Some horse enter your life in the most unassuming of ways but once there change your world irrevocably. Wizard, aka Gilbert was one such horse. He was a 15.2ish Warmblood cross bred by a local stud ‘Riverside’, by the imported stallion Monopol famous for his …
After a brilliant ride on Nonie yesterday afternoon I once again found myself musing an oft expressed sentiment in the horse world, ‘Winning on a made horse will never be as good as winning on a horse you’ve trained yourself’. I have to say this …
I used to joke that top boots are the dressage riders equivalent of ballet pointe slippers, so I was delighted when I discovered Celeris Bespoke boots. In my opinion, these boots are the ultimate when it comes to style, elegance and comfort.
I swore off top boots after an initial bad experience with another brand, where I paid almost $2000 for a pair of boots which did not fit and were very uncomfortable. At the end of 2015, I saw an introductory deal through Riders XOXO to buy a pair of Celeris top boots and get a free pair of short boots and gaiters. I figured that this was a good time to try them. At least if I hated the top boots I’d have a back up pair of gaiters and short boots.
My first pair of Celeris boots were the simple but stylish ‘Diogo’ boots in polished black leather. I loved them instantly. The short boots and gaiters (pictured below) have been brilliant. At the start of 2017 I decided I would treat myself a pair of Celeris boots to wear every day. I’ve noticed that I get a very different feel from wearing top boots to wearing shorts boots and gaiters, so in reality this was basically a necessity.
What’s so great about Celeris Bespoke Boots?
These boots are handcrafted in Portugal, using 24 measurements to ensure that every boot is a perfect fit
Because these boots fit so well and also due to the high quality materials used to produce them, they are exceptionally comfortable. My Bia boots took less than one week to break in despite having traditional reinforced outer panels.
You get to design your own boots! There are 11 models of boots which can be endlessly customised. Through the use of a variety of leathers in different colours and textures and the addition brogue detailing or diamantes you can design a totally unique pair of boots.
Despite all of these options, the Celeris boots are still very affordable. Depending on the model you choose you can expect to pay between $690 and $1090. Best of all you don’t pay extra for the customisation – WIN!
Even the spur straps and spur gaurds are beautiful!
I have to acknowledge the two negative aspects of these boots. Firstly, the boots do take 2-3 months to be made. However, in my opinion they are totally worth the wait. The second minor issue is that once you buy one pair it’s a bit hard to stop!
Fluids, not the sexiest of topics, but you know what is definitely not sexy? Dehydration. This week, as part of my series on nutrition and ‘The other equestrian athlete’ I want to talk about an often underrated topic – Hydration. Due to the format of equestrian sports …
This week I was pretty excited to find out that I had been nominated by Bridle and Bone, Roosa’s Horsey Life and Team Tunnah Eventing for the Blogger Recognition Award – Pet Edition. These ladies have been blogging much longer than me and run …
At nearly 29 some people may argue that I am far too old to be wearing cute equestrian themed clothing. These people are not my friends, because honestly who needs that kind of negativity in their life?
I discovered the American based company ‘One Horse Threads’ via Instagram and made my first purchase shortly after. With a variety of t-shirts, singlets and pull overs, this brand quickly became a staple in my wardrobe.
I love a gallop just as much as the next person, ok maybe not as much as an eventer, as but I do genuinely love the feeling of thundering through the waves at the beach, the salt splashing up in my face. So why then …
Toward the end of last year, Nonie and I started work on the flying changes. Flying changes!!! Being deemed ready to ride this brand new movement felt like a huge accomplishment. It felt like we had arrived! Having now started them, I can’t help but …
Those who know me know that when it comes to my horse no reasonable expense is spared, and really when it comes to your horse pretty much everything is reasonable, right?
One thing I have never been able to bring myself to spend much money on however is the humble dressage whip. After all how much difference can there be between a run of the mill $15 whip and a $100 whip? Especially when for some unknown reason my whips seem to continually go walk about. This would become expensive very quickly indeed.
Anyway recently my one remaining whip began to unravel, literally, and I decided to bite the bullet purchase a Fleck Whip. I have previously heard rave reviews about how well balanced the Fleck whips are, but I had always been quietly skeptical.
My attempt at repairing my whip with electrical tape and bailing twine (aka the most important tools in a equestrian girls tool kit)
After a quick browse online I decided upon the plain black ‘My Whip’ which seemed reasonably priced at just under thirty dollars. At this price I figured I could justify two, that way I could keep one on hand for daily use and another in my car for when I travel.
Other than the great price, there are two things that I really like about this whip. The first is the nice grippy handle, which still manages to be light. The second is the amount of ‘bounce’ in the whip itself. In contrast to the brittle feeling of the cheaper whips I have used in the past the Fleck whip has a much more supple and soft feel. I think this possibly gives Nonie a softer aid, however I’m not so sure she would agree.
For those of you who just can’t go past a good bit of bling never fear, there are plenty of sparkly options too!
Hopefully my new whips won’t get lost any time soon, but if they do I certainly only replace them with a Fleck whip.
‘I’ll be a good rider when…’ This is a game I used to play a few years ago and it’s about as useful as its companion game ‘If only…’ At that time the script in my head was ‘I’ll be a good rider when …