Ariat makes great stuff. Ask any equestrian, particularly English riders, and theyll tell you they make a good, if expensive, boot.

These are (mostly) no exception... Quality, supple leather. Great style and details. Robust construction. Really a near perfect boot.

Except for one huge thing: the sizing. I need the pair of boots by the day of this review so im not going to keep guessing on the sizing and return these for a different size.

I really feel like the dimensions were put together by drunk cobblers. Seriously. Its terrible.

I'm a size 10.5-11. These in size 10wide were horrendously too big. Like amusingly so. So I tried again and re-ordered in 9.5m. They manage to be both slightly too large, and slightly too small in several places. And not quite in the normal just need to be worn in spots. I have owned all manner of boots. I have purchased riding boots from Ariat for many friends. I have never seen anything like the sizing of this boot.

So as others have suggested, order one full size smaller. And the only thing i can think, is that because of the smaller size, you may need to get it wide too. I really cant tell how easily mine are going to break in. Its loose in the heal (more than normal) but tight in the ball and top. And the calves are some of the largest and loosest ive ever seen on a boot. (normal for more suede type tops but this is crazy large, imo.) They manage to be a little too tight to put on too. Maybe this is on purpose because the floppy calf won't keep it on?

I'm going to oil and maybe even warm these up later to try to get a good fit. I've had them for 6 hours so far... Either way, for these prices, they really ought to have the sizing figured out. This is absurd. While im a huge fan of Amazon, this is one item you're better off buying at a boot shop so you can get the size figured out.

And the reason these get 1 from me is because ultimately, not matter how great a boot, if your boot doesnt fit right, and in this case im defining that as within the universally agreed upon standards in the US since Ariat is a US company, its a terribly boot for the consumer.