Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Boots for wide feet

From: Lesley

Dear Jessica and Horse Sense! Thank you for answering all our questions, you are the best! Here's my question for you. Where can I get boots that will be comfortable for me to ride in? I have big calfs but that isn't the worst trouble, the worst is that my feet are WIDE, like my shoes always have to be WIDE shoes or I can't wear them. When I try on riding boots mostly the calfs don't fit, but I tried some with extra WIDE calfs and they fit o.k, except that the feet still didn't fit my feet right and I couldn't buy them. So is there someplace that has boots for feet like my feet? I don't go to shows, I just want boots for riding.

Lesley (with sore feet)

Dear Lesley, I'm glad you like horse-sense and I'm sorry your feet are sore. I can't promise magic, but here are some ideas for more comfortable footgear, starting with the most expensive option, of course!

Custom boots -- Vogel and Dehner both make wonderful boots, as does Maxwell in England. With custom boots, EVERYTHING is made to fit YOUR feet and legs exactly. But that's a very costly option...

Semi-custom boots -- many bootmakers offer a variety of options in standard and non-standard sizes, so you might be able to get a wide-calf boot with a wide or extra-wide foot without having to have the boots custom-made. This is less costly, but still fairly expensive.

Off-the-rack boots -- you've been trying these and not having any luck, but before you give up, try some boots in the MEN'S section! Men's boots generally allow more room in the calf and a lot more width in the foot. If you can wear men's off-the-rack boots, this will be much less costly than custom or semi-custom boots.

Short boots -- paddock boots can be wonderful alternatives to tall boots, as you have only ONE issue to deal with at a time. Some paddock boots come in wide-foot varieties. The Ariat boots are good, and the Ariat half-chaps are available in extra-wide.

Riding sneakers -- these are available in wider widths, especially if you figure out what size you would take in men's riding sneakers! And if you get the low-cut variety rather than the ones with high padded tops, you can use them WITH your Ariat half-chaps. ;-)

Good luck, and if you find another solution, please let me know and I'll pass the information along to other riders with the same problem. You are not alone by any means. ;-)

Jessica

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