I just bought my first new to me boots in 11 years. I got a great deal on some Mountain Horse Venezia boots during Riding Warehouse’s Labor Day sale. They are gorgeous. I measured properly and checked the size chart carefully…and they are so tight. I had to take off my usual Target knee socks to get them on.
Please tell me they will stretch and I won’t have to struggle to get them on forever.
:o
I love my Venezia boots- they are really well made and once they break in you will love them, too. I would do the bathtub method if I were you. I buy the slim tall size and they are always a bit tight at first but I can get them zipped without too much trauma and they do stretch out. However, if you are experiencing that level of tightness doing the bathtub thing will help immensely!
Yep - if you can get them zipped (but they’re crazy tight), that’s a sign of correctly fitting boots!
I just got a new pair of boots that are so tight that the gals at the tack shop (I was at a show) had to get me zipped into them. I walked over to the nearest hose, jammed it into the top and got them nice and wet and then walked around for the rest of the day. They were much easier to get on from that point forward!
Apply rubbing alcohol liberally to the inside where they are tight and then put them on. It will stretch the leather a little without stressing the zipper too much.
They sound perfect, they’ll be gorgeous once you’ve broken them in!
I am also a proponent of the bathtub method. (Maybe we should just call it the water method?) You don’t even have to get the foot wet - I flipped my super-tight new boots upside down under the faucet, got the ankle and calf nice and wet with warm water, and wore them to the barn all day. They look like they were made for me.
I would, however, warn against the bathtub method if you can’t actually zip them up. If you can zip them but they’re uncomfortable, go for it. But if you can’t fully zip them, don’t get them wet quite yet. Do rubbing alcohol and stretch them first, until you CAN zip them up all the way.
Take them to a cobbler and have them stretched little by little. When you can zip them, just barely, then stop having them stretched.
I got custom boots that I couldn’t zip. Doing it this way lets you stretch in just the right places and it was only about $20.
I just experienced the same problem. With great effort I was able to zip them over very thin socks, but they were so tight I could hardly walk and they were interfering with circulation!
I decided to try the rubbing alcohol after reading a bunch of posts. I sprayed the insides where they were tight and then wore them around over thin socks for a few hours. The next day I did it again over thicker socks, the next I wore socks and breeches. It worked great, and I didn’t have to slosh around or get the outside of the boots wet.
Another problem solved by alcohol! Thanks everyone! I’m going to try it tonight.
Rubbing alcohol on the literal inside (rough side) of the boots. Glass of wine for yourself.
I’ve known people to also use a little heat, as in a blow dryer, to warm up the leather and wear until cool. Good luck!
Stretching Spray is just a mix of 50/50 water and rubbing alcohol. Shoe repair shops sell it and use it, but that’s all it is. Mix up a bit in a spray bottle and liberally spray inside your boot shaft. Put on the thinnest breeches you have or better yet, a pair of tights. Then zip of boots as far as you can. Walk around a bit so your legs warm up. Body heat and the alcohol/water mix will open up the leather to stretch. I did this with my slim Tredsteps. 3 days in a row I did this at home for an hour. Viola! Custom fitting boots!
Alcohol IS a solution.
[QUOTE=Peggy;8836206]
Alcohol IS a solution.[/QUOTE]
Spoken like a true Evil Chem Prof!
Der-dau boot stretching spray. This has been a life saver!
Day One of the alcohol method is going well! The only thing I did stupid was go outside and drop my heels off the step to stretch them so I could get my heels down and I split the zipper open. :mad: I somehow got my foot out of it and worked the zipper down. I hope I didn’t kill it.
Pull them on, zipped, with boot pulls a few times.
[QUOTE=Coreene;8838156]
Pull them on, zipped, with boot pulls a few times.[/QUOTE]
Impossible. These are really fitted through the ankle. They lack any tabs for hooking boot pulls also.
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