How about Cowboy Christmas at the NFR!  Finals is already shaping up to be an exciting one!  Suzy Bogguss was there on day one and I got a picture with her! She's a pretty nice gal.  Who's there right now?  I want to hear about everyones experiences, see pictures, what you found at Cowboy Christmas! etc.  Take care Yall!

Dusty

Just thought this was interesting for those of you who wonder about what Texas Tech's mascot wears? Justin of course and these were made especially for the 2009-2009 masked Rider Ashley Hartzog. They are a black Justin Belly ostrich with a 14 inch black soft kipskin soft top with the Double T embroidered on them. Her jeans are Cruel Girl Brand and her shirts are by Wrangler. Go Ashley! Go Texas Tech! Guns Up! 

These very special boots are provided to Texas Tech by Boot City and Justin Boots. Each year Justin Boots makes a special pair for the Masked Rider. These boots are not sold in retail outlets and there are very few in existence. Wouldn't every Texas Tech fan love to get their feet in a pair of these.

How many of you remember how your heels slipped up and down when your boots were new?

When fitting a boot you want the heels to slip up and down...if they don't it's a sure sign that the boots are too small.

The heel slippage will go away after a period of time, it's just a matter of breaking your boots in and it is a 3 part process.

• The first thing that has to happen is for you to wear them long enough for the heel counters to set to your heels...
• then the tops have to settle and the soles need to flex. When the boots are new the sole is stiff and when you take a step the foot bends but the boot does not want to follow, therefore the heel pops up in the back. Only the real city slickers come in the Store and say"the boots fit good except they slip in the heel".
• The ball of your foot should line up in the widest part of the sole and the end of your toe should be in about the center of the toe box...the reason for this is the leather will stretch across the instep and you need the room in the toe box area for your feet to inch forward.

You can always find a great fitting pair of boots at bootcity.com - We have king sizes

Ariat Signs Champion Barrel RacerLindsay Sears

Union City, Calif. October 21, 2008 – Ariat International, Inc. is pleased to announce Lindsay Sears, the current number one ranked barrel racer in the WPRA, as the newest member of the Ariat Performance Team.   Sears, a native of Alberta, Canada, has taken barrel racing by storm earning more than $160,000 year to date. She credits much of her success to Martha, her six-year-old sorrel mare, who continues to gain confidence in the ring and according to Spears, exhibits “a spark that is indescribable.” “I’m thrilled to be part of the Ariat team,” said Sears. “It’s great to work with an innovative company that has the competitors’ interest at heart. I appreciate that they put a lot of effort into making the best products for athletes in the equestrian world.”  “We are excited to have Lindsay as the newest member of our Ariat athlete family,” said Beth Cross, president and chief executive officer. “Her incredible passion for the sport combined with her drive for excellence is an inspiration and make us proud to call her a member of our team.”    

As a member of the Performance Team, Lindsay will be outfitted exclusively by industry leader Ariat, competing in their performance footwear and apparel. In addition to her impressive barrel racing career, Sears, a graduate of Texas Tech University with degree in Agricultural Applied Economics, helps to manage a family-operated cattle feeding business.

About Ariat International, Inc.

Ariat International, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of innovative performance equestrian footwear, apparel, handbags and belts. Featuring a patented technology designed to deliver stability, durability and comfort, Ariat pioneered the application of advanced athletic shoe technology into English riding boots and authentic Western boots. Ariat products are sold in a network of retail outlets throughout the world.

For more information about Ariat products or for the Ariat retailer nearest you, contact Ariat at 800.899.8141 or visit www.ariat.com. Official Boot of the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Official Apparel Supplier of the U.S. Equestrian Federation

Allow me to apologize right here at the git-go for the pun.  It was just too hard to resist.   If you’re familiar with Cinch jeans and Western wear, you probably saw it coming anyway. Cinch has been making top of the line jeans and shirts for men since 1996.  And they’ve managed to attract some of the top cowboys in rodeo and equine sports in the process.  Guys like Todd Sommers from Whitesboro, Texas, whose won all kinds of awards and quite a bit of cash from the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) for riding, training, and showing horses.   Todd favors Green Label jeans from Cinch.  They’ve got a great classic rodeo fit with a fitted waist and hip, relaxed thigh and slightly tapered bottom to slide over cowboy boots.

I was in Boot City the other day and they had just received these flip flops covered in bling! The spur rowels are great and They are very comfortable! These are the latest and greatest thing in bling for the Western marketplace. They have other styles available but these are the ones that I purchased! I  hope winter never comes so I can wear these for fun!

I often wonder if they could make it any more confusing to buy boots? The Men's sizing runs like this B is Narrow, D is Medium or regular width and the EE is the wide width...this is the standard sizing for most Boot Manufactures..now comes the tricky part! The A width is even more narrow and the C width falls between the B and D and the E width falls between D and EE and all of these sizes are considered custom sizes for most Boot Companies. There are some companies that offer even wider widths like EEE and EEEE. You can find all your wide boots and large boots at Boot City -

Someone once said there were only five truly unique cities in the United States:  San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, Santa Fe, and San Antonio.   In an age when lots of cities are looking pretty darn similar, there may be more truth to that now than there was when ol' "someone" first said it.   Each of those cities evokes an unmistakable feeling, like a personality, anytime you read or hear the name.  In the same way, there are certain styles of boots that convey a unique personality or style,.  And you know a pair when you see them.  Ropers are that way.  Ropers are the antithesis of the fancy cowboy boot.  They take the low heel when the others take the high.  They have the rounded toe rather than the pointed or squared.   Leave the flashy tooled designs, crazy colors and exotic skins to the other guys.  Your Ropers will always be there, keeping your feet solidly on the ground. You can always pick up a pair of new ropers at Boot City - be sure to check our boot reviews first.

You could make the argument that Stetson is the most widely recognized Western brand in the world. You might get some takers who would lobby for other brands – maybe jeans or boots – but if you were Stetson’s corner you’d be likely to win a wager. 

Not many other brands can say they were started as long ago as 1865.  For it was back then that a fella named – you guessed it – John B. Stetson set up shop with a $100 grubstake and set out to create the hats that would one day define the West.    While he was at it, he redefined what it was to be a hat-maker, as the profession was ill-thought of until Stetson made his brand a symbol of quality.  Today, Stetson has achieved the position that most brands dream of – the word itself describes the product.   Notice that nobody ever asks, “a Stetson what?”  - If they did you could just point them to our friends at westernhats.com to find a Stetson hat.

 Some folks swear by vintage boots.  They like the look of authentic vintage Western style, and must think there's something special about having boots with some real history to them.   I’m not sure I agree.  For one thing, you’re buying boots that are already broken in, but they’re broken in by someone else’s feet.   The chances that your feet and body weight are going to go in exactly the same places as someone else’s did seems rather slim. 

One of the worst pair of boots I’ve ever suffered through was a pair of vintage boots I bought on a whim.  They looked cool and seemed to fit.  Problem was, after wearing them for more than about an hour, they started rubbing parts of my heels and instep that I never knew existed.   Needless to say, they were back in vintage circulation before too long. If are really looking for the vintage look, some of the biggest cowboy boot makers have some retro offerings that look vintage, but you can break them in on your very unique feet.