Riding boot or western boot: how to choose
The riding boot is the tall boot that came out of horse riding: a straight shaft, a round toe, a low heel and a broad footprint that spreads weight instead of concentrating it on one point. That is why it can be worn all day without a second thought. On the style shown here the fastening is a zip and the signature detail is a buckle on the shaft, a direct descendant of the stirrup strap. The heel measures 3.5 centimetres: enough to lift the heel and lengthen the line of the leg, too little to change the way you walk.
The western ankle boot solves the same problem with a different geometry. The shaft stops above the ankle, the toe is tapered and the heel rises to 5.5 centimetres. The style shown here has a reversed shaft, meaning the leather is set with the flesh side facing out: suede, the same material Italian labels call camoscio, here finished with metal studs. It is a surface that copes well with marks, because suede is brushed dry once it is completely dry and goes back to looking as it did, while smooth leather keeps the scratch.
Both constructions come back to the same three materials: a leather upper, a rubber sole and a leather insole. Leather against the foot absorbs the day's moisture and after a few wears takes the shape of the arch, which is why a well-made boot gets more comfortable over time rather than less. The rubber sole is the opposite choice to the traditional leather outsole: it grips better in the wet, insulates from a cold pavement and asks for none of the break-in a leather sole needs.
One practical note on sizing: try boots in the afternoon, when the foot is slightly more swollen, and with the sock you will actually wear. On the western boot the critical point is not the length but the instep, because the style is pulled on with no fastening and has to clear the top of the foot; on the zipped riding boot what counts is calf circumference. Other styles in the same family sit in the women's boots category, which stays put even when one brand's assortment changes.
