BETTER THAN BASIC
Shopping for a Good
Riding Boot?
Start here.
Contemporary takes on riding boots have elements like small heels and elastic panels for added stretch.Credit…Bobbies
By Misty White Sidell
Misty White Sidell follows trends and scours stores and the internet for Better Than Basic, a column that offers versions of classic wardrobe items.
Nov. 24, 2024
Riding boots are worn today as much for walking on city sidewalks as they are for hunting or the other horseback activities for which the footwear was originally made centuries ago. But with so many options out there, how does one choose?
The knee-high boots have become popular as interest in ankle boots has dwindled. Their taller height and narrow leg shaft can make it harder to find the right fit, but Laura Ratliff, the manager of Manhattan Saddlery, the lone tack shop in New York City, said that equestrian brands like Fratelli Fabbri and DeNiro Salento have started to make styles with discreet elastic gussets to accommodate different calf widths. Fashion brands like Penelope Chilvers and Frye have started to offer boots in a variety of calf widths as well.
Ms. Ratliff’s shop specializes in “boots for athletes, not skinny supermodels,” as she put it. But she attributed the recent popularity of riding boots partly to models like Meskene Jobs and Bella Hadid, who have appeared on horseback on social media and in city streets. “Being a horse girl has a mystique around it,” Ms. Ratliff said. “There is a cachet to the style and fashion of equestrian boots, and people realize they are quite a useful shoe.”
Fashion brands’ riding boots often have silhouettes different from those made by equestrian brands for competition, which are meant to hug the leg as snugly as possible to allow close contact between riders and their horses. Ms. Jobs, a competitive show jumper for Team USA who has appeared in advertisements for Glossier and Louis Vuitton, said that whatever a boot’s fit, styles that sit higher on the leg — “just under the knee” — have a more elegant profile.
Jack Rogers: Adaline Riding Boot
