I've recently been through a bit of a shopping nightmare involving my mother and trying to get a pair of tall boots. My mother is not a horse person and her only experience is with fashion boot shopping and despite this (and my insistence that there's a certain procedure) she made her own determination of which boots she got me for Christmas. I am a very difficult person to fit because I have a very small ankle and a wide calf. I hate it. :C
The first pair she originally bought was a pair of Ovation brand 9 1/2 XL calf. Upon trying them on they didn't zip past my calf at all, except one time I used some funky flexibility to worm my way into the boot. I took it off and tried to do the same again and ended up busting the zipper the second time around (didn't break it per se, the teeth just separated below it). Fixed the zipper, but since I popped the zip the first time my mother insisted that the zip would be weak afterward and I should size up to an XXL calf. This wasn't too ridiculous a notion as I'd tried on an XXL Ovation pair in a local store, which fit wonderfully except for where the foot size was a half size too big. She returned them (having to pay shipping and a 15% 'restocking' fee) and exchanged them for a pair of 9 1/2 Ovation "Flex" that were supposed to be an XXL. I never saw the "Flex" pair, as I'd gone home to Virginia at that point (and she is in GA) but she claimed that the calf seemed no bigger in measurement and the XXL must have been an XX wide foot (?) and decided to return them again and order a different pair. Once again, more return shipping fee and another 15% 'restocking'. I wish I'd just asked her to give me the cash for it and didn't let her talk me into the online 'deals', at this point, because I could have gotten the pair at the store for what she ended up spending after all the returns and the percentages in restocking. It really is a deal, if you know you'll get into the boot on the first shot!
But anyway.
I just got the new pair she ordered last night. They're a pair of Treadstone Field Master Zip Back XXW. Having tried them on today with my breeches and socks they fit more tightly than they did last night when I just threw them on bare-legged to see if they zipped but they are not in the "uncomfortable tightness" range that I hear they should be when they're brand new. The only thing that is uncomfortable is that they are jamming me in the back of the knee, but I expected that because they need to drop. My biggest concern is that they aren't tight, because as I've read is if they fit comfortably out of the box they are going to be much too loose when they break in and will get deep wrinkles at the ankle that will cause friction and be even more uncomfortable down the road. There is also the fact that at the knee there is a HUGE gap that's big enough to stick your hand down.
At this point, I don't want to have to send them back and lose even more money, but I'm not sure what to do with them. If I found a cobbler, would they be able to resize them considering they have a zipper or should I just look into selling them on craigslist or something? Even if I made a portion of their retail value, I could put that into savings and shop for boots locally in the future. I'm just about to start a diet and exercise regiment in addition to riding more frequently which my husband has wisely pointed out that XXW boots might be even bigger on me a few months from now!
I've attached the picture, just so I can get a few expert opinions, because I'm totally new to this and I'm thinking these are probably a lost cause. Or at least a much bigger investment than I'm probably willing to take in attempting to size them properly.
