The Boot Saga Continues (and Soonie is amazing)

Okay, so I'm still in Boot Hell and I don't know why.  I ordered the Ariat boots in cognac (yay brown boots!), and according to the sizing on the website, ordered a full calf.  Yes, my ego took a hit on that one, but I was squarely within the full calf sizing based on foot size.  But they showed up yesterday and were baggy in the calf.  Ego restored!  I ordered the regular calf, and will send the pair of boots back that doesn't fit as well.  The previous zippered Ariats I had were regular calf so I'm not exactly sure why the sizing had me in full in this pair, but I'm hoping regular calf in the next pair will be the winner.  Whatever.  On a positive note, the boots were soft, they were super comfortable and rideable straight out of the box.  I'm in love.  Can't wait for the regular calf boots to arrive.  At $399, I don't expect these boots to last more than a few years, but I'll take what I can get right about now.

Poofy at the calf...

AHHH BUT SO PRETTY

The Dehners...I'm having an issue making a decision on these things.  On one hand, they fit well in the foot and are comfortable to wear (foot wise).  On the other hand, they have never been even remotely snug on my leg.  While it's been 15-ish years since I last broke in a pair of pull-on boots, I do remember all of my boots ranging from snug to downright agonizing to wear at first.  They then stretched a bit with wear and worked in well, but I've never had a pair be so loose to begin with to the point I don't even feel anything on the calf at all.  So...I believe that to be a problem.

They also appear to be too short.  They've had minimal contact with the back of my knee from the beginning; there's only a slight crease now after several rides, and they're at least a 1/2" below the back of my knee and they haven't even dropped yet.  When they do, I expect they'll be at least 1" below the back of the knee, which is going to make them comically short despite the Italian top.  I know I said earlier that I didn't care about them being short, but between that and the gappiness in the calf, I'm beginning to wonder what I'm even doing.  Also look at how much the top sticks out from the side of my leg.  Yep.

Preeeeety sure they're not supposed to look like this after 4 rides

I sent an email back to the folks at Dehner (who have been amazing) discussing all of the above.  I don't know what to do; do I send them back and have Dehner add them to their "orphan room" and hopefully some lucky soul buys them for a reduced price?  Or do I continue to break them in and hope they shape some, and alterations can be made once they're broken in?  But I don't see how they can be altered to fix the height issue.  The boots have to go back to Omaha at some point because the swagger tabs were left off.  So the real question is, do I want them back?  Do I want a whole new pair of boots?  I suppose I'll get that question answered when I talk to Dehner later.  I'm not happy with the fit and I don't know if alterations will take care of the issues, or if a whole new pair will have to be constructed.  And if that's going to cost me more money....at this point, I'm not sure I want it.  I've wanted Dehners for years, and after some time in the hunt field I grew especially fond of them.  I bought these with the intention of them lasting me 15, maybe 20 years.  But my first custom boot experience hasn't resulted in a great fit, and I'm kind of lost on these things right now.

I also think maybe my taste in boots is changing, and I'm stuck in-between opinions.  I used to HATE the slim cut/"painted on" look of today's modern zippered boots.  Traditionally, I've preferred the more traditional look of pull-on boots, which look less tailored down the line of the leg.  They look more like BOOTS.  And these Dehners are beautiful BOOTS.  But I'm having a hard time for some reason getting used to their roomier appearance below the calf and I keep looking at the zippered boots and thinking maybe I like those lines better.  But I hate zippers.  I've not had positive experiences with zippers and like the idea of pull-ons.  But I spent a solid 10 minutes wrestling my pull-on Dehners off my sweaty legs today, pretty sure I pulled some muscles doing it, and I remembered why breaking in pull-on boots SUCKS.

Somebody tell me what to do because I am useless!!!

Changing subjects...
Soon has been great, so that's good to know.  He got an A+ on his dental visit on Tuesday, where he got his annual power float.  I got his vaccination record and Coggins ready to go; the new barn is ready for our arrival next week and we have shipping arranged!  Still super sad to leave the current barn, but they're throwing us a cookout going-away party (love these people!) and we're close enough that I hope to visit for clinics in the future.  Or maybe I'll get another TDY up here again and will be happy to rejoin the family for another stint. :)

Hi Handsome! :)

It's been hot, and seeing that Soonie lost weight last year with early heatwaves, I've been taking it easy.  He got three days off, and yesterday and today we did some light flat schools.  Yesterday we just did an easy walk/trot stretchy school, and today we did walk/trot/canter out in the hay field with two changes and he was phenomenal.  Up and out, felt great, and since he was on point (as he usually is), we kept it around 25 minutes in the 85-ish weather.  That's definitely hot for us, especially this time of year, so I'm hoping not to push anything until we've both had a chance to adjust.  He is adorable as ever and I love my quiet afternoons at the barn.  :)

His post-itch stance

Enjoying his evenings with Maresy