I recently went to smartpak to get fitted for my first pair of tall boots. I tryed the Ariat heritage contour boots and liked them…the employee told me that they were too easy to zip up and should order the slim calf as it would be a better fit…seeing how they were out in store of my size they ordered them and i got them today. They are great but i cant zip them the at the very top…the last inch…I know they are supposed to fit tight…but i should be able to zip them all the way. Am i right? I dont want to force the zipper and cause damage either. Please offer your boot fitting advice.
A friend who works at a high end tack store taught me this. Rub a liberal amount of rubbing alcohol all around the inside upper third of the boot and them put them on. It will help the leather stretch out a bit and not put so much pressure on the zipper. You can apply the alcohol to the outside too, but I always start with the inside.
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Thank you!! I will try that!
Rubbing alcohol works quite well for super tight boots! I used it a few times. Started with socks only, then progressed to breeches. I only sprayed on the inside of the boots.
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At Dover I had the same issue, same boots. The lady that was helping me showed me a little trick where you can put a shoelace through the zipper hole, and use that to pull it up, with one finger inside the boot, moving with the zipper to prevent pinching. The string helps to keep you from pulling the zipper out and up, as opposed to just up. Hope this helps! And enjoy your new boots. 
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Also, when you are zipping up, don’t do it with your foot on the floor. Prop the leg that you are zipping up straight ahead of you on a tack trunk or similar. I can’t explain why but it makes them easier to zip. And yes, stick your finger inside the zipper to help guide it up. I work at a tack store and both tricks help a lot.
I had a pair of boots that were non-zip but WAY too tight in the calf at first (first time I wore them with breeches my calves were throbbing). I got them from eBay so obviously didn’t get to try them on first. Sprayed insides with half alcohol half water and voila! They were perfect. Good luck to you.
You could get them stretched. Although a pair of my tall boots used to not zip at the top, and they ended up being too short. But if they are the right length for your leg, then I’d try finding someone to stretch them. But you can also rub alchohal in the insides and ride in them right after for a week or so. It stretches it out a little bit.
Thank you everyone! I am off work for a few days so I will be trying this method that you all mentioned!
I did the warm water dunk with mine that had a similar issue and they fit so well. Not for the faint of heart though
My most recent pair is a little large but zipped up immediately. Next time I would go for the smaller and dunk again, but it is time consuming…
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I got a pair of Ariat Heritages on trade in from Dover when my Mountain Horses busted. I was told by the gal who fit me to not zip them up all the way the first few weeks if I could help it. Zip them as far as they would go, and leave them. This gave the leather time to stretch and adapt to my leg, without putting a lot of strain on the zipper. I was skeptical, but dammit, she was right. I’d be able to zip them up more and more every time I wore them and had them fully zipped, snapped and fitting like a glove in 3 weeks (fine for me since I didn’t need them to show in right away). I did spray them with Der Dau boot stretch spray before every wear.
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The bathtub method freaks me out.
I know it is used a lot, but I dont think I could do it. You are braver than me!
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Good to know! Thanks for sharing, I wont worry so much then about getting the zipper up all the way right away. I will have to look for some boot stretch spray, I have been using the alcohol everytime and it seems to be working.
Another question. Do most people wear them to the barn or do you bring them and change into them at the barn? I hope thats not a silly question.
That’s interesting since I also work for a bigger tack shop and we do NOT recommend this. It puts excessive strain on the zipper and will shorten its life.
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I only wear my tall boots for riding, to extend their life. I wear paddock boots to the barn, then put my tall boots on just before I get on and switch back to paddock boots as soon as I get off. At shows, unless I have a long break, I will generally keep them on.
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I buy mid-priced tall boots and I wear them for everything, unless I’m not planning to ride. I only show locally so I just wipe 'em down and polish before I show. I don’t show enough to justify two pairs, so I don’t spend the money on really nice boots.
Put your foot up on something, a tack trunk or step or something. The calf muscle will relax. Use a string or bailing twine to pull. Have a slight bend in the knee, it relaxes the calf and the muscles at the back of the knee. Alcohol, or a boot/shoe stretch product from a shoe repair shop applied to the inside of the boot helps a ton.
I change into my boots when I get to the barn (but wear them for everything at the barn). Don’t like to drive in them, don’t want any mud/dirt/etc. coming inside the car. I got a plastic boot box (the thicker plastic, not the thin stuff) and leave it with the lid off in my trunk. Keeps my boots plus a few items (boot brush, some crops, maybe gloves) contained, keeps any dirt contained, it’s easy to pull out and clean in the summer (hose), and if I need to put something larger in my trunk I can pull the whole thing out at once and put it right back when I’m done.
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