I bit the bullet and got myself a pair of tall boots that retail for over $200.  I know, my budget is shocking with most people getting tall boots retailing for a lot more… but I’m poor.  Also, as previously discussed I have a stupid wide calf and I kind of hate tall boots in every imaginable way. Join me in my campaign to have half chaps acceptable in the hunters everyone!

No? Okay, fine. I’ll tell you about the boots I just got.

With my current calf width, there are really only 2 off the shelf options that will fit me – one being Fuller Fillies (a brand I despise wholly… a topic for another day) and one being Mountain Horse. Everyone I have talked to that has Mountain Horse boots loves them, so I decided they were worth at shot. I went for the Mountain Horse Richmond Field Boot and at $340 from SmartPak figured it would be decent quality.

The Pros

• They are well made.
• The leather is much softer than any tall boot I’ve ever had, especially the lining which is a light gray and soft to the touch instead of the thick tan I’ve always had.
• Zippers are nice and thick. No dingy teeth or tiny pulls. I see these lasting much longer than my previous pairs.
• They have an elastic panel that goes all the way from the top of your calf to your ankle. This has a good amount of stretch (I’d say almost 1″ and will help my legs that swell randomly sometimes.
• Like all tall boots, they hurt to break in. However, these have been the easiest to immediately ride in and resulted in the fewest blisters so far… maybe that’s another plus of spending a little bit more.
• The spanish cut top is very.. spanish? This is good for me, because I can’t get a pair of boots off the rack that are quite tall enough so it helps them look better.

The Cons

• They’re just not very pretty. No fancy pull tab (although the Mountain Horse logo is subtle and doesn’t bother me). The soles are very thick and clunky. This is to accommodate their special rubber stirrup system… but I’m not planning on getting the special stirrups and I wish there was less rubber on the bottom of my foot.
• There is a horizontal seam in the lining that goes all the way across your leg through a meatier part of your calf. It rubs a little on me, but that may just be because the boots are a tad bit tight still.
• The elastic panel that runs down the leg is awesome for fitting, but not super easy no the eyes. There are 2 little strips of leather running down on top of the elastic vertically, probably to offer extra durability and grip in that area. This is a good idea, but if you’re someone that’s going to stretch the elastic out a bit it doesn’t look very streamline. Minor thing though.
• If your legs are wide and you do stretch the elastic out, the pull tab seems to be closer to the front of your leg instead of directly on the side. Also minor.

Overall, I’m glad I purchased these.  If you need a wider calf like me and have trouble finding options, I would get them.  I measure higher than what the high width of this boot is listed at, and I can zip them up with breeches fairly easily and am using some stretching spray to get a little extra breathing room.

If you have normal calves and want a high quality boot that functions well and is built to last, I would also get these.

If you want hunter princess boots… I would pass on these.  I like them and I’m glad I got them, but they don’t leave me feeling like I’m ready to go to Devon.

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