Cob Jockey

You may remember a couple of years ago when I scored a pair of La Mundial's off eBay for $135.  They were barely used, and fit in almost every way, except for this weird bump/notch/wrinkle at the back of the calf:


That part of the calf was too big on me, but not noticeably so, so I continued to wear them like that for a couple of seasons.

Like at the KPG clinic in 2018.  PC: Leah

At LRKY this year, I brought them with me knowing LM would have a booth there, hoping they'd be willing to work on them even though I bought them secondhand.  (What can I say, I have PTSD from trying to work with the County rep on a secondhand saddle, ugh, what a waste of time that was.)

They ended up being so good to work with!  A nice gentleman had me try them on over my jeans, and then measured me as if I was getting new boots (knowing those measurements are on file is...tempting).  I filled out a form, paid $90, left my boots with him and promptly tried to forget about them.

Six weeks later, a shipment was released from customs to me, and I got my boots back!  Moment of truth:


They. Are. PERFECT!  They seriously fit like custom boots. 

A real quick "hey baby will you take a photo for my blog before I go to the barn and get them dirty?"

LM also gave them a beautiful polish while they had them.  I had sent them off looking dull, so to get them back looking like this was a thrill.






I didn't know or care how old they were when I bought them, but the LM guy reacted with surprise when he looked at the serial number and saw that they are from 2007!  Looking pretty good for 12 year old boots.






Through a little bit of luck and a little bit of working with a company that takes care of its products for life, I now have a pretty much custom pair of LMs for $225.  Hopefully someday in the future I can patronize LM by buying an actual pair of custom boots from them, but until then, these seem like they're going to keep kicking for a while!

Tis the season...to buy yourself stuff!

My $50 eBayed Ariat Heritage Contour field boots continue to cut off my circulation if I wear them for more than 15 minutes, but I put up with that for the last...six years? because I only wear them to show in.

#passable.  PC: Lisa Brezina

If I unzip the right one during warmup (my calves are dramatically different sizes after I got kicked in the knee while riding in 2007), zip it for my test, AND don't work out for a couple days before a show, they're fine.

Oh and unzip it as soon as humanly possible after our test. PC: My mom

But if the right pair came along for the right price I wouldn't say no, which is why I've had a standing eBay search for "6 dressage boots" for a long time.  Like, years.

So that's how this happened:

First "nice" pair of tall boots ever, after a pair of Devon Aires and the Ariats.

Someone was selling a "worn ten times" pair of La Mundials in my size for $140 shipped last week.   Used boots are hard to resell, but at that price if they didn't work out I felt I could definitely turn a small profit on them if I had to.


But I don't think I'll have to.  They're a perfect fit in almost every way, except the calf which is a smidge big, especially on my small calf. Not so much to where it matters though.  I figure maybe I'll bring them to Rolex-not-Rolex where LM always has a booth and see if they can do something about it.

And, by that time I'll have been working out again for six months, so my calves might grow by then anyway.

They may not be as stiff as some hardcore Dressage boots, but they're stiff enough to stand up on their own without a tree.

Spanish top for the first time in my life!

Here's to show boots that won't leave my feet numb!

I gotta be honest, I'm having a tough time writing this review, because everytime I look at these boots, my brain just goes "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I have publicly documented my winter boot struggles on this blog.  I had a pair of TuffRiders that I paid $50 for that lasted two years, and I had a pair of fancier TuffRider's that basically lasted 3 weeks.

(Also, after I sent them a link to that post, TuffRider promised to send me a replacement pair, even asked for my address, and I haven't received them in five months so...yeah.  Not getting the warm fuzzies there.)

After last year, I was done with buying cheap winter boots that don't last.  I wanted to get a good pair that I loved and that would last many years, not a cheap pair that would get me by for one season before getting thrown away.

None of the surprisingly limited options really revved my engine until I was browsing foreign eBay and saw that Ariat made the Bromont Pro H2O in brown in the UK.  Oh. My. God.

GRABBY HANDS.  (Also that is a nearly invisible reflective strip glowing at the bottom, illuminated by flash).

This isn't a full product review because it's hot outside and I can't test them yet, but I wanted to get the word out about them in case anyone else wanted to get some.  Fair warning, they're on clearance (which means they're cheap) and apparently being discontinued (which means sizing options are limited).

I paid 149 GBP ($198) + 79 GBP shipping ($105) or $303 total, which is $46.95 LESS than I would have paid for the same thing in black from Smartpak.  And I wouldn't be nearly as in love with them if they were black.

Love love love love love.

(Also, thanks Brexit, these would have cost $353 a few months ago.)

Details:
- I wear a 6 slim in Ariat field boots and bought a 7 full in these to account for fluffy socks and breeches, and that was the right call.  I could even have done a 7.5, since with my absolute fluffiest deer hunting socks the foot is a bit tight.  The calf is perfect with my winter standard of Underarmour 4.0, fluffiest deer hunting socks, and Irideon winter tights.

- They are waterproof:


- All that standard Ariat stuff: nice quality leather, spur rests, ATS footbed.  I take good care of my Ariat paddock boots, and they reward me by lasting for years.  Plus when every part but the leather wears out, they can be professionally redone by NuShoe using official Ariat parts, which I have had great experience with and highly recommend.

- Not sure if I'll like that suede inside panel, but that's a standard Bromont thing and people seem to rate them highly, so I guess it'll be okay.


- They are tall, and should drop and fit nicely eventually, but they're over half my kneecap out of the box.

Here is a link to the eBay seller I bought them from: Thomas Irving Equestrian Superstore: CLEARANCE Ariat Bromont Tall Insulated H2O Riding Boot - Waxed Chocolate.  Note that if you are in the US, you have to commit to buy them, then message the seller to ask for an international shipping quote, then pay the invoice he sends you.

From the seller's website

I ordered mine on a Friday, and they arrived before I got home from Vegas the following Friday, so shipping and turnaround was super fast for an international order.

Okay, anyone else going to be buying a pair of these?  Like I said - LOVE!!

For me, winter boots are an absolute necessity.  My summer half chaps fit so close, I can only fit a pair of tights and the panty hose-thin Ovation slimliner socks underneath them, so if it's 50 degrees or cooler, you'll find me in winter boots.

Previously, I had a pair of TuffRider's more workmanlike winter boot, and they were passable, if ugly.  They held up for three years of doing 8 hours of stalls on Sundays and riding four days a week.  I got rid of them because they were starting to wear out, and because I got a great deal on their more socially acceptable cousins, the TuffRider Tundra Fleece Lined Tall Boot.


Price from most manufacturers: $89.95
What I paid: $39.95

Guys, these are so much of a "do not buy" I almost don't even want to review them.  Don't buy them, period.  Even if you find them for $10, they are not worth it.

Pros:
- Reasonably warm
- Classy enough that I wore them for the schooling show
- Nice wide footbed
- Great fit through the calf
- Actually are possible to get clean, unlike my other TuffRiders.  Once those things turned brown, they stayed brown no matter what you cleaned them with.


Cons:
- Broke down almost immediately
- Now my feet get wet
- Do not buy

Left foot

If they could somehow make these things even the tiniest bit durable, they would be a slam dunk winner for the price point.  But I had cracks form on the uppers behind the toes within about two weeks of wearing them.  As I write this, having worn them for four months, there are giant gaping holes behind my toes where the material has completely broken down and is actually gone in one place.  I'm nursing them through the last month in which I need them, but they'll definitely have to be replaced next season.

Right foot.  This is a hole the size of a quarter.  There's no plastic left there, just cloth.  That made tromping through 4" of snow two weeks ago a very wet and unpleasant experience.

Mind you, I'm no longer doing stalls.  I wear these things for four trips to the barn per week, in which I drive 45 minutes, groom/tack/ride/untack for an hour and a half, and drive 45 minutes home.  My boots should last multiple seasons at that rate.

The material pretty much disintegrates before your eyes.

Finally, to add insult to injury, the zipper doesn't stay up:


The workmanlike Tuffrider winter boots had a tab to keep the zipper in place, but these just rely on the zipper itself, so it slides down constantly.

So, there's not a whole lot more that needs to be said about them.  I'm far from the only reviewer to have this problem, it seems to be a systemic issue with this boot.  It's a waste of your money, look elsewhere!

And, I'm accepting suggestions for my next pair of winter boots. Must not be ridiculously expensive, must be designed for riding, and must be fairly slim through the calf and ankle.  Go!

Like a lot of people, my calves are different sizes.  Ever since I got kicked in the knee by a different horse while cantering (have I shared that story?  It's a good one) and was not put on crutches for my recovery period, I've had one calf much bigger than the other.

Last year, I paid $50 on Ebay for nearly new Ariat Heritage boots to replace my seven year old Devon Aires.  I bought them in my half chap size, knowing that my half chaps took a painful, right leg-numbing year to stretch out.  I swore I would wear the Heritage boots a lot and break them in fast.

And then every night before a show I'd go "Crap...forgot again."  And I'd ride with one boot partially unzipped in the show, because I like ruining great pictures.  And I don't like my foot going numb.

Ruined.

But this time the night before the show, I had had enough.  I decided to try the bathtub method to stretch the right boot.

I filled a bathtub with warm water, and got into it wearing the boots, thicker socks than I normally wear, and show breeches, and submerged the boots.  I wasn't able to zip them at first, then I was and my foot went numb, then I unzipped them, then I zipped them again...and my foot didn't go numb.  I wore them until they were dry.

They really did stretch.  And I actually managed to get and keep them zipped for the duration of the show.

No white!

What the bathtub method does to them long term, I'm not sure, I don't think I'd do this with expensive boots, but when you're working with $50 eBay boots, anything goes.

Not a bad look for $50 boots, free breeches, and a $30 jacket.

You may remember the Tredstep Donatellos I got brand-new-in-box off of eBay last summer for $30.  The seller said a zipper was broke, but in fact a tiny piece of leather was stuck in the zipper teeth from the manufacturing process, and after I scraped it out with my fingernail, it worked fine:

So pretty.

"This is my remorseful face..."  (He's actually trying to avoid being brushed in this picture.)

My boss will tell you it's a PITA to have to order my county-embroidered apparel from the Osh Kosh B'Gosh Business Line.  He's a funny guy.

My calves are dramatically different sizes, weak side after the kick and all that.

Truly both baggin' and saggin'.

I said in my 2013 wrap-up post that I need to plan more, so here you go: my first-ever monthly goals post (nevermind that it's already the 8th, I feel like a lost a week in there):

Me:
1. Get back to Crossfitting 4 days per week
3 is too few, 5 was awesome, but is unsustainable if I also want to ride Connor 4 days a week/keep my job/see my husband every so often.  Priorities...

2. Spend $0 on any non-budgeted items during January.
This means saying no to our first winter warmup Dressage schooling show, which is not a bad thing.  Showing in January is typically a chilly affair in Indiana.

Last year's January show...brrrr!

3. Work up to wearing the Shoulders Back the entire work day
At the time of writing this, I've been wearing it for 10 minutes and my back muscles are already sore.   So far, so good  effective.

This photo contains better posture and some sweet post-workout hair!

4. Break in the brand new Effingham tall boots that have been sitting in their box in my closet for five years
This is a really long story, but they were given to me by my mom's friend who bought them at a tack store going-out-of-business sale. I thought they didn't fit and have tried to sell them several times. After reading Gingham's post about how much she loves her Effinghams, I gave them a second try, and it turns out they do fit, or they will when they drop.  Now to break these monsters in...tips appreciated, I've never done this before.

Currently pushing my kneecaps toward the sky, how long will it take for them to drop? Also, my husband's desk area is his own to clean, just to absolve myself of the blame of the background of that photo.  I asked him to take this photo and agreed as long as he didn't have to get out of the guest bed.

Connor:
1.  Warm up every ride by first establishing forward, then establishing body control.

2. Gradually increase the amount of time spent cantering each ride, with a goal of 10 minutes per ride.  There's so much to get done at the walk and trot, but now that he's getting better at the canter, he needs to get totally comfortable at the canter.  This is admittedly hard in the indoor.

3. Pull his mane??
I have a "no pulling under 50 degrees" rule, but we often do hit 50 degrees once or twice in January, so this is really a bet on the weather.

Bonus goal: not get nervous about about not getting to see him due to the weather.  Repeat after me: the topline will return, the topline will return...

Don't hate me.

After making do with my seven-year-old Devon Aires, I got these brand-new-in-box Tredstep Donatellos for $31 on eBay because one of them had a broken zipper.

Turns out the zipper just had some dirt or extra leather or something between two of the teeth at the bottom, causing it to go off track.  Cleaned that out, and it works fine.  I was prepared to spend $50 at the local cobbler to get them fixed, though.


The total cost of my show outfit is now $71, and that's including a trendy coat with the velvet collar and piping, thanks to an eBay deal Connor's breeder scored and passed along to me, and full seat breeches.  Spend money on the training, not the clothes, right?


Rough week, rough night tonight, but progress in jumping.  I'll have to write later - I have to be up at 4:15am for a server reboot for work.

Damn you, Dover!  Every time I get horrible customer service from you, I swear to never buy anything from you again, but then you go and put $400 Ariat zip dress boots on clearance for $50, with just one pair left, in my size.  Do I need dress boots?  Not really.  Not yet, for sure.  But I'd sure kick myself if I passed up on a deal like this, as a horse-poor twentysomething.  Also, I seem to be making a habit of placing a Dover or Smartpak order only after it's 9pm and I'm two drinks in...that has to say something about my true feelings about the negative relationship between our finances and Connor.  Hmmm...


So, once again, please cross your fingers for me that the Dover gods smile upon me and my order is delivered/delivered in a timely manner/not sent to North Carolina/my card is charged correctly.