Dress boots are one of the classic styles of riding boots. It comes high enough up the calf leg to prevent the stirrup leathers of the English saddle from pinching the leg of the rider especially when trotting and cantering. It has a sturdy toe to protect the rider's foot from being stepped on when on the ground leading your horse. The boot also has a distinct heel to prevent the foot from sliding through the stirrup irons. The sole is best if it is ribbed to avoid falling on slippery ground and slipping out of your stirrups when you put your heel down.

Dress boots are tall black riding boots that have a plain front with no lacing in the instep or cap on the toe. Modern dress boots have a full-length zipper in the back of the boot for ease of getting them of on off.  Most dress boots used in dressage are very rigid with a plastic stiffener down the back, fully lined and nearly impossible to break in.  The zipper on a dressage boot is usually slightly offset down the front of the boot. The foot of a dress boot must fit correctly or the heel will come up and down inside of the boots, especially when riding.  What keeps you foot snuggly in the dress boot is the tightness of the top of the instep.  Dress boots give up the perfect fit because they tend to have a wider ankle.  This wider ankle allows the boney part of the foot to pass through the narrowest of the boot when there is not a zipper on the boot. That is why zippers, especially in dress boots, can neaten up and reduce the ankle size.

Measuring a dress boot correctly will insure that you order the right size.  Be sure to be wearing the breeches that you are planning to wear under your boots.  Use a cloth tape measure.  Sit in a chair with your calf at a right angle to your thigh.  First, measure around your leg just below your knee.  Pull the tape measure snug while keeping your index finger under the tape. Include your finger in the measurement.  Then measure the widest part of your calf. Be sure to keep your finger in this measurement as well.  To measure the correct height, put the tape measure around you leg at the top again. Put your finger on the outside of your leg where the top of the tape is and measure straight down to the floor.  Add 1 inch to this measurement for dropping down when the boots break in.  The Flair on the outside of the boot is not measured on the fit charts. A good fitting Dress boot with a zipper should zip up easily when you are bending your knee forward as you zip.  Struggling to zip a will cause the zippers to fail. Zipper failure always happen a an important show! So do not stress your zippers.