So a few weeks ago I bought a pair of tall riding boots online. Did I do my research? No. Did I even know what my shoe size is in the US? Not really. Did they fit? Nope.
After living in 3 countries within the span of a year, I had barely figured out my shoe size in Australia, let alone the US. I bought two pairs of shoes recently (trying them on first) and they are size 7 and 8. I figured I would buy the size 8 boot, thinking that the bigger size would be more likely to fit me. The shoe size of my new boots is perfect. The calf size? Not so much.
About 3 years ago I bought a pair of tall boots in the US and the regular calf size fit me perfectly. I definitely don't have slim calves and I was pretty sure that the wide size would be too wide, so I opted for the regular calf size. And do they fit me? Absolutely not. I can't even zip them up...actually, my jodhpurs were also a lot tighter than they used to be when I put them on to try the boots on...
Honestly though, I really like these boots! They are Ovation Pro Field boots and they are just awesome! The leather has a fancy shiny black finish that would look really good in the show ring (when I eventually get there again) and they have a super convenient zip up the back so that they are easy to put on (and you aren't trying to pull them on with two hoofpicks).
To prevent others from making the same mistake I did, I will offer a bit of advice on how to buy boots online and what I really should have done before I shelled out $100. Honestly, it's just common sense. Common sense that I didn't use because I was too busy singing "NEW BOOTS! NEW BOOTS!" very excitedly.
How to buy boots online:
1. Find a pair of boots you like.
2. Check reviews on the boots you are looking at online. (I actually did do this)
3. Note anyone's comments on sizes being smaller/bigger than you might think and order accordingly.
(If you are like me and want to buy second hand boots online you should definitely do the following things)
4. Visit a local tack store/dealer that stocks the brand of boots you want to purchase, try them on (with riding pants on of course) and make sure that
a) they actually fit right, and
b) you like how they feel
5. If you live in a tiny town (like me) or in the middle of nowhere, contact the seller and ask for measurements of the calf length and width of the boot.
(The following is a good article on how to measure for tall riding boots (and of course I should have read it before I bought the boots)
6. Compare seller's measurements with your own measurements.
7. If you are sure the boots will fit, buy them. If you aren't, find or wait for another seller to have secondhand boots that will fit.
A tip on boot fitting:
When you try the boots on, you want them to be slightly taller because once the you get a bit of wear in the boot's ankle, the boot wont be as long.
This means that you want the back of the boot to be slightly higher than the bend of your knee and the side of the boot to be a fair amount higher than the bend of your knee.
My boots are slightly too tall, but I think they will be fine once the ankle gets worn in a bit...if I could only get them on... :p
I now have two choices,
1. Get riding and lose a little bit of chub
2. Get riding and sell my beautiful new boots
Happy riding!
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