Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Riding boots are boots made to be used for horseback riding. Modern riding boots are usually knee-high and made of leather, not unlike the fashion go-go boots of later years in outline. The modern riding boot is usually low-heeled, even though historically the high heel is supposed to have been invented for riding boots, to prevent the boot from slipping out of the stirrup; the cowboy boot, for example, keeps a higher heel than the modern riding boot. This page explains the parts of a riding boot and the job each part does in the saddle.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/riding_boot). 12/10/04 |
A riding boot is read from the ground up. The sole is smooth leather or a fine-profile rubber, smooth because a deeply lugged sole could jam in the stirrup instead of releasing in a fall. The heel is the safety device, a clear step of about an inch on English boots that catches the stirrup iron and holds the foot at its position. The foot itself is cut plain and close, often with an elastic panel or laces at the ankle on field boots to let the ankle flex downward, since correct riding position drops weight into the heel. The shaft does the visible work: knee-high, stiff enough in dress boots to stand smooth, softer in schooling boots, always close to the calf, because any fold or gap between boot and leg will rub through a long ride and any loose edge can catch on tack.
Fitting is by foot size, calf width and shaft height together, and the three are ordered separately on better boots. The shaft should reach the back of the knee without pressing into it when the knee bends, the calf should be snug without cutting circulation, and new tall boots are expected to drop slightly in height as the ankle creases settle, which is why they are bought a fraction high. Zips up the back or side are the modern convenience replacing the boot pulls and jack of the traditional pull-on boot, and spur rests above the heel hold a spur at its set height.
Care is stable care: mud and sweat are the enemies, so boots are wiped or washed down after riding, dried away from direct heat, kept on boot trees so the shafts stand and the ankles do not collapse into creases, and fed with leather dressing rather than fashion polish on working pairs. Polished dress boots for the show ring are the exception, boned and shined to a hard gloss as part of turnout. Fashion copies the silhouette freely, in go-go boots in their decade and in high-street riding styles since, but the working definition stays where it began: a smooth-soled, heeled, tall leather boot built around a stirrup and a horse's side.
The heel stops the boot from slipping through the stirrup. Historically the high heel is supposed to have been invented for riding boots for exactly that purpose, and every true riding boot keeps a defined heel, low on modern English-style boots and higher on the cowboy boot.
The tall leather shaft protects the rider's leg against the saddle, the stirrup leather and the horse's side, and gives a smooth surface that does not catch. Modern riding boots are usually knee-high and made of leather, cut close so nothing rubs or snags while riding.
Both descend from working saddle boots, but the cowboy boot keeps a higher, angled heel, a taller and often decorated shaft and a pointed toe for its own stirrup tradition, while the modern riding boot is plainer, close-fitting and low-heeled, made for English-style riding and schooling.