Boots for Low Level Dressage Shows

Please bear with me as I have always ridden western and even then, never done any showing or anything.
Is it normally acceptable to wear rubber riding boots like these:


When competing in lower level dressage?
I won't be showing anytime very soon but I like to plan in advance, because I'm hoping that I'll get to =D
I only have the option of these or some lower-end field boots, at the moment.
Which would be better? I'd prefer if these would work, as they are much cheaper =P
I've read a lot that dress boots are far more appropriate for dressage, but haven't really found anything about rubber boots like these.

In Australian official dressage I know you're not allowed to wear rubber boots, only leather. Pony club and such might be different. PLus rubber is much harder to ride in as it doesn't mould to the shape of your leg and doesn't have much give in it.

You certainly don't HAVE to go out and spend mega bucks on a pair of leather top boots though. You can wear short boots with gaiters for lower levels. I love the Dublin advance zip up short boots with Dublin gaiters. Very comfortable and fits my leg well, I prefer them to top boots and unless I'm riding at a big event I will wear my gaiters ;)

Spyder would be the best to ask this question. She has not only got very high in competative levels, but she is also a Dressage Judge. I am sure you can PM her.

If its unrated,schooling no one really cares if its leather or rubber. I prefer to wear my field boots for intro and training. Around here you don't even need a dressage saddle for schooling! Talk to people who show were you are going, or talk to a local tack shop. It all depends on were you live.

I'm not sure about the American rules, but in Canada for any dressage show sanctioned by the EC (aka any show that uses the EC tests must be sanctioned by the EC - by this reasoning then all dressage shows are sanctioned by the EC) the boots must be made of leather. Half chaps are allowed for discovery shows, but anything higher you must have leather boots.
You don't need to go out and buy dress boots right away. It is possible to find leather tall boots for around $100 (I think Equi-comfort makes some) and if there are any consignment shops near you they often have inexpensive used boots.

Good luck!

I don't know what your exact position is or when in the future you plan on showing, but if I were you I would skip the rubbers, and squirrel away and save and get a set of leather dress boots. I just Googled dress boots, and the dress version of my Dublin field boots are actually over $20 cheaper than what I paid for the fields, still under $200 most places, and under $160 out of Dover Saddlery. Dublin isn't exactly the creme de la creme of boots, but even lower end leather is more long wearing than rubber. I'd bet in 5 years you'd be replacing the rubbers every other year, and you would still have even "cheap" leather boots for at least 10 years if you baby them.

I'm not sure about show regulations on rubber boots, but the above is my purely practical opinion.

Well, the thing that makes it an issue for me is that I don't use leather xD I had been looking at some synthetic leather field boots because I couldn't find any synthetic dress boots, and I started noticing these rubber ones.

Well then good luck! There is very little room for veganism in the rules of dressage and I highly doubt that many dressage shows or stewards will take that as an excuse for non-leather boots.
There is probably a list of officials on the USDF site, contact a steward in your area and ask them about your options.

Ah. I see.

Saxon makes great field boots, and yes you can use field boots for lower level dressage.

I also found other Synthetic boots:



Saxon Equileather makes both field and dressage boots.

I also found another company that makes Synthetic boots, is Derby.

I've had Saxon brand synthetic paddock boots before, and they were really nice. To be sure they weren't really leather you almost had to feel them. They wore out a bit sooner than most of my leather paddocks (I beat paddock boots to death, lol), the sole came away from the upper, but the synthetic material itself wore like iron.