breaking in new custom boots

[Sleepy]

tbhunter,
I want to re-iterate here that some of the above antics, my own included, were caused by being improperly measured. Self-measuring forms are available, but it is worth the drive to be measured correctly by someone you trust. One of the upstate NY crowd will have to direct you to someone. For my second pair of boots I drove 3 hours to a man who was a master at measuring and was sent by the company to teach others how to measure.

Dehner does have a web page directing you to dealers. Don’t know about any of the others.
www.dehner.com

[This message has been edited by Sleepy (edited 10-30-2000).]

[Nickelodian]

To this day (6 years later) my boots still give me blisters, but I have found the most wonderful blister protectors. Advanced Healing Bandaids!!! (in the bandaid isle, in a silver box) Bandaid makes a blister protector and they work wonderfully, but it is the same stuff as the Advanced Healing, and Advanced Healing are half the price. I think like 6 for $3. I haven’t had any blisters since I started using them. My achilies (sp?) area would always itch after horseshows also, and the Advanced Healing has worked wonders for that too.

[barb]

Put them on, walk around, walk around some more…walk up the stairs…ride, walk around, ride some more…take them off…put them on, ride some more!!! That was what worked for me…Just suck it up and deal with the pain!! I could wear mine all day now!!!

[G11]

Ok, my Vogels FINALLY came today, and… I’m worried to death that they’ll have to be cut off. Seriously, my calves are INSANELY skinny, judging from my boots I look anorexic (which I’m not… TRUST me). For example, my Tredsteps are a size 13/17, and they’re a little loose in the calf, my measurements were somewhere close to 12. And I have a size 8 1/2 foot. Any suggestions on getting them off? And my mom is paranoid about the whole water thing, will it harm the boots in any way? Thanks in advance!

[G11]

Vogel’s website it www.vogelboots.com

Brands are purely personal preference, one of my trainers has Der Daus, the other has Vogels, both prefer their brand a little bit more, but they have also had both and don’t mind either. I’m personally a Vogel’s person… I got mine, couldn’t get my foot in (result of LLLOOONNNGGG feet and chicken legs), promptly called Vogel, and they said that they could fix it as soon as I sent it back. GREAT customer service gotta love it. And i loved the feel of mine for the few minutes I saw them

[3eme]

My custom boots came in! They fit perfectly, but are v-e-r-y snug, as new boots are. I need to break them in.

Any recommendations for how to go about it, and how long before I can expect to be comfortable enough to show in them? It’s been a long time since I’ve broken in a pair…

[DMK]

Hey VT, shouldn’t you be WORKING after your holiday yesterday?!?!?!?!?!

[tbhunter36]

I was thinking about adding custom boots to my xmas list but i was interested in how much they run for. All of the kids at my barn are still in jods, so i guess i will be the barn ginuea pig. My instructor had vogels before her accident (and they CUT them off of her legs, and not even at the seams…she was livid) but i was wondering the difference between the brands? is one better than the other, or is it all personal preference? well i would love to hear your responses, thanks!

[JumpJockey]

When I was a teenager my best riding buddy had a pair of Dehner’s that I would have killed for. So when I finally got my first pair of Dehner’s custom, I was thrilled. But the fit was TERRIBLE! The foot was fine, but the CALF was crippling! Even after stretching, they were unwearable! I was really disappointed with the customer service that Dehner offered – they just didn’t want to be bothered! I sent them back and had $135 worth of alterations done by them. They were so hideous then that they sat in the back of the closet. It was a shame because even the shoemaker who did the stretching commented how nicely made they were! I’ve since had two pairs of Vogels, and I am very satisfied with them. I phoned Vogels in New York and asked how to break them in and was told to walk around the house in them for about two hours before riding. Everyone has their own way of getting them broken in and whatever works must be the best for them! One tip that worked when they got ‘snug’ after two days of Christmas binging (!) was to slip a plastic grocery bag over your foot and calf, spray it with silicone spray (and the inside of the boot, as well), then pull the boot on. Your feet might get damp around the ankles, but it worked like a charm. Baby powder works like the silicone spray, too.

[hillary]

I just got new boots and they seem too tall. The Olympic tops in the front of my leg comes to the middle of my knee cap - will they really drop that much? Help, I need your experiences…Inverness, thanks for your input already.

[DMK]

OK, all the tack shop owners will flame me to death for this one, but wash your horse in them… or if they are REALLY bad, stand in a bucket of water… Wear until they dry

Repeat as necessary…

[Duffy]

Hey, DMK - We’re talking after TWO holiday days!!! LOLOL

[Sleepy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tbhunter36:
but i was wondering the difference between the brands? is one better than the other, or is it all personal preference? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

HA! This is like saying Bush or Gore!

Having ridden in both (long story, I traded boots with someone for the summer after she gained weight at boarding school and I had lost a lot since getting my boots), I still preferred my Dehner’s. But a friend of mine has had both and she prefers Vogel’s.

[JRG]

Well I learned something new reading these posts today, thank you all. Although I don’t think I would have the nerve myself to do the water trick (wouldn’t want the responsability of it all) but a qualified boot place I would not have a problem.

As for my Dehners, it is working. Used Amerigo grease on the inside and outside of the boots and my ankles are thankful today. Much better than before.

I have never had the problem of getting my boots on and off (envy me know…LOL) I have long feet, size 9, chicken legs and no instep. I have heard the sylicone works well. The trick is letting it dry before trying to slide into them.

[Medievalist]

The rush order I had on my vogel’s didn’t rush, so I got them 2 days before the horse show. It rained at the horse show and I got stuck in them because they were too tight! It took 4 guys holding me down and 3 guys pulling to finally get them off. Since I didn’t have time to send them in to get fixed, I spent all summer taking midol at nightto keep me from swelling, so that I would be able to get them on first thing in the morning. If I waited to put them on later, I wouldn’t be able to get them on. I have had tons of alterations and they still just aren’t comfortable. The guys at journeymans got them so I can get them on and off now, but they press in at my ankles and the tops of my feet. I think I’m going to try the hot water thing. Its foolish to have such expensive boots and hate riding in them!

[VTrider]

3eme - Thanks for posting - Duffy held a credit card to my throat on Tuesday and forced me to get new boots - this info. will be of great importance - out of curiosity - what kind did you get? I got Der Dau’s.

[VTrider]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DMK:
Hey VT, shouldn’t you be WORKING after your holiday yesterday?!?!?!?!?!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I haven’t been here since Monday - 2 days of holiday!!

No, no need to work…Remember that all work and no play thing…

[jumper]

What about Konigs or DerDau’s??

[hunterprincez]

When I got my last pair of Vogels they were so tight in the calf they would make my legs throb. I took the hose and just poured water down them and put them on and wore them until they were dry. They were great after that. They did not suffer any bad things from getting wet.

[Lil]

I JUST got my new boots - custom Cavallos. They’re a Vogel knock-off from Germany and initially a little easier on the wallet (must be a $ exchange thing). There were so many charges for extras, though, that I would’ve been better off just getting V’s or D’s! Then I had this whole separation anxiety thing with my OLD customs. (If you’ve read any of my other posts you know I have a penchant for keeping stuff a long, long time!) Anyway, I spent days rejecting my new boots, not giving them a chance to take their rightful place on my feet. My old boots look so sad and dull next to the perky new German upstarts! Anyway, I love the “new” height and Olympic-or-whatever tops, and I think the boots give me that real “A” look! (I HAD to put on all my riding clothes when I got home from the tack shop. Stop laughing - I bet you’ve done it, too!) It really does help to put them on and wear them around the house, BTW. Today they get their “shakedown” cruise.