Monday Morning Feed from SmartPak

Confession: Last week, I kind of went on a little SmartPak shopping spree. That’s what credit cards are for, right? Right.

So, my giant package promptly arrives on my doorstep, and I tear it open, so excited about all my new stuff. A new Charles Owen! FLAIR nasal strips! Dressage whip! SmartGut! New tall boots! Yay!!!

I am especially excited about the tall boots. The ones I have are busted and I’ve been securing them to my leg ghetto-style with duct tape for the past couple months. I’m hard on tall boots, partly because I wear the heck out of them and partly because I don’t take care of them properly. At the end of a long day at the horse show, who has the time and energy to properly clean and condition boots? Not me. Unfortunately, I also don’t have unlimited boot-buying funds.

So this time, I have a brilliant idea: less expensive synthetic boots. Even if they only hold up for a year, I figure, I’ll have gotten my money’s worth out of them. Going the synthetic route, I can also bypass the uncomfortable break-in period. I run the idea past my barn buddies, who roll their snobby little eyes at me. “They’ll be uncomfortable,” one remarks. “They’ll look fake,” another says. “They’ll look like the rubber boots you wore when you were 8.”

Clearly, they haven’t seen the boots I have in mind: Equi-Star Ladies All-Weather Synthetic Field Boots.

They look good, right? Of course, I scanned the customer reviews just to be sure that looks weren’t deceiving:

“I wanted a boot that had the look of a leather boot but that was made from a material other than leather so I did not have to worry about getting them wet or muddy. These boots definitely meet that criteria and I wear them for everyday wear saving my custom made Der Dau for shows and lessons. I do not worry about getting these boots muddy as, if I do, I simply spray them off with a hose.” -equestrianmom4

“They are super comfortable and easy to get on and off. And they look just as nice as any other boots I’ve had!” -Tracy137

“They arrived in 4 days, and fit like custom-made boots! My friend saw them when they came, and didn’t even realize they were synthetic!”-HJ111

“I’ve had Nothing but compliments on this boot since the first day I received them. Everyone at the barn where I am taking lessons loves them. They had NO idea they were synthetic. The look is THAT good.” -Leopardlady

“They fit pretty well and they look awesome. I walked into my barn and got tons of compliments! So far so good, no problems with zippers, splitting, or anything else.” -Natalie1219

Sold! I placed my order and received them promptly in four days. Pulling the boots from the box, I am pleasantly surprised–they are gorgeous and butter-soft with an elegant, contoured shape. The only problem: With breeches on, I can’t zip them up around my calf. Oops! Too many visits from my friends Ben and Jerry lately, I guess.

I am bummed for half a second, then I remember that Smartpak has free returns on sized items–if you can try it on, you can return it free. They even include a return label in the box! I call SmartPak just to be sure I’m not missing something, and nope, it really is that easy. The customer service rep cheerfully explains that all I have to do is fill out the return sheet, stick them back in the mail, and they’ll ship me a new pair in a larger size as soon as they receive them! She even makes me feel better about my chubby calves. “No worries,” she said. “It happens all the time!”

Why can’t everything in life be that easy and fuss-free?

Go SmartPak, and Go Riding!