Horse riding boots and their most common styles

Aside from the helmet, saddle, and other visibly important equipments for horseback riding, the riding boots should also be given consideration as their characteristics can either make or break one’s pleasure or competitive riding. Basically, they are worn to protect the ankles and calves of the rider from rubbing against the leathers of the saddle, and to keep the feet from slipping from the stirrups. Most boots can be made from soft leather or cowhide, and their uppers may also have more expensive materials from wild animals to add more artistic design. A thorough knowledge on each horse riding boot’s characteristics is essential before settling to buy a pair for everyday use.

The necessity of the riding boots is unquestionable. You may have heard of horse enthusiasts with a wide variety of riding boots and each pair has a respective role to fulfill. Typically, huge barns have an array of boots: for everyday use, for hunting, for showing, and for competition. They may also be grouped according to use for a specific season. A group of boots are used for the summer months, and another group is exclusive for the wet seasons. The following outline is a summary of the most common styles and attributes found among horse riding boots.

1.    Basic Types
a)    English equestrian horse riding boots
b)    Western or cowboy horse riding boots

2.    Subtypes of English riding boots
a)    Tall
•    Field boots
•    Dressage boots
•    Hunting or Top boots
b)    Short
•    Paddock, or Jodhpur

3.    Subtypes of Western riding boots
a)    High “cowboy” or “riding” heel
b)    Low “walking” heel
c)    Lower “roper” heel

4.    Types according to materials
a)    Soft leather, or cowhide
b)    Pigskin
c)    Synthetic leather
d)    Vinyl
e)    Patent leather
f)    Suede
g)    Alligator
h)    Snakeskin
i)    Ostrich

5.    Types according to color
a)    Black
b)    Brown
c)    Other vibrant and bright colors (specifically for women barrel racers)

6.    Types according to riding purpose
a)    Pleasure riding
b)    Trailing
c)    Hunting
d)    Competitions and shows