About a month ago, I was scrolling through social media and came across an ad for a sample boot sale of Celeris boots from a store in Germany - reiten-leder.com. I'll often check these kind of sales out, but never expect to find something short enough and wide enough for my legs. Or cheap enough for my very low budget. I already have a pair of Celeris boots, I really don't need another.
Well, to my shock and amazement, there were plenty of short sizes on this site. That meant going through all of them, trying to figure out if there were any that had the right measurements for my rather odd size. I have a short height- about 15", my calf is about 14.5", and for my height of 5' nothing a largish shoe size of 7.5-8 - usually a 38 in European sizing, but I have some 39's.
I found one pair that I could make work. The right calf size. One cm shorter than my custom Bia's. But a bigger foot size at size 40.
I decided to take a chance on them and order them despite the too big foot. I figured I could add an insole, wear a short, thick sock over my regular socks, or even put a wodge of tissue in the toe to take up the difference, because the price was a steal of a deal.
They cost $322 CDN. Including shipping and customs.
They arrived yesterday after a month literally on a slow boat. And they fit!
 |
| First time, wearing my previous days steal of a deal 100% merino wool base layer legging that I got for $34. |
The left is a little snugger to zip up than the right, but both zipped shut on my first wearing. I wore them for a couple of hours at the barn last night - no blisters! The front of the ankle got a little uncomfortable during my ride, but not unbearably so. Not that I did much during my ride - I spent most of it listening to someone's terrible experience as a paying working student that she just returned from.
On my way out to the barn I picked up some insoles, which did snug up the foot size quite a bit. My wide toes appreciate the extra space they have in the toe box, though I might still put something into the toe end. I didn't feel like I was swimming in them by any means.
 |
| Cisco was very happy about the lack of effort that this ride required. |
Only a few models were going for this low of a price - these were €150, down from the original price of €590. The majority of the boots in the sale were still in the €500 range. These are called the Ana, which appears to be an older model, so that is probably why the lower price.
I wasn't sure what to expect from sample boots, but the soles are brand new and have never been outside.
I'm super happy with them, and can't believe how lucky I was to get them for that price.
Of course, like buying a saddle, there's always extra costs - I need another boot bag, boot trees, black boot polish and brushes to go with them!
The sale is still on - check it out and maybe you'll find a great deal too!
https://reiten-leder.com/pk/reitstiefel/stiefel-lagerware/
