Parlanti Boots Review

When I was in Tryon I met the Parlanti rep at a July 4th party.  Of course after consuming a lot of wine that night I convinced myself my Vogels needed to be retired and I should jump on the Parlanti bandwagon.  I am very specific on how I like my boots to fit so I have worn custom boots for about the past 20 years.  The rep told me that he had 16 different fits for my boot size and guaranteed he could fit me perfectly without needing customs.  I like my boots to fit high and although I have size 8 feet my ankles are little so I don't like extra leather drooping around my ankles. I want a tight, neat fit.  You can do this not in a custom you say?  Hmmmm challenge accepted! 

The next day after showing I headed over to the Parlanti tent.  I tried on a bunch of boots to get the idea of what fit I liked.  They have a Buffalo akin boot that I absolutely loved.  The fit was perfect and they were so comfortable.  They are a bit fashion forward so definitely more appropriate for the jumper ring versus hunter. My barn mates all agreed my trainer would HATE them so I should pass.  This frustrated me as I was not liking the other boots I tried on.  I do not like the look of the dress boot.  I know that is the fad but I just prefer the look of the field boot.  He didn't have my size in the field boot which meant I would have to order it.  I also felt like the boot was too short.  I was concerned the boot would drop and be to short for me.  He took one last look around and found me my size in the field boot and a bit taller.  He also said he would give me $100 off.  Shit, this meant I was buying boots.  I tried them on and they were beautiful.  Tall, tight, soft calf skin, and comfortable.  Sold.

Saturday I decided to break them in.  I wanted them tight and tight they were.  This made zipping them up a challenge.  I had to stick my finger between the zipper and my leg to keep my boot socks from getting caught.  Annoying.  Once on I started losing circulation in my legs but the more I moved around the better they felt.  That is until I got on my horse.

The rep said by the end of the day of wearing them they will stretch and be comfortable.  They were miserable to ride in.  They hurt my legs and ankles and I felt like they were not giving.  I wore them around the barn a bit but they never felt better.  When I finally took them off I got such a bad Charlie horse in my calf that 2 days later it is still sore.

I gave them another try today.  All I wanted to do was sitting trot.  Posting hurt and getting my heel down was near impossible.

I will give these suckers a few more tries but right now as far as comfort goes they get a thumbs down.  Maybe this is not a fair review on my second time wearing them.  Maybe I need to just say "to be continued."  I can't help but be skeptical when all I heard was how these boots take one day to break in.  These were also not a whole lot cheaper than my custom Vogels so I had high expectations.  

To be continued...