At the Dublin Horse Show this past August, I saw a bee-yoo-ti-ful pair of jodh boots by Ariat, which had a good heel and a lovely rounded toe and a zip. Loved them at first sight; at second sight, after a fumble for the specs and a discovery of the price tag — €279 {!} — I dropped them like a hot potato.
#FFSL. I couldn’t really justify them anyway, as my current pair of jodh boots have zero wrong with them, apart from the fact that I tore the fabric thingie, the thing that lets you pull them on easier, the thing that is at the top of the boot in the back? — that thing. It took me about two years to break those in, and it’s five years now at least that I’ve had them, and at the average of one hundred lessons a year, that’s five hundred outings. I’m pretty sure I’ve never worn anything five hundred times, although! I did recount the use I’ve gotten out of a variety of my horsey things here, so I’m pretty sure that the fat coat has been worn seven hundred times and counting. More than, because of the years that I was able to ride 4 times a week {at least two years} so that’s two hundred lessons those years — so I have worn the fat coat over one thousand times.
One. Thousand. Times.
Those Ariat boots were haunting me, so when an email popped up from my go-to equestrian outfitters, Robinsons Equestrian, not only giving me 5 free Rider’s Rewards worth £5, but also showing £70 off Ariat Borssard Paddock Boots — insulated! A good-sized heel! Lace or zip option! — I wanted to cry. I had already splurged on two new pair of jodhs that were on sale from this outlet, and I couldn’t really justify this purchase on top of the jodhs, since there was nothing much wrong with my current boots except for the pull-’em-on fabric thing.
But the weather has been atrocious and my feet have been like blocks of ice before I even put my current boots on, much less after a lesson.
And these Ariat boots are Thinsulated, if that’s a word.
But even though they were deeply discounted, they were still £69.99 {€97.27}. Even with all my Rider’s Rewards {£14.50, or €20.15}, what with shipping and all… nope, couldn’t do it.
Then my jodhs showed up and I didn’t like the fit of the ones that were £19.99 {€27.78}…
So! When I send back the ones that are £19.99, and use my £14.50 of free money*, that’s £34.49, which subtracted from £69.99 = £35.50, OMG these boots practically cost zero money.
The shipping was less than a fiver, which I am not gonna query, and even with the return postage on the jodhs — let’s just round up to £40, which = €55.59, so I’ve already knocked off €40ish, and that’s not even taking the list price into consideration {£139.99/€194.54!!! holy moly}.
And even if I only get like two hundred lessons out of them, that is €0.27/lesson. These boots are free, basically. Plus, I got the ones with laces, because I’d had a couple of pairs of zippy boots in the past, and the zip always goes, so the laces are a better long-term investment.
Look:
Totally worth it. Welcome to the family, Ariat Brossard boots!
***
*Rider’s Rewards are, of course, based on past purchases, so I realise that I am fooling myself. To an even greater degree than I already am.
MANY BRAVE FOOLS 