The age of synthetic materials has improved drastically in the past decade. When the members of 501st were looking at boots and such they probably did pick up a rubber boot and cringe at how awful it looked.
Rubber sucked back in the day.
Some rubber boots still suck to this very day.
But some of the more higher quality "pleather" boots look and feel like leather. In this picture I'm on my mare Lilly. I don't think I've ever featured a picture with her. She's a demon in horse form. When she wants to be delightful, she's pretty darn awesome. I'm wearing...
Saxon Equi-leather Zip-Back Field Boots
Now what I can say there were often times where I forgot these boots were pleather. I had urges to clean them with my leather conditioner.
Now these boots sell for about $75. The problems with this particular boot are:
*field boots (they have laces not the type Imperial Officers should be wearing)
*zipper is on the back.
There are a few other brands. Major issue with rubber boots is the fit. They just don't conform to you like a nice pair of leather boots will. They're annoying. Most won't look as good as the Saxons and I don't believe the Saxon's make a dress boot version.
(They also squeak a lot when you ride horses. The zipper sucked too only lasted like 5 months, but it could be my calf was monstrous.)
I think I was suppose to be making an argument for rubber boots...
hmmm....
Leather is so much better. But I think these companies will eventually figure out how to get it right. Saxon is on the right path, maybe the other competitors will follow their path. But I don't know how big the market is and how much they want too, since leather will always be king in the equestrian universe when it comes to tall boots.
