Tools of the Trade

Tools of the Trade
Putting on boots can be an ordeal. You’d think that this finely crafted piece of leather would slide on as smooth as a glove. But sometimes putting on boots (as well as removing them) is like giving birth to a child. There’s a whole lot of pain, blood, sweat, tears, but when they are finally on (or off) a great sense of rejoice. If they fit. ;)

I got my first pair of boots when I was 12. I had taken lessons for about 3 years before the horse show bug bit me. I was content just riding at first, but those pretty ribbons get addicting after a while. So in order to succeed I needed the tools of the trade. I was much too old to stay in jodphurs and paddock boots so off I went to Double L Tack Shop in Stafford, VA.

Your first pair of tall boots is likening to your first car. I remember walking into the store and told the clerk I need to get my first pair of tall boots. She got excited and off we went to the boot section.

So the clerk pulls out these important –must have- tools:
*Socks
*Boot Pulls



Optional Tools
*Baby Powder. (Can help make it easier to slide boots on and off.)
*Boot spray.

When you first try to pull on your boots you should be wearing your breeches and your pair of stretchy socks. See Zocks post for more information. If you’re uniform is still being made wear something similar to breech material like maybe yoga pants or something stretchy (but not grippy)

Your boots should have these little tabs inside the boots (one towards the inside of your leg and outside). You take your boot pulls and hook them in these tabs. Then you pull them on like a rain boot.

When you first try on boots a properly fitting boot should have some resistance. To create that nice smooth look, there shouldn’t be any major gaps. The boot is supposed to feel snug, but if you feel if your leg circulation is being cut off, the boot is too tight!

Once you have the boot on. Put the other one. Just because one fits doesn’t mean the other one does. My left calf is ½” bigger than my right. Once you have them on there shouldn’t be any gappiness in the ankle area. My customs before I had them resized were too big in the ankle so when I rode/walked they were uncomfortable. Considering you’ll be walking a lot at a con make sure they fit.

What if it’s tight but I don’t feel like my leg is dying?
Keep the boot then. Leather does stretch some. So as long as it’s not ungodly comfortable. If you can find a boot stretcher some can stretch the boot out for you. I personally avoid this technique because if I’m spending $200+ on a boot I don’t want to spend any more money on it. Plus stretching too much can damage the boot over time.

What if it’s too tall?
As the area around your ankle gets broken in, the boot will drop 1 to 1 ½”. It’s actually good to get them a touch too tall than your normal measurement. It may mean you’ll be uncomfortable while you sit for a wee bit. I actually drove in my tall boots to tell break them in. So the back of my legs weren’t very happy until they started to drop.

How the hell do you get these things off?
Stay tuned for the next post. ;)