The making of riding boots isn’t exactly an easy process and it can be very time consuming. Expensive horseback riding boots will be handmade, but with some mechanical input.
Like any knee-high boot, riding boots will add a heel (and this is usually a low or a flat heel), a toe box, a tongue section, and a shaft, and they most times will come with an elasticated gusset just around the cuff of the shaft too assist with fitting. These sections are individual pieces of material. If leather is to be used in the designing of the boot, all the sections will be sewn together and stretched around a mold called a last to form the shape of the boot. This usually could take up to 24 hours before the upper of the boot is ready to be fixed to the sole.
The sole of a riding boot is made up of three parts, the insole, midsole, and the outer sole.
Insole: Boots that are more expensive have an insole that are made from soft brushed leather. The cheaper variations typically have cotton or synthetic leather insoles.
Midsoles: These can be gotten from a number of materials; materials like leather and cork are usually kept for the more expensive boots, with polyurethane and EVA foam the most popular material.
Outer soles: The outer soles of boots vary vastly; some of the most common types will be the commando sole that is made from solid vulcanized rubber with a deep tread for added traction, these, can be heavier, but a lighter, smoother rubber sole is a better choice. Another very popular outer sole type would be leather which was the original material that was used in the making of riding boots; and as mentioned earlier, these are kept for the more expensive boots.
Cork Nitrile is a good, lightweight alternative to leather soles, as it is made from rubber and cork pieces that can be smoothed and thinned without it losing any durability. The last but yet popular outer soles will be crepe rubber that is a natural latex-based rubber often used for light colored soles.