Equestrian Chic

Hey there! I'm actually in Las Vegas this weekend, so I'm not going to have any more riding lessons until next week (boo!) unless I can convince my friends that we need to go riding... which I'm sure would never ever happen. So instead of discussing going around and around a pen, I thought I would talk about riding gear.

I currently ride western, so my line dancing boots have come in really handy. I wear my Tony Lama boots for riding, mostly. I have two pairs of Tony Lamas: the Black Thoroughbred boots and the Tan Santa Fe boots. I don't typically wear my black ones though, since they really need to be resoled. I also have a pair of turquoise Justin Damiana boots, which I adore. They're just the prettiest color. I don't like to wear them for riding though, since they get kinda dirty and beat up. I love my Santa Fes, but I think if my black boots were wearable, I would wear them way more than the brown ones.

I do have a pair of riding pants, though. I have navy blue TuffRider cotton schooler breeches. I like that the knee patch protects my legs, but I think they could be better looking. They collect dust really easily, so they always look dirty. They have a really high rise (I call them my old lady riding pants), which is okay since it keeps my butt from hanging out, and the waistband is just ugly elastic. I always wear shirts over them, because they look so funny. Then again, they look kind of weird with my cowboy boots. I like the look of jean breeches, though. I wish they weren't so expensive, or I would have bought some already! I'm also tempted by full seat breeches, since my seatbones always end up a little sore if we ride for a long time. I really like these, even though they are knee patch breeches and not full seat.

I kind of want to get a pair of english boots, too. DeDe told us after our first lesson that we should consider it when we start riding english. I guess I like the idea of half chaps. I went to a tack shop to get my breeches, and when I went in, I tried on a pair of Ariat lace-up paddock boot and a bunch of different sizes and styles of half chaps, and I really liked them. I felt like they supported my legs a lot. And I feel like they would really help me keep my heels down, because of that. My major issue with paddock boots though, is that I really like my leather-soled boots. All paddock boots seem to have synthetic soles! I found one pair of Justins that have a leather sole, but they have a really western look, and I'm not sure that I like it.

I think that I would prefer a simpler boot. Also, I kind of want a brown boot, but that seems to be impossible to find. All of the brown paddock boots are really dark and not so exciting. I found this picture on pinterest and love this look, but I have yet to figure out what boots these actually are. I would be all over that if I knew.

I love love love that look. I think that's basically exactly what I want. Except, I want leather soles. Then again, sometimes my feet slip a little in the stirrups while I'm riding. It would be really hard for me to get used to walking with rubber soles, since most of my shoes are leather, but maybe it would be a little safer. On the other hand, if I was in danger, a leather-soled boot would slip right out of the stirrup and I could dismount more quickly. I'm not entirely sure, but I know I am extremely comfortable with leather soles. Any thoughts?

I'm also loving the "Equestrian Chic" look lately. I saw this picture (also on pinterest...) and fell in love with the look. I'm definitely going to be looking into getting some slouchy long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, and english boots for the fall! And wearing them with my hair done and red lipstick ;)