From: Kathleen
Dear Jessica, this may seem trivial but it's very important to me. I have been riding for three years, and I love it more than anything. But I have such a problem with riding boots. My feet are so wide, my husband calls them "duck feet". Most shoe salesmen say that B is average and C is wide, but I can't buy any shoes unless they are a D or E width. I am trying to spend my money on lessons not on fancy clothing for riding, but I have tried on every kind of riding boots I can find (or get my feet into) at tack stores, and I am wondering if I will ever find some tall boots that will fit and not hurt. Even the boots that are supposed to be wide in the foot aren't wide enough for me. If I put them on in the tack store and stane or walk for a few minutes, my feet start cramping. This is so frustrating for me! I'm not able to try on all the kinds of boots there are, because I also have a wide calf and a high instep, and according to all of the people who work in the tack stores, that is an extremely difficult combination to fit. I have been given several suggestions from different people.
1. My riding teacher wears custom boots and says this is the easiest way to get the right fit. This is not an option for me because I can't pay that much for boots! My husband and I have a budget, and I have weekly riding lessons and a half-lease on a horse, and that is where most of my "horse money" goes.
2. One of my friends says that if I buy a good pair of expensive boots, but not as expensive as custom, I can ask a bootmaker to put zippers in the boots so that I can get them on and off easily. This is not a good choice for me for two reasons. One is that buying good boots and then adding zippers is almost as expensive as buying custom boots! The other is that I can't put my foot into the foot part of the boot until it is cut open, so there is no way to try the boots before buying them and I couldn't return them if they didn't fit. With my duck feet, I've learned never to take a chance on buying shoes or boots that might not be wide enough in the foot.
3. One tack store owner suggested I should buy riding sneakers and wear them with half-chaps. I did this and it is working okay, but it's not ideal, and basically I just really want to have some tall boots. I started riding when I was 37, but I have wanted to ride all my life, and for some reason I feel very strongly about riding in tall boots.
I know this is silly, since I don't compete and I'm not even interested in horse shows, but I just want them so much! I have a pen-pal in Belgium who says that European boots are made wider in the foot, she has offered to buy boots for me but I said "no" because if they didn't fit it would be so expensive to return them to Belgium. Why does everyone else in America have such narrow feet? Help, please!
Kathleen "the Duck"
The search for comfortable tall boots is something that a lot of riders suffer through, even if they have "average" feet and legs. You have one big advantage in that you are looking for boots for casual riding and schooling, which gives you some style options that wouldn't be available if you wanted boots for the show ring.
Even without the problem of a wide foot, the combination of a wide calf and a high instep would be enough to make it difficult for you to find comfortable, affordable tall boots - and it's a combination that demands a zipper. So what you need is a comfortable, affordable tall boot that comes with a zipper - and that will accomodate a very wide foot.
Your friend in Belgium is correct, European boots are typically made wider in the foot. But you're right about the perils and expenses of overseas orders and returns. So I'm going to recommend a boot that you will soon be able to purchase, quite easily, in the States. I don't normally make specific product recommendations, but I'm making an exception in this case, for reasons I'll explain later.
This boot is made by Mountain Horse, and it's called the Mountain Horse High Rider. I wear these boots for teaching, because they're comfortable even when I'm walking around an arena or a cross-country course for eight hours a day. They accomodate the "killer combination" of a wide foot, high instep, and wide calf.... three guesses how I know. ;-)
The reason I waited five months to answer your letter is because so many riders and tack store owners in the USA have been frustrated for the last year or two with their inability to get the products they'd ordered from Mountain Horse, and knowing that, I didn't want to recommend a product that might be difficult to find or that, once ordered, might not arrive. But now I have good news for riders in the States: The 1824 catalogue sales company (riding clothes for plus-size, tall, and petite riders) is going to be carrying the entire line of Mountain Horse products. NOW I feel free to answer your letter, because I know the company and the people, and I'm confident that orders you place with 1824 WILL be filled. I'm told that Mountain Horse products will be added to the 1824 website soon (www.1824catalog.com) and that in the meantime, you'll be able to order the products by calling them (toll-free) at 1-888-534-3188. They're also making Mountain Horse product catalogues available via snail-mail. If you want one, just e-mail them (am1824@ix.netcom.com) with the header "MOUNTAIN HORSE CATALOG" and give them your name and address.
I'm making a point of this for two reasons, Kathleen. One is that there are a LOT of riders with wide feet and a budget. I know, because I hear from them often, I meet them at clinics and lectures, and they're ALL looking for comfortable and affordable boots.
The other reason is that one of the things that we, as consumers can do with our feet - other than wear shoeboxes - is "vote with them"; in other words, we can take our business to the people who make and distribute the products we really want. This encourages them to make more of those products, and it also, indirectly, encourages OTHER manufacturers to sit up, pay attention, and perhaps add some similar products to their own lines.
Believe it or not, much of the market really IS consumer-driven. Do you remember when there were NO riding clothes (showing OR schooling) made for plus-size riders? for tall riders? for petite riders? I do.
I don't do product endorsements as such, but I can tell you that I've been very impressed with both 1824 and with Mountain Horse, and I'm very glad that they're combining forces. The High Rider boots are certainly a wonderful resource for the "duck-footed" among us.
If you find that you really DO want to go to an occasional competition, once you're able to be comfortable in tall boots, you should be aware that Mountain Horse also makes another tall boot called the Sportive. From the photos I've seen, it appears to have a more traditional look to the foot - the sole is much thinner, more like that of a conventional show or hunting boot, and the toe area looks a little less wide. Since I haven't tried this model yet, I can't tell you whether it's as comfortable for "duck feet" as the High Rider model, but I do plan to try it eventually, and when I do, I'll attach a followup note to this letter in the HORSE-SENSE archives. Judging from the photos, the Sportive appears to be a boot that could be used for showing as well as schooling. If this is the case, it will be great news for all of the wide-footed show riders out there - it's very hard to ride your best and look happy and pleasant when your feet aren't comfortable! Been there, done that, didn't like it one little bit. Foot pain is not at all conducive to good riding. ;-)
Jessica
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