These Boots are Made for Riding

I need a new pair of boots for riding. This is my boot story, part one. When I started leasing My Boy last winter, I quickly realized that the one pair of fashion cowboy boots I owned were not made for riding. I looked in my closet and a pair of faux Frye motorcycle boots became my new riding boots. They have held up quite well, although the harness straps interfere with my spur straps. However, they are not real riding boots, with features such as a reinforced toe for safety. I decided that after a year of riding in boots purchased at Nordstrom's, it was time to cowgirl up and get some real boots!! I am very picky and knew that I wanted a few specific details. 1. A square toe (I just like the look.) 2. A regular brown shade of leather (it tends to go with everything.) 3. A colored, decorative shaft. (I am particularly fond of green, for some reason.) 4. A good arch support and comfort. (If I had to get off My Boy 5 miles into a trail and walk back to the trail head beside him, I want to do it in comfort!)


After searching online, my favorite boot "look" was the Twisted X Ruff Stock. My sister had just purchased a pair of Twisted X Barn Burners (in an adorable pink ostrich) and said they were sooooooo comfortable she almost slept in them! My first roadblock was finding a pair in a local western wear store to try on. I had done my research online, but I wanted to try them on in person. Ordering a boot online is risky, you have to consider sizing and return policies. My sister had to go down a whole size in her style, would I would have to, as well? One of the western stores I visited carried Twisted X boots, but not the style I wanted. But they had the catalog and said they could order it for me. I spent an hour with two employees trying on a variety of other brands and styles of boots as well, but found nothing that gave me that "ahhhh..." feeling when I slipped it on. I left slightly disappointed, with new information to consider and more thinking to do. I decided to take a risk and order a pair Twisted X without trying them on. Hearing nothing but positive things about these boots, I decided it was a safe bet. My online search of this style showed it available at a variety of places for a variety of prices, all fairly reasonable. I called the western wear store to get a price quote. They gave me the MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price) which was higher than most of the online prices. I mentioned the prices I had seen online (I wasn't really trying to get a discount! Okay, well maybe.) The salesperson kindly said, "We can't compete with the Internet." I said I would think about it and would let her know if I decided to order the boots through them. I thought about it all day. A lot of small business owners, tack shops in particular, have had to close their storefronts and sell on EBay, as they can not compete with Internet prices. Although this seems to be the way the world is going and before long we will be shopping online for everything, my heart goes out to the little guy trying to keep a store open and offer a good service. And I surely got a good service at my western wear store, even though I did not walk out with a pair of boots that day. Time was spent with me trying to find a boot that would fit my little feet, and knowledgeable advice was given. Goodness, they knew their stuff! I highly doubted I could build a relationship like that with an online retailer. Even though it will cost me a little more money, I will be taking a trip back to their store very soon to order the boots from them.

To be continued.........

P.S. Nope, I did not choose these boots because they so nicely compliment the colors of my blog layout...although they do, don't you think??