In the latest update of our occasional series in which H&H staff talk about products they simply couldn't live without, H&H editor Lucy Higginson explains why she has fallen in love with her Ariat Volant long riding boots
My last pair of long riding boots were a wedding present from my uncle, and my 10th anniversary was some time ago! They are proper old-fashioned, tough-as-can-be leather, and still go hunting regularly.
But I long ago gave them up for day-to-day riding, preferring instead to wear more flexible boots and half chaps. Then I was persauded to try some of the relatively new Ariat Volant boots — close-fitting riding boots with a rear zip and what appears to be ‘trainer technology’ in the construction of the foot.
There were some panics in the first few weeks as they took a while to stretch and mould to my less than svelte calves, giving me some crampy twinges. But thereafter they have fitted like a second skin, and once I’m off the horse, I can run around in them as comfortably as I can in my Nikes.
I am addicted now to the close feeling fit around my ankle and foot — which seems to increase the connection with the horse — and fear I have not put my half chaps on once since acquiring these.
While I wouldn’t wade through mud in them as I would my hunting boots, I love to the comfort and feel of them on a horse.
Ariat Volant boots fact file
Brand: Ariat
Product: Volant tall riding boots (rear zip)
Colour: Black
Sizes: 3-8.5
RRP: £395
Find a stockist
Do you have a pair of long riding boots that you really rate? Tell us about your favourites via the comments box below…
