn/aissance

If you’re committed to brown, I think you’ll need to go custom.

If you’re willing to have black boots, your options open, but not by a lot- I have enough problems finding stuff to fit my 17" calves to know that there aren’t a lot of manufacturers who make a stock boot that starts bigger than that. Two things you could try. First, there appears to be a UK company called “Plus In Boots” that sells the remainder of the Fuller Fillies line (used to be at SmartPak, now appears to be going out of business) as well as their own line, which would fit your calf.

The other option may or may not work for you depending on how much compression you’re comfortable with. If your bigger leg is bigger because of edema, or for reasons other than super-dense muscle, you may be able to make a 16.5 calf work if the boot has an elastic gusset running down the length of the zipper. In fact, if you’re going stock, you might make a point of looking for this width off the shelf because then it would better suit your left leg and you could get the right one stretched (in my experience, can add 1/2-3/4", but ask your tack shop.) If this turns out to be viable for you, it opens up more options, including the Ariat Volant S (which I wear and love- boxy in the foot, has room for my fat ankle, will survive the apocalypse) and maybe the aforementioned Mountain Horse Sovereign, which comes in brown.

My smaller leg is from atrophy after a nasty injury a few years back. It’s bulked up a bit since but never to where it was pre-injury. The bigger calf isn’t necessarily “super dense” but it isn’t super squishy either. Comparable to the smaller leg, just…bulkier?

If I could simply have the zipper shortened and new keeper tabs added to my current boots, so they aren’t taller than the back of my knees, I would consider going that route, but the cobbler in town who does a lot of zipper replacements on riding boots says that won’t work

I’m keeping an eye on Plus in Boots on Facebook, but am a little distrustful after hearing experiences from people in a plus size rider group I’m also in.

I wish men’s boots came in more widths/heights, because they have better ankle and arch room than women’s. But between that and my small foot size (men’s 7ish) it’s REALLY hard to find men’s riding boots that fit me, so I’ve just kept buying women’s

[Hej]

@Ceylon Star

If I could simply have the zipper shortened and new keeper tabs added to my current boots, so they aren’t taller than the back of my knees, I would consider going that route, but the cobbler in town who does a lot of zipper replacements on riding boots says that won’t work

Sorry, but your cobbler is wrong. Your boots can indeed be shortened exactly as you described ( although your guy may not know how/want to do it).

I know quite a few people who’ve had this done; I’m in the southeastern US but surely there’s someone closer to you who can help. Ask friends who show and at tack shops to see who else works on boots.

[rocky213]

I know my older non zippered boots have a way fatter ankle than my zippered pair. Maybe look for some of the old school non zippered boots like Dehner or Konigs. They definitely have fatter ankles and get a zipper added to them or if you can put up with using boot pulls and boot hooks, that maybe the way to go.

[mpsbarnmanager]

Fuller Fillies has changed names and I can’t remember the new name but I have wide calves and get their field boots. They make brown too!

[Always_WIP]

If you’re okay with black, the Ovation Flex Plus boots check all your boxes. The back is a stretch elastic gusset that can fit anything from 17-19". They’re fully lined. The foot is pretty generous - enough so that even with my slightly wider feet I wear normal knee socks and not boot socks. I’ve had them for a year, ride 3x a week and love them. I have a really crappy ankle and I bought them because I needed the little bit of give in the back of the ankle. A lot of tall boots have a snap over the ankle to support the zipper and I can’t wear those due to my tendonitis.

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹ Let me know if you want pics or more details, I know the struggle to find wide calf boots!

[paintedpony]

Not brown, but may still interest you. Current State Line Tack, 35% off sale TuffRider Ladies Plus Rider Field Boot. The elastic insert is VERY forgiving. Multiple heights, and very attractive price point. Our daughter has two sets of TuffRider boots, the Belmont and Regal for daily use. I highly recommend them as good value for dollar, and ease of break in. Not a high end item, but very serviceable. Multiple height options.

[Jumper_Princess1988]

Run as fast as you can from Fuller Fillies or Plus in Boots! Mt Horse or the new Wide Boot Company should be able to hook you up for double the quality and none of the drama