tall boot nightmare

Did I mention we're going to a show tomorrow?

No?

Ok, we're going to a show tomorrow.

This was all very last minute. I got the email with the class list in the middle of the week, wrangled a trailer to use on Friday, went and picked the trailer up Friday night, spent all day today getting the horses clean (yes, plural...I'll get to that, though) and tack conditioned, ran a million errands, and then at 4pm just as I was about to leave the barn to go to my Dad's birthday dinner an hour away, I tried my tall boots on.

I got the zipper halfway up the leg on the right boot and the zipper completely failed.

My beautiful, $380, never-see-the-light-of-day-unless-it's-something-important, zip-up Ariat Challenges. I think I rode in them maybe 75 times.

I spent 25 minutes trying to get them off, PRAYING I didn't have to cut them at all, and finally I pulled hard enough to get the zipper pull back down to the bottom of the boot.

Then I had a minor breakdown. With 16 hours to go until we were supposed to be at a show (and dressed the part), I had no tall boots. This is when it is really, REALLY good to have a Dover store less than five minutes down the road. I called them almost in hysterics to see if they could do anything to help me. They said, "sure, bring them in, we'll see what we can do."

Folks, less than 20 minutes after I walked into Dover with my busted old Ariat boots (which, by the way, I bought SEVEN years ago), I was walking out the door with a brand new pair of Ariat Challenge II's that I had exchanged for my old boots. It's like that pair of size 9 tall/regular calf was sitting right there waiting for my old ones to fail. I literally tried them on at the checkout counter as they were ringing me up. I wasn't even late to my Dad's birthday dinner.

Dover, I freakin' love you. The only bad part is that this means I will be riding in an entire division at a show with brand new boots. I am doing the best I can to break them in at least a bit tonight but so far my ankles and the backs of my knees are not pleased with this arrangement. Commence walking up and down the stairs 50 times? Yes.

Oh, so horseS. Yes, Dreamer is coming too, and it will be his rider's first show ever. She is excited and nervous but after her ride today, I think she's going to do very well! We set some goals for her that have nothing to do with the colour of the ribbon she gets so no matter how you slice it, tomorrow will be successful and most of all, FUN. :)