Cob Jockey

Wow I've been sitting on this one for a while. Months, to be exact!

SO this happened. Peep pair #2 in the background - I won't be writing about them for months yet

I've spent four years riding in my brown Ariat Bromont H2Os (original review) (2 years in updated review) that are a size too big, waiting on them to drop (they didn't, at least not enough), waiting to be able to ride in them without heel lifts (still can't), waiting to be able to zip them all the way up (also never happened). I don't know what finally snapped in me this year, but I finally decided I was done with all that, despite being otherwise happy with them.

After a couple of weeks searching for off-the-rack options, I realized there aren't many good ones. Just like hunting for winter chore boots, they're either not cold enough for truly cold climates, they wouldn't fit 5'1 me, or reviews showed a troubling pattern of poor longevity.

Remember the Tuffrider Tundras I had in 2016 that looked like this after THREE WEEKS of riding one horse four days a week? Yeah, I will never forget. Longevity matters!

It was during this search when my boss gave me a bonus in the exact amount of two pairs of Celeris BOGO half off boots, so clearly, this was meant to be, right? So I messaged Stacie and asked if she would be my style consultant, lol. Celeris really ought to pay her!

About two and a half months later, I took delivery of my first-ever pair of stiff Dressage boots in a gorgeous chestnut brown, and a pair of sheepskin lined winter boots.

SO. WARM.

I'm not going to review the stiff boots yet since it's going to be months before it's warm enough for me to ride in them enough to break them in. But the winter boots are seeing a lot of action already, and I'm thrilled with them. I ended up going with the Bia boot in medium brown and opted for the full sheepskin foot and leg which adds just over $100 USD to the price of the boot. 

I took one set of measurements (or rather, my husband did - you can't measure yourself) and Celeris masterfully adjusted the boot size to account for the sheepskin on this one and the lack of sheepskin on the other. They fit perfectly - although they do very much need to break in. I almost couldn't get the popper snapped the first time I tried them on, and thought that the leather tongue was too narrow between the laces, but as the boots have relaxed, both are no longer an issue.

Fit out of the box, the day they arrived and before they dropped

In terms of style, I wish Celeris had an online configurator like Kingsley does, because I'm terrible at visualizing things, but this is where Stacie came in. She made some great suggestions based on what my new saddle looks like and my preferences, and we ended up with this top on the winter boot.

Winter sucks so much around here, I have no problem being a little "extra" with my winter boots. They ought to bring a smile to my face when nothing else does!

They asked me if I wanted these winter boots to be stiff like the other boots I bought, but I decided against it. My winter gear needs to be as comfortable and non-fussy as possible. I've worn these boots a fair bit out of the saddle as well just as a stylish and warm winter boot, and I wouldn't be doing that if they were stiff.

And look pretty freaking bomb in the saddle, if I do say so myself

As part of the BOGO promotion, you have to buy boot bags and spur straps at a minimum, so I did.

They are really quite nice, as boot bags go.

The spur straps are my only regret, and I currently have an order placed to replace the purple ones. I went with purple gloss, not caring that the purple top of the boot was matte, thinking it would be a fun look to have the straps look slightly different. But it's just too "cool" of a purple for my tastes.

Bottom Line: This was a great experience (in large part because of Stacie!) and I'm so thrilled with these boots. For the first time ever, I have a pair of winter boots that I'm confident will last me a decade, and that feels good.

What: Celeris Bia Boots with the full sheepskin foot and leg add-on

Price: Ughhhhhhhhh don't make me say this out loud. On the bright side, they're so well-made, the cost-per-wear should be much lower than any of the previous winter boots I've owned, and that does matter.

Where: Celeris

Disclaimer: Uh, yeah, definitely paid my own money for these, lol.