I would be pretty shocked if a horse could manage to exert enough force by stepping on your foot to crush the steel toes. You're talking at least a few tons of pressure/weight needed to do that.

I had steel toed boots (that I wore at a sawmill for work) and I did ride in them. There really wasn't an issue, since it's just the ends of the boots that are steel. The rest is flexible and fine. However, I am prone to ingrown toenails and they did cause an issue with that. As well, they are pretty cold in the winter, so personally I'd go with non-steel toes if you plan on using the same boots year round.

Spooksandbolts wrote:

How terribly sad for you that the extensive advice you've been given wasn't what you wanted and wasn't sufficient for you to figure what to do. 
Luckyduckerpart2 wrote:
Sometimes I wonder if there is an asshat of the year award you may be competing for that we don't know about.