It is important to have the right gear in order to make sure your horse-riding experience is safe. Horseback riding can be a dangerous sport if you are not taking the necessary safety precautions. Horses are large animals that are over six feet tall and weigh over thousand pounds. Apart from our helmet, choosing the right kind of boots is the next most important thing to do when picking out your riding gear. Take a look at the following types of footwear to see what are the shoes that you should never wear, the kind of footwear that will ‘make do’ and the kind of footwear that is the best for riding.
What You Should Never Wear
There is some footwear that you cannot use for rising at all. These are sneakers, rain boots and sandals. While when it comes to your everyday work sneakers are one of the most comfortable types of footwear, when it comes to riding, they offer no grip, heel and toe protection. While many still wear sneakers as in summer, this is intended to make walking aroundthe stable more comfortable and not for actual riding session.
Rain boots are another type of shoes that experts are sceptical about. This is because while they are much more practical to run errands in the city, they do not offer a good grip in the sole that riding boots are expected to do. When it comes to sandals, this is big No in riding. Any kind of open toed shoes need to stay out of riding sessions as well as the stable as they do not offer any protection at all to its wearer when riding.

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Best Shoes for Riding
The idea shoes for riding is of course riding boots. They are made using leather, rubber or other synthetic materials. Since they are made for riding specifically, they have a good heel and a sole, toe protection, as well as good ankle support. Riding boots are usually come up to just under the knee but taller ones can protect your calves from rubbing on the saddle.
Jodhpur shoes, which are similar to riding boot style but comes up to the ankle is another type of footwear that is made for riding. In order to provide calf protection while wearing these shoes, you will have to wear half chaps when riding. Looking for a good pair of shoes to wear when riding? Then check the amazing collection at ariat boots to find the best pair for you.
Shoes that are ‘OK’ to Wear
There are Some types of footwear that can be used for horse riding, even though they are not made for this purpose specifically. These include hiking boots and cowboy boots. While hiking boots are not made for riding, they do offer a good grip in the sole and toe and heel protection to some extent. They can however, still be too large to fit inside a stirrup making it difficult to position yourself right when riding.
Their laces are also a safety hazard when riding as they can easilytangle in the stirrups. Originally, cowboy boots used to be made to make it easier for the cowboys when they move between the saddle and the ground. So, they are in fact made for riders too. they come with an adequate heel and offer toe protection due to being made from durable leather. However, they can wear a lot faster due to the moisture and dirt around the stables.
Make sure that you have the right kind of shoes when you are riding because that will help to determine both your comfort and safety.
