Lately...

[glenatron]

Riding has been a bit annoying lately because my boots are away at the boot fixing place and it turns out we don't own any chaps long enough to stop my legs getting pinched by the stirrup leathers so I've mostly been riding without stirrups. I don't have a problem with that, but one of the things I really ought to be doing with Zorro is lots of trot to build up our fitness and build up the idea in his head that when I ask him for a faster pace he just does it and he keeps doing it until I ask him to stop. He rather likes the idea that he should get to choose when to stop.

By this point my sitting trot is passable ( although I find Zorro surprisingly hard to sit to ) but I don't want to hurt his back so I'm only doing brief trotting sessions until I'm confident he's fit enough for it and I'm riding well enough. Hopefully the boots will be back at the weekend, but I may replace them anyway- even if the zips have been fixed up I think I'll be on borrowed time with them and it's pretty hard to find a size 12 riding boot and the ones I currently have are still available and now quite bargainous on the Robinsons' site. They're pretty comfy once they've had a couple of old paint tins in them for a couple of years to make them the same shape as human ankles.

Comments

[evil-c.livejournal.com]

Have you thought about investing in a pair of jods to use whilst the boots are not with you? You get pinched because you wear jeans and I'm sure people won't object (though may laugh the first time because everyone does) to seeing you in jods.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I do actually have some - I guess I could wear them under my jeans, but they make my legs feel funny because they're made of the kind of fabric that traps all your leg hairs and then they feel all weird and tingly when you take them off...

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

If my boots aren't back tomorrow I'll have to give that a try though...

[evil-c.livejournal.com]

I think you're missing the point. Its your *jeans* that are causing the stirrup leather to rub, not the leathers themselves. Thats why we wear tight trousers, because they they dont rub. They will rub on any material that is loose and can bunch up around the leather.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

In my case it's the twist in the stirrup leather as far as I can tell.

[penella22.livejournal.com]

definitely get the boots, while you can.

I am sooo thankful for my western fenders...using english stirrups those two times was really uncomfortable.