I’ve always been drawn into the different designs that brands come out with. The more I scroll through websites, the more I add more certain models to my wish list. I find myself liking boots of different styles. Some are more classic and some are more unusual. Some that I would love to own for a specific purpose and others that I’m curious to know how they would feel or fit.

Boots can either dress up or dress down your riding outfit. And although I only own my Ego 7 Orion boots at the moment, I find myself dreaming of a time where I could pick my boots like I pick my outfits. Hopefully, some of you equestrians can relate to this.

So, here’s a little look into some of riding boots currently on my wish list.

Their beautiful, classic design would polish up the rest of your outfit so easily. With white breeches and a black jacket, you would look like you mean business the minute you enter the show ring. Add a white saddle pad and a black bonnet to your horse and you’ll look like the team to beat.

With so many studies about how the way you dress affects the way you act, I think it’s important to feel strong and confident in your show outfit. And with the other competitors already being some stiff competition, anything that can help your mental game is a bonus in my book.

These boots would probably be my boots of choice when riding in my lessons. They’re classic and clean looking, but the brown colour makes them look a bit more casual than a black pair.

Aesthetically, I love the idea of having the zipper be a part of the design. It’s different and I like that. To me, it does make the boots look a bit more sporty though. These would be the kind of boots that I’d choose to wear if I wanted to ride a cross country course. Simply because I think they would tie in with the rest of the cross country outfit a bit more than what, for example, the Cavallos would. Now, that’s not to say that the Tonics wouldn’t work in the jumper ring. It just really depends on what your personal style is.

I had so much fun designing these on LM’s website. There are endless combinations to choose from. And though I would also love to own a pair of black competition boots that were custom made, I thought I would create a pair of brown boots that have just a bit of colour to them. Making them unique.

I don’t know about you, but having a pair of coloured boots is something that I would love to have. Whether they were green, navy or crimson. The problem is, I know that I wouldn’t wear them as often as I should because they are so different. They limit want you can pair with them.

So, instead, I love that LM allows you to add that pop of colour without it being the whole boot. For these boots, I added green piping to the toe, heel and top panel of the boot. I chose their chocolate brown leather for the rest of the boot. I think that if you’re going to pay for a custom boot that they should be different from stock boots in some way other than their fit. Adding a tiny bit of colour is a nice way of doing that.

These boots from Tucci caught my eye. I’ve been wanting a pair of two-tone boots for a while. But I found out that I’m picky about the two colours that companies pair together. I’m not a fan of the black and brown together. I find it too busy. I much prefer pairing two colours that are more similar together. Like the black and grey that Tucci chose. I also like it when companies keep the whole boot the same colour, but they make the top panel in the patent leather. I really like that effect too.

I like the distressed look of the leather. How the brown isn’t all the same tone. It adds to the comfort/relaxed look. I would love to ride in these to see if my first impressions of them are accurate.

Simply for the diversity and convenience of them. Being able to throw on a pair of boots over your jeans to quickly jump on a horse or to ride in something a little more lightweight during those hot summer days. Even being able to head out for a hack without worrying about a tree branch scratching your expensive tall boots. There are some advantages to riding in paddock boots and chaps. Which is why they made their way on to my wish list.

The design is unconventional because of the laces. And probably won’t be to everyone’s taste. I get that. For me, I like them because they are so different. They’ll catch the attention of the other riders at the barn. That’s for sure.

Now, I do have a pair of Ariat Bromont boots that are sitting at home. The salesperson sold me the wrong calf size. They’re much too tight. She convinced me that they would stretch. I tried to condition and stretch them, but I haven’t been able to get them to stretch enough. And after all of that, they’re not returnable. So now they’re collecting dust and I probably wouldn’t repurchase the Ariat ones.

To me, the Mountain Horse ones look much warmer. I’ve also seen other equestrians wear these boots at my barn and they don’t seem to have any complaints about them. Of course, they aren’t extremely high quality. But in the winter, you just want to stay warm.

Sure, you could wear sneakers. But I prefer wearing boots to prevent dirt or water from getting into my shoe and dirtying or soaking my feet.

I would also switch into these Dubarrys after my ride if I needed to wash off my horse. That way, I’m not damaging my nice riding boots from all of the soap and water.

Until next time, happy riding!