Karen sent this in on the subject of sneakers for riding horses.
“Perhaps I’m just too long in the tooth now but I hate it when I see people riding in sneakers.
It’s stupid and dangerous because your foot can slide all the way through the stirrup. Try freeing yourself from the saddle when that happens.
Riding BOOTS have a heel for a reason people. And big ones are easier to slip out of too, if you ever need to bail.
Well,, guess it’s more a case of when, not if…
Karen”
Karen does have a point on sneakers for horse riding: here’s a comment from Rosemary which I’ve taken from below:
“When I was about 13 or 14 I was riding back from a lesson with some friends, we were riding along a quiet road, in a proposed housing development when a car came up fast behind the horses and overtook us with a lot of noise, the horses bolted – the horse I was riding got out in front (she was an ex racehorse) as she rounded a corner she lost her footing and came down on top of me, she dragged me along the road with my leg trapped under her as she tried to get up.
I was wearing sneakers for horse riding, I go the following injuries, second degree burns on my foot from friction, the stirrup (English) gouged my foot as well as my foot was still trapped in it, and then my foot bones broke. I did not walk for over a year and am still scarred to this day.
When I ride which I do each week, I always wear boots! I was wearing a hard had which sure helped my head! Oh and my horse got a cut face!
Rosemary”
I’d love to hear your thoughts on wearing sneakers for riding horses – please do leave a comment below.
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Best
I totally agree with Karen! And riding boots are easier to slip out of.
I HAVE HAD SOME OF THE SAME CONCERNS.
My solution
Especially with my GRANDKIDS.
HAVE SOME TAPEDAROS YOU CAN ATTACH
bugger riding in a saddle I always ride bare back it more safer than to have a saddle on
What are “trainers”? Be kind, remember no ? is a stupid ? 😛
I totally agree with Karen, sneakers/trainers are no good for riding, or any shoe with no heel, as ive been thrown a few times off due to having young horses and me just going off as it was to dangerous to stay on. Ive always ridden in boots, and feel safer in boots and i basically live in boots except when at work lol.
I believe they are talking about cross trainers aka. tennis shoes
😀 Give that lady a gold star
I ride in trainers all the time LOL. I’ve never had a problem, but then I always use English stirrups even in a western saddle (my legs are too short for western stirrups, LOL :P) so my feet don’t really slide through.
It’s more a matter of how you keep your feet in the stirrup than what you keep on your feet. I’ve seen people in boots riding with their feet so far in the stirrups the heel becomes the problem.
This is coming from someone who’s fallen off
green horses many times and been thankful for shoes that are softer and more flexible than boots 😀
Just don’t let the stirrups pass the balls of your feet and what’s on them isn’t a problem 🙂
P.S. Kathy, trainers are flat-soled shoes like sneakers, tennis shoes, convers, etc. 😀
Hmm.
Fine re Joggers, trainers etc when riding bareback – but in stirrups? You have not seen an accident I did with a top rider, where his horse shied, unseated and dragged him at a gallop until we caught her 500m away. His foot slipped into the stirrup with the force of the shy. We had to rip the stirrup off to get the foot out. Lucky he was wearing a helmet too, as was dented with the horses back hooves.
Two weeks in hospital – 3 months before allowed to ride again.
Don’t think you are immune.. and if you can’t ride any other way than one way (Western should not be a difficulty if you are a horse person)- you are not a rider anyway!
If a person only rides western or only rides English that does not mean that they are not a rider at all if that is what you are saying!
If I have to ride with a saddle(I mainly ride bareback),I too, prefer to wear runners/trainers. I ride with the ball of my foot on the stirrup, so when I tried wearing boots, I had many issues keeping my feet from sliding in the stirrups. Ride in what you are comfortable wearing, but be conscious of your foot placing in the stirrup.
Michele, if you have trouble keeping your feet in the stirrups with slick-soled boots, it’s because your position is faulty. Your heels need to be down – either the stirrup leather length is too long for proper leg position, or you have issues flexing your ankle. This goes for english and western! Practice riding correctly bareback – heels down, even leg contact, no knee gripping – this will help you develop a good natural seat 🙂
I have no trouble riding in Western Boots or Race Pad u have 2 ride on the balls of your feet I learnt the hard way joy tyler
Or you can abstain from stirrups entirely; improve your balance, your horse/rider connection, your athletic skill, and not give a crap about footwear.
ok i may be the youngest in this forum but i must say i agree with Michele, ride in what ur comfortable with. as long as keep notice of where your footing is placed. i ride in Takkies (im from S.A) kinda like running shoes. and for 14 my feet are big. size 8-9 and my stirrups are medium size. 😉 altho i have no choice to wear boots whenever i show, and as i do event show juming i am alowed to use the same foot tactics as i do with takkies on. Altho im not a fan og barefoot riding 🙄 i still do it temporaly on certian of my horses. 🙂 thanks
Jane
I typically ride in boots but there is the occasion that I ride in tennis shoes…
I’m only 13 and have been riding for a few months and like the feeling of tennis shoes rather than boots. But now (as it is winter and all snowy p.s I’m from Alberta) I like the feeling of soft winter boots! Thanks for the info…
Madii
best tip – Ride bareback with no shoes at all! 😆 Its best! Absolutely natural, perfect …..and you get the plus of wind passing through your toes when your horse gallops 😀
Yup, and the “plus” of stickers, bugs & horseshit in/on your “free in the wind” toes, not to mention the odd broken bone when an unplanned dismount is in order…oh, yeah, and it’s also fun to be accidentally stepped on by your horse…if you’ve been around for horses for very long, it’s inevitable!
Crackers! What a stupid thing to recommend! When you are unable to ride for six weeks due to broken toes or ankles imagine how free will you feel with your foot in plaster.
That’s a good one K K. I like that too ❗
Bareback & barefoot, sure. I do sometimes also run with scissors, too.
(I’m not being ficicious, either. I do! But it is a major risk you take every time you do it. If you know this and still choose to, well, I do too. But the majority of the time I’m saddled & in riding boots, because the stables I ride at now absolutely will not allow anything but proper boots. Insurance is why. Accidents without boots are more common, more serious, more expensive, and more prone than you can ever imagine. My comment below has more on boots.)
Condone it with a disclaimer, at the very least.
The best way to break your ankle is riding in sneakers! Not to mention breaking a toe when your horse “accidentally” steps on you. Talking from 43 years of experience here. 🙂
I will remember that advice 4 some of my friends, 😀 😎 Thanks!
i hate it when people ride in trainers the best way to break you/ankle/toe foot!!
im 12 and do you have a horse called Capri? xx
Just wait until the horse steps on your feet in sneakers.
fyi….all those who think they can keep their “sneaker/trainer” feet from slipping all the way through a stirrup have been lucky so far. When a horse does something unexpectedly (shy, bolt, buck or even stops suddenly) sometimes your foot just goes where you didn’t intend it to go…. forward, right through the stirrup! Think ahead and envision what happens if you are thrown out of the saddle at this moment!
I have been riding in the $5 Kmart shoes for years now (rode in boots for 8) if anything i find them easier to slip out of, ive been in heaps of bad situations and the shoes have never been a problem, also i know people that have had boots on and been dragged via the stirrup if they where in my Velcro $5 shoes they would have been able to quickly undo the one vecro strap and be free
😳 I rode in sneakers ONCE! I had really sore ankles and blisters. There is more to riding in boots than just the heal! Boots protect the whole foot, etc.
Hello everyone a short but good tip in shoes or boots.If your foot slips and you are hung up in sturrip or are being draged ROLL OVER ON YOUR BELLY. This will free your foot leg with or without boots cheers m8 😯
Thanks Mike, that is a great tip and makes sense.
I several years ago had a very nasty experience involving poorly fitted stirrups!It most important that stirrups fit the size of your feet perfectly!I now use stirrups that are made with a curve on one side to allow ones foot to come free in the event of an emergency dismount!I have already had to use them a couple of times.This type of stirrup saves many hours of hospital time!
Frederick – theses are Australian Stock stirrups! Also made re English riding. And I use them too (being older with 2 children to stay alive for). Also note that they slightly on a lean – as the left slight lean onto the near side etc., this also helps in leg stability.
When I was about 13 or 14 I was riding back from a lesson with some friends, we were riding along a quiet road, in a proposed housing development when a car came up fast behind the horses and overtook us with a lot of noise, the horses bolted – the horse I was riding got out in front (she was an ex racehorse) as she rounded a corner she lost her footing and came down on top of me, she dragged me along the road with my leg trapped under her as she tried to get up. I was wearing trainers, I go the following injuries, second degree burns on my foot from friction, the stirrup (English) gouged my foot as well as my foot was still trapped in it, and then my foot bones broke. I did not walk for over a year and am still scarred to this day. When I ride which I do each week, I always wear boots! I was wearing a hard had which sure helped my head! Oh and my horse got a cut face!
Hi Rosemary I have just obtained my I Pad and has opened a whole new world 4 me I have ridden 4 over 40 yrs in all saddles inc race pads, I have competed in Western/ English / Hunts / Endurance /trail/I never ride in Goggers I also learnt the hard way going over Jumps in Centennial Park when I was young @ thought I knew it all I was dragged along and was heading 2 a large Gutter about I Myra high my foot came out I never rode in Joggers again what we have 2 remember is Horses r Prey animals and respond with Flight/fight Flee so unless your horse has had the right Decensiting they r dangerous I also think yang girls shouldn’t own colts /Stallions love the comments Joy loft us
Saddle Horse goddess site 🙄 🙄
I learned to ride from the age of 2, bareback, on an Arabian mare. By age 9 I was bareback on a thoroughbred stallion. I loved his spirited readiness to run; but I also could jump-off and roll away at a moments notice–something I had been trained to do & required to demonstrate randomly.
Young girls are fine on any horse as long as their training is robust enough to handle whatever may/can/does come up.
The real problem I see is in the lack of well-rounded safety training in general; when learning to sky-dive you are required to jump off of a 6 foot high wall repeatedly, to practice your landings. I was taught the same with horses. People are left injured, crippled or dead from horse -related accidents all the time. Jumping off–and landing correctly–is just soooo important! 😯
ever since breaking my knee, due to leavng my foot in the stirrup when I was thrown and being dragged, all our saddles are ftted wth safety strrups which are designed to break away in an emergency, it has saved several accidents, I was wearing proper boots which still didnt save me.
Riding For The Disabled Australia insists that riding boots be worn. The only exemption is when a rider is not using a saddle or is using a regular saddle & for medical reasons can not wear boots. They must use toe stoppers fitted to the stirrups to prevent the foot jamming.
I agree with Karen. My son did a showjumping competition and lost his balance as he went over the junmp. In the proses he lost his shoe and all of us laughing after shouting he’s ok and found his shoe. But looking from where he was and where his horse was standing, she would have taken him almost around the course.
😡 People who ride in sneakers or anything but propper riding boots are asking for trouble and yes your foot could slip thru you loose your balance come off the horse then you are being dragged no brains no sence.
Boots also protect your toes, the other week I got jammed between the gate only ended up with a slight bruise if I didn’t have boots definintely would have ended up with a couple of smashed toes.
I think it’s all a matter of personal preference and no one should look down on anyone else for their preferred riding gear. If you think about it, no matter what you’re wearing on your feet, the shape of your foot is going to keep you stuck in the stirrup if it goes through, even if you’re barefoot.
I have ridden in both boots and sneakers. I actually prefer sneakers as for me they do not slip as much in the stirrup. It is easier to keep the ball of my foot on the stirrup due to the rubber sole vs the leather soled boots. I have also found it harder to intentionally get a sneaker to slip through a stirrup vs a boot. Oh, and my boots have always been harder to get off my foot than my sneakers.
I agree with “kizmet74”. Everyone needs to do what works best for them. We are not all the same. I ride barefoot. This works the best for me but it might not work well for someone else. I wear a size 14 mens boot and they’re so big they get stuck in the stirup. My bare foot fits much better and is much cooler in the summer. I looked in to getting bigger stirups but I couldn’t afford it.
If you do the research on people getting their foot stuck while wearing riding boots, you might be surprised how many there are. Rodeo people always wear cowboy boots and they get their feet stuck sometimes.
Safety isn’t a matter of comfort, ultimately; but you can still have very comfortable, safe, riding boots. They need to be Properly fitted. You can go into a shop & have your correct sizing done, find a brand/style/shape that works, then check Amazon & eBay for an affordable pair (not heavily used though! A riders foot shapes the boot to their own anatomy).
I’ve ridden since I was 2–that’s 33 years–and have only been thrown once. That’s statistically extremely fortunate. I also suffered no more than some dirt in my face–also extremely lucky. But I know how to jump & roll when landing. I have had to jump clear more often–both as required by my instructor, and in a couple situations where I didn’t want to wait and see if I would be thrown.
Riding boots are intentionally slippery so you can get your feet OUT of the stirrups quickly.
The rubber soles of sneakers are designed to grab for traction–exactly what you don’t want when having to bail from a flailing horse weighing a ton. You want to be off & clear as fast as humanly possible.
It isn’t just about being dragged–its also about being stepped on, being crushed under a falling/rolling horse, or being knocked off by a low branch on a runaway horse–I’ve seen these things happen, they ain’t pretty.
I don’t begrudge people their choices–as long as they making them from an educated place.
“I know it’s dangerous but I still ride as I prefer” is a respectable standpoint; I ride barefoot & bareback whenever I can, though no stables here will allow me to pay to go out riding like that. Their insurance won’t cover it! 😆
Alistar, you sent me information on a desease called EPM i think what does this stand for and what is it, i have been trying to find the info in my inbox but cannot (to many emails to get rid of) I have a problem with my horse we think it is muscle but not shore i want to know more on this desease ?
EPM Is an acronym that stands for Equine Protozoal Menginitis. It is a neurological disease caused by a protozoan parasite.
It is as stated a protozon infection, Normaly transmitted from Opposms fecal material, some what similare to Limes in people. I don’t know if Racoons carry it to. Have seen lots of Racoon shit in hay lofts from time to time. It has to be ingested not from a tick like Limes.
Opposms like hay loft too.
i don`t ride now…but i agree with karen.
and jenny thank god you had you boots on.
I get very cross seeing people riding in trainers ,they are not safe ,why do people not wear the right gear for the right sport ?What good is puting on a hard hat if someone gets dragged ?
A word of causion to everyone. I was very lucky!! About 10 years ago I was riding in tennis shoes, my foot slipped through the stirup, I was drug around and guess what!!! I spent nine hours in surgery, I broke my neck and had to have total foot and ankel reconstructive surgery, I am very lucky to be alive a lesson hard learned. Boots make a huge difference. Be safe.
I totally agree with Maggie and Riley. Runners are waaaay more comfortable. Been a penrider for 5+ years. In the saddle for 8-10 hrs/day. No problem with runners. Now lace up ropers can really get a rider in trouble. They aint slippin’ off if you get caught up.
If you must ride in sneakers/ trainers, I have seen ones in a catalog that have a heel for riding . Can’t remember what they are called, but they do exist.
They also need to have a smooth top–no large ridges and laces, these get caught in stirrups & under hooves–both on horseshoes & barehooves, alike.
That also need enough thicknesses to protect from road rash, enough support in the ankle to keep from straining/spraining them, and enough “hardness” in the top & toe to protect from being stepped on.
That’s called a riding boot. 😀
I think cowboy boots are the best way to go. not tie ups. Last summer I had a mare slide down onto her side on me. She crushed my foot, if it wasn’t for the boot there is no way I would have free fast enough. I had surgery with plates, pins and screws placed in my foot. I will always ride with cowboy boots not tie ups and I agree that a looser pair is better. Ride safe everyone. 😎
I love love love my cowgirl boots!
I have a very thin gel insole slipped into mine to absorb shock on cement; I wear them all the time.
Boots are not just for safety in the saddle – when working around horses on the ground, the hard toes are much better protection against smooshed toes than sneakers – and heaven forbid sandals around horses – come on, people – safety first!
If you hate boots, get a decent pair of riding sneakers – they have a heel for safety in the saddle, and are a lot more rugged than sneakers for general foot protection, on or off your horse. I love them as boot alternatives (they’re also cheaper than good boots!), and they’re so comfy, I wear them as my regular footwear of choice!
I have been riding,if you don’t a good seat regardless of shoe or boot and loose your stirrup you you could come off.If you a saddle or not.Accidents happen….I have riding since 4 years I am 52 now.ThankYou 😛
Try Ariat endurance lightweight trainers. Specially made for riding with ergonomic foot beds with arch support and support for the ball of your foot when in the stirrup. They are sooo comfy. Wear them to ride or just generally round the yard! 😀
I will take a look at those, thanks! 🙂
Hi, I ride in all sorts of footwear inc trainers. I ride in a ‘total contact’ saddle, which is like bareback, but with stirrups 😆 . I use safety stirrups. The only time I have ever had my foot stuck in a stirrup was a specially designed riding boot. 😕
Why are closed stirrups not used more frequently to prevent the foot from sliding in too far?
Also, way easier to slip out of loosely tied trainers than boots in emergency.
I have had some of the same concerns!~!
However I DO NOT always have boots with me!
My solution!
ESPECIALLY WITH MY GRANDKIDS
HAVE SOME TAPEDAROS YOU CAN ATTACH!!!!
As long as we are on the subject of “fashion Police”…riding with shorts and tube tops is another one. Get a good case of “road rash” from getting thrown or falling from your horse, and you will wish you had on the proper riding attire. There is a reason for its’ design-PROTECTION! I agree with the necessity of riding boots.
I use a release stirrup saddle … makes it safer .. but agree, when riding use boots or at least shoes with heals.
You would think most would wear boots around the barn any way.
I used to ride to tennis shoes until I got stepped on and man I thought my foot and some toes where broken after that I wear my hiking boots because of the nice deep tread and nice heel on the bottom and still comfy enough to be relaxed and comfrontable about my feet being happy. Now when I get stepped on it still hurts but not as bad. I see pple ride and come to the barn with no shoes on at all. I won’t feel too bad when they get stepped on by their horse when they should have boots on. My hikers come up past my ankle like stiff high tops.
Riding in trainers, sneakers, even barefoot is possible if you have a cage on the front of the stirrup. They are cheapish, and come in plastic.
With English stirrups you can still get your foot stuck or pushed through the stirrup if you don’t have a heel on our footwear. The so-called safety catch on the English saddle stirrup bars may be down, but it may be very difficult to slide the stirrup leather off the bars due to saddle construction. Cleaning the stirrup leathers makes it clear how easy they are to remove. If they are not easy then for your own sake get a cage or use footwear with a heel.
There are also casual short riding shoes available with a heel.
😀 I rode in all different types of closed foot wear. Why? because I am handicapped and I had to save my very expensive custom made boots for showing. AND we rode in the rain a lot in the tropics so we got wet a lot. Sneakers do not slip through the stirrup or get caught up in the stirrup any easier than any other type of boot. The only time my foot got hung up was jumping and I was wearing my jodhpur boots. IMHO, its the style of stirrup that causes the problem. The real issue with wearing any type of soft shoe around horses is getting stepped on.
NO riding boots = NO stirrups.(then let them ride)
I prefer to ride bareback and barefoot, too. I love the feel of the tall grass trailing across my feet and legs. And I especially love the feel of the power beneath me.
I’ve always been a little puzzled about how that foot-through-the-stirrup thing happens.
With just your toe in the stirrup, and your heels well down — assuming your stirrups are the right length.
Have any of you actually experienced that? How did it happen?
To be fair, I prefer riding bareback, and when I do use a saddle, I often cross my stirrups up over the pommel. But I’ve ridden in replica “medieval” shoes that have no heel to speak of, too.
I’d guess that the material/surface of the tread, the shape of the side pieces, and the material of your shoe sole might be contributing factors as much or more than a heel or lack of one. But I’m just speculating.
Thanks.
sj
sj
Just do it! Dont be lazy put on a pair of boots.
Boots provide protection to the ankle, have a heel and protect your foot when horses stand on it! If someone wants to ride in sneakers then that is up to them. I live in South Afica and ride in “English” style saddles. A lot of the horse products we receive here come from Germany, and we use safety stirrups, which are almost identical to normal stirrups but have a joint so that you can pull your foot out if you come off. I don’t know western saddles very well, but on the few times I have ridden in them in the USA, I found it very difficult to keep my foot in the stirrup as there was no rubber. Always best to be safe rather than sorry 😀
Omg! JUST PUT BOOTS ON ❗ ❗ ❗ 🙂
Ignorance is to ignore- the fact that ‘riders’ are wearing sneakers is a choice to ignore the possibility of really getting hurt. Real riders wear boots- I play polo and there are no sneakers on the field! I never think I am greater than the horse and wearing sneakers is simply a lack of respect. Wear boots people and a helmet ALWAYS!!
Thank you Dana. Many of us have ridden for years with no accidents. I am thankful for that. I have had falls with no injuries where I should have or could have been badly injured in looking back at the incident. Horses are powerful,fast, and instinctively put distance between them and the scarey thing. It only takes an instant to be hurt. If you love your children-put a helmet on them. If you ride with sneakers or bareback-ditch the stirrups. Use the correct eqiupment for the sport you enjoy and learn, think,and keep your self safe. Your family and loved ones with thank you for it.
I agree with boots for safety, but proper foot position is key. If your foot is never inserted beyond the ball of the foot, most time you will loose your stirrup before you get caught up in them. Another trick I learned from a barrel racer is to wrap your stirrups in vet wrap. It aids to the grip of the stirrup. Since I learned this I have always done it to all my stirrups. We use to trail ride on green trails and blaze our own as well and you never knew what you might encounter out there. It has always served me well. Happy Riding 🙂
😉 Good post!!! AGREED!
I very much agree with Karen regarding sneakers.
In fact, I have seen “seasoned horse people” lead horses in and out of the barn, and groom them for show in FLIP FLOPS.
I used to voice my dissent and was laughed at for being “so GREEN” (I don’t really hang out with those people anymore).
I understand peoples’ right to choose this or that… (Wincing as I remember a friend of mine who got stepped on and had some bones in her instep broken.)
Where horses are concerned, I’ll ALWAYS be green. But if I can wear gear that will help me keep all my toes (and faculties, Dana), all the better.
I understand that long distance riders wear trainers with stirrups with guards on them so that their feet dont slide thru, I believe this is so that they can dismount and run with their horses if need be during the endurance event.
Not condoning it, but here is a good reason for them with precautions on the stirrup iron.
I prefer riding in boots because of their protection to my ankles and feet. Once I was training a horse and it fell at a full gallop on it’s side. If I hadn’t of had my boots on definitely I would have broken my foot, ankle but instead I only had a slight scraping of skin on my upper thigh when we slide against the dirt track. Just like we wear seatbelts in a car, boots are my seatbelt in the stirrups.
Completely agree. Even worse is seeing people at the barn in sandals or flip flops
I would add that you need to make sure the stirrups you are using are the correct size and not too big! Otherwise your foot can slip through and then you’re stuffed! I speak from experience, very young [14] first horse, relied on local tack shop when they sold me the saddle and stirrups that all okay, then pony was spooked by a chainsaw, yes some idiot started a chainsaw as I rode past in the field [yes he saw me!], pony bolted, tripped, I got thrown forward managed to regain seat, then she bucked and that was it, except I was getting dragged because my foot had gone straight through the stirrup. Terrified, got galloped over trying to free myself. Nasty, nasty accident!! 😉
What the heck it all depends on the circumstances. But I actually do agree on the tennis shoe point.
But as far as trainers go, You can have a million people try to explain the same thing, and no one tells you the same thing. What ever you learn, is basicaly by getting on and getting back off. Sooner or later everything will fall into place, and you have done it all on your own. Including your horse of corse. He will teach you more than any trainer. My oppinion only.
Oh what the heck, it all depends on the horse, and where you are. No I do not believe tennis shoes are good to ride in but It is not my business what someone else does. And as far as trainers go, You can be told the same thing by 100 people and no one tells you the same thing twice. In my oppinion, it all comes down to your horse and you. It’s called trust.
I would say.before you get on do a pre flight check with all your horses.and wear leather sole boot.
How to deal with fear, after 2 falls 5 broken bones. 😥
I was taught to ride in boots 40 some years ago. My children are being taught to wear boots in and out if the saddle. My 9 yo learned that boots are safer after his pony caught the tip of the sneaker and his big toe. One of those I told you so moments. Now he is the boot police at the barn.
I would rather ride barefoot than wear sneakers. 😎
One of the first things I was told by my riding instructor,before I even so much as arrived at the equestrian centre for my first lesson (some ‘xyz’ years ago now, lol) was that trainers were an absolute NO-NO for riding. The reason prevailed to me was, as Karen quite correctly points out – SAFETY!!! Be sensible people. All it takes is a few seconds to change your footwear – and that has to beat a possible lifetime in a wheelchair!
If using stirrups, ALWAYS wear something with a heel. No matter how careful you are, your foot could slide through the stirrup in an unplanned move.
Besides, if your horse steps on you in sneakers, IT HURTS more than if you’re wearing boots.
I agree, its’s not just stupid but dangerous you can get seriously injured or die and who gets the rap the poor horse for you stupidity the horse that did what his/her instint told them to do!
when my kids started riding, I got the cheap lace up school shoes with a small 2/3cm heel, bow knot long laces to push up into your leggings…………..worked a dream as I didn’t know weather they would take to riding………….R129 for 6/8months use bargain!
I completly agree with Karen!Sneakers when riding is reckless and dangerous i only wear sneakers when riding tackless,but even then i still wear riding boots to protect my feet.
I totally agree. The boots also protect your leggings/clothes.
I would never go riding without my boots it’s totally dangerous
Riding boots serve a specific purpose. Safety is the main reason they are considered mandatory at the stables here where I live.
Regardless of how perfectly you place your feet in perfect conditions, the whole point is what happens when everything suddenly goes to hell in a handbasket.
I’ve seen broken arches from horses accidentally stepping on folks in tennis shoes. The ridges & laces get caught up under the hoof and cannot be slipped away quickly enough–riding boots are smooth on top fir a reason. I’ve personally had my foot stepped on while wearing cowgirl boots; it still hurt, but my foot didn’t break. Just my Tibetan mastiff stepping on my foot while I was wearing sneakers hurt as much, and he only weighed 200lbs.
My advice: invest in a comfortable pair of riding boots. Once my cowgirl boots broke in, they feel & fit like a glove. Very comfortable! You have to have them sized correctly, though; is not like buying a pair of sneakers. At the very least go to a professional shop if for nothing else than to learn how to properly pick a pair & size your feet correctly. Yes, feet; both of them! You would be surprised how often feet length & width differ by more than just a few mm. I can wear the same size on both feet, but I need a stretcher to widen right boot ever so slightly before I can nail them in evenly.
It’s worth it. Investigate. And if you ever have a riding instructor tell you footwear doesn’t matter, better wonder what other safety corners they are cutting, too.
*break them in, not nail them in. Thank you, auto correct. 🙄
I think people should wear a good boots with a heel and good ankle support when writing when you’re serious about it now I see a lot of amateurs riding running shoes they don’t know better that’s what my opinion mike
I agree also! Equipment for the horse and for YOU is all very essential. I cringe when I see this…just like I do when I see motorcycle riders with sneakers or … flip flops? I just don’t get it.
Just keep toe up & heel down with a tight grip sit in correct position.