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| Smoky Mountain waterproof jodphur boots, $35 |
The Bit of Britain sales rep scolded me for even looking for a boot that could do both. I tried on many Ariat and Dansko boots that were waterproof--none really even felt that great, and all were at a price point more than $100. Apparently a mucking/walking boot is some sort of holy grail of footwear, but it still seems crazy to spend over $100 on such a boot.
I wandered over to a trade fair booth that had discounted boots -- the Ariats were not enough of a discount for me (about 10%), but lo and behold, I did find my dream-boot. Smoky Mountain waterproof paddock boots for $35!!!! I wore them the rest of the day and even did a coursewalk in them. They were more comfy than my old beat up sneakers, which I have now thrown away. The fit is nice enough that I would be comfortable riding in them too.
Oh yeah, the competition
Arthur and Allison Springer were awesome, as were Demeter and Marily Little-Meredith. Oh, did I mention Doug Payne, who is from NJ and is riding a horse owned by Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen's spouse? I did not see her or Bruce, but did get up close and personal (within arm's length) of William Fox-Pitt. He is very thin and tall, unusually so. Like some runway models, he has an other worldly look.
Note: The links below don't seem to take you to the right spot (they're supposed to!). Go to the web page, choose Dressage Day 1 part 3, and Laine starts 8 minutes in, Katie right after. Sorry!
So here are videos of the rides I saw yesterday: Laine Ashker and Katie Ruppel. I see a little of Riley in Sir Donovan. I WISH I saw a little of me in Laine or Katie, as they were totally super. Kudos to both of them, and my fingers are crossed big time!
Had dinner at Bella Notte, wonderful food, great desserts, and a great selection of gluten-free foods. Here is a picture of Bob, my niece (who is graduating from UK this spring), and the desserts...
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I clicked on the links for Laine and Katie but got the USEF network page with nothing that showed me where the particular dressage tests were. However, I'll take your word for it that they were good. The boots look good, but those desserts looked FABULOUS.
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes, WFP is EXTREMELY tall and thin. I was right next to him at the WEG and he was wearing his traditional velvet harnessless British hunt cap, which added another 5" or so to his height (they're rather silly-looking hats), so he was just overwhelmingly rail-like.
ReplyDeleteI think Parklane Hawk actually is a bit small for him but goodness gracious, it obviously works! Watching on TV yesterday and seeing them x-country, it looked like William literally had no choice other than to remain in 2-pt. the entire time with his stirrups that short. Otherwise I think he would have looked like a jockey, with his knees above the pommel. Craziness. What a rider and what a horse!
P.S. LOVE those boots, I'm off to look them up... remember, I'm a fellow "spindly-legger" so if they don't flop around your ankles too much I bet they'd fit me, too. I've never been able to have elastic-side paddocks because of that issue.