Any sport includes a certain set of attributes, including equipment. It usually has specific features, as it is designed taking into account the characteristics of the sports process and the tasks that it is designed to perform.
Riding is notable for high risks and trauma, therefore the safety of the rider is important here, as well as maintaining the health of the horse. For this, it is especially important to pay attention to protective accessories and, in particular, to boots.
Boots - the most suitable shoes
The legs are that part of the human body that plays an important role in equestrian sport. In this case, the only leg support is stirrups, and they must be kept in order not to fall off the horse. For the sake of this and generally comfortable ride, it is important to choose the most suitable shoes. The experience of a thousand-year history of riding has shown that boots fit best here.
This is explained by the fact that it is high-top boots that best protect against dislocations. And it is very easy to tuck a leg while riding a horse, climbing on it or going down. Especially if you are just starting to go horse riding. In addition, boots traditionally protect your feet from dirt, which splashes are inevitable.
And in a swampy or just rainy area with many puddles, a rider may need to go down to the ground where it is very dirty or wet.
However, there is a choice in favor of shoes that do not cover the boot. In general, this is not forbidden, but it is worth weighing the pros and cons or stock up on leggings, as an almost complete alternative to boots. They do not protect against puddles, but can prevent rubbing your feet against stirrups. Both those and others do not have a significant difference in age or gender group, therefore women's and men's boots infrequently differ from each other.
How to choose
It is horse riding that we owe the appearance of heels to shoes. Initially, they served to keep stirrups under the foot.
Now this is no less relevant, so professional equestrian boots usually have a small heel.
As a budget option for the same plan, you can choose ordinary leather or rubber boots. However, this is not suitable for anyone. Riding boots must meet the following criteria:
- wide heels;
- heel height - no more than 2 cm;
- shaft height - to the knee;
- lack of lightning.
In the case of horse riding absolutely have to forget about the stilettos or even just high heels. It may seem that the higher the heel, the easier it is to stay in stirrups, but this is not so. A long heel may not withstand the load and break even if it is not very thin. Moreover, if this happens during the ride, you may be injured due to the fact that the foot will sharply go forward, and with this there is a risk of falling completely.
In addition, with long heels it is very inconvenient to climb up and down the horse, and sharp stilettos can injure the horse.
Boots must not cover your knees. Horseback riding is an almost constant position of the legs bent at the knees. Too high boots are guaranteed to interfere with riding. The exception is a rather soft and flexible material or an open back of the upper boots, but such models are difficult to find and usually it is not justified. The historical cavalry over the knee boots are very different in design from the modern women's - they just have the back of the knee open (for example, in Russian), or the upper part is much wider and freer than the rest (Spanish).
Boots on an open snake are categorically not suitable here. Any lightning is a risk of catching on stirrups or injuring an animal, especially if you are new to horseback riding. But the model of boots, where the zipper is closed with a special valve, is a very suitable solution. Professional boots are usually equipped with such a valve with Velcro or buttons (the latter is more reliable), and you should focus on them.
Everyday models, in which the valve does not fasten in any way, retain the risk of opening lightning and injuring the rider or horse.
Alternative to boots
As mentioned above, if you wish, you can do without boots, but here you should follow all the same principles and safety measures. Life and health of both yours and your horse directly depend on this.
Boots
If laced boots are not very convenient, since they are put on and removed for a long time, then in the case of boots, lacing is simply obligatory. Here it is worth clarifying that the climbing option with hooks is completely unsuitable, as these metal parts can cling and injure themselves.
But ordinary hiking boots are quite a convenient and budget option. They come, including from waterproof materials, which is very convenient in a humid climate and on impassable roads. For the cold season, it is worth stocking up with a winter model with insulation.
Leggings
Gaiters are sometimes called horse riding shoes, but this is not true. Gaiters are a universal name for pads on arms and legs, which are designed to protect them from external factors (manual gaiters for riding are irrelevant if you do not plan to combine it with archery). They are easier than shoes to pick up to your size or fit it, and a wide selection includes various models, including children's ones.
Gaiters for equestrian sports are most often made of leather or very dense fabric (for example, suede). This is necessary so that they can be a complete replacement for a high bootleg. They are also needed to hold the legs, which can easily be pulled up or twisted during the ride.
In general, leggings complete with boots are usually cheaper than boots, so they can be a good alternative.
See the following video for an overview of riding boots.
