I really dislike my dressage boots...

[Trixie's mom]

I have to admit. I really don't like dressage boots. They are too stiff and I can't feel my horse with them. I had to ride in them this week because I loaned my super comfy field boots to a friend. I kept gritting my teeth thinking it would get easier/better. I'm just more frustrated.

Is there a 'softer' feel dressage boot hiding in the wings somewhere??? Especially in the ankle area??? Since my mare is on the smallish size I like to have flexibility in my ankles!!!

Thanks for letting me vent...

[CDNJumperGirl]

Try the Ariats, they're pretty darn soft. So soft, in fact, that they drive me nuts since I like a very stiff boot :P

[GilbertsCreeksideAcres]

Maybe you two should trade boots! :)

[Blkarab]

Devon Aire makes a decent tall boot (Camden L'accord) that might work for both of you. I have found that it's not too stiff and not too soft. It's a cheap boot ($175). I've been riding in mine now for about 2 months, and it's now starting to break in without issue. Not too much drop in the heel.
Good for a pinch. If I was riding in a recognized show and wanted a "fancier" boot, I would probably do the Ariats since I like a softer feel to my boots too.

[ideayoda]

Make sure that you get (french) calf and that they are 3/4 line (the inside is not). Have the counters dropped 1/2 " as well (which helps with the ankle problems).

[Dressage Art]

Well, welcome to the club... the last past 6 months for me was a choice of giving a Half Halt or popping a blister! That is in my new Pietre boots that I’m trying to brake in already since Christmas!!!!! Some of the COTHers recommended soaking them in the warm water and wearing them until they'll dry. It's called a "bath tub method"!!! Do a search on it, it's hilarious:
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=130113&highlight=bath+tub+method

[Ibex]

Ditto on the Ariats. I got mine (the older Medalist model) off eBay for $100.

Made in Italy, calfskin, but they're soft. I'm showing lower levels so there's no need for a stiff boot - half the other people are in field boots! (I'd wear mine, but they have coloured tops and I think it would put my coach over the edge :lol: )

[pintopiaffe]

oh... I *hate* to say this, but if you are finding you want to get your heel on the smaller horse, and the stiff tall boots are preventing it... you actually may not be aiding correctly. Should be a quick calf aid.

I certainly want to 'niggle' with my heel on my leetle guy. My stiff tall boots make me aid correctly. Spurs still hit where they should, I am just not 'allowed' to raise the heel or curl it up/in to give an aid that really shouldn't be given that way anyway...

And truly, I HATE that I have learnt this. HATE it. HATE it. I want to ride in paddies and jodphurs like Nuno and JC Racinet... :uhoh:

[Trixie's mom]

pinto...I actually used to do that! :)

But now it's a lower calf aid I'm using and my field boots (Ariat's of course) and so soft and thin and narrow along my ankle that I can feel a fly.

When I ride in my dressage boots (also Ariats...Maestros?) I can't feel her side so I think I'm using too much pressure or too long or..who knows...I CAN'T FEEL HER!!! it has become a gray area for her. She's ubersensitive and an overacheiver so you can imagine her trying to read my leg aids right now...

AAAAA...maybe I'll just get a pair of old Vogel dress boots in french calf leather...

Ideayoda...what are counters???

[ideayoda]

The counter is where the leg meets the foot part (stitching level to the ground). Some makers already drop them, but if you have bony ankles it helps to 'miss them'.

[Elegante E]

I made a newbie error when I bought my first dressage boots and got talked into a lovely - $$$$$$- pair of konigs with super stiff sides. They have never broken in and I stopped wearing them as they actually push my calf away from my horse. It's hard enough riding properly without having to fight my boots.

Mountain horse boots are great. No break in period at all and they let the calf rest nicely on the horse. I still use the pair I've been riding daily in for over 4 years. They aren't good enough to show in any more, too scuffed, but I haven't found anything better. Going to get a new pair, the show version, eventually.

[jcotton]

Trixie's mom:
For the same amount of money spent on Vogel's you can get a better quality boot by getting Sergio Grasso's San Remo dressage boots. You have choices of buttery soft or medium stiffness or really stiff. I have two pairs my black boots for showing that are buttery soft and schooling boots with a medium stiffness. They are well made and totally custom from the foot up to the top.

[Donella]

Haha you know I rode in ariat boots and half chaps for years and years and in the fall bought petries. I whined and complained and suffered and couldnt figure out how ANYONE could like riding in these things. My instructor told me that I will love them..all trainers do (which is true, they do seem to live in their tall boots). Sure enough, I do love them now. They give my lower leg better stability and its true that you have to change how you give aids to your horse, but that is how it is supposed to be. I had to ride in my half chaps for two days and actually ended up with a sore back because it changed my whole balance!

On another note, mine only took a few weeks to break in...?

[Trixie's mom]

jcotton...thanks for the information...I'll look into SG's.

[FleetwoodStarr]

You could also try Rectilignes if you can find them. Mine were only about four hundred dollars, and very soft. I don't know how they hold up in the long run, but so far, they've last longer than my ariats ever did.

[jcotton]

Trixie's Mom:
PM me if you want have any questions.