Product Of The Week - Rudds Wellies

This week I'm raving about Rudds Wellies and for those of you who follow me on Instagram & Facebook, you'll already know I'm a big fan. I thought I'd share the story of how I came to own a air of Rudds and why they are as good as they are.... For years and years I wore a very prominent brand of welly and they were great - they did their job, lasted for years and looked good. Then, at some point that brand moved away from being a real country welly boot that was robust enough to do the job they were designed to do, and started to appeal to the mass market with a variety of new colour and, unfortunately cheeper materials. When I first replaced my old boots, the news ones lasted on 6 weeks before the rubber warped and tore. I thought it must have been an anomaly having used this particular brand for about 15 years, so I bought myself another pair and the same thing happened. I hadn't changed what I was doing with the boots and when I started doing a bit of research, I found that I wasn't the only one who was experiencing this. Over the next 18 months or so I tried some other brands - some expensive, some not but none were hard-wearing enough to do the job they were required to do for me at home with my work looking after horses as well as walking the dog etc. I wear my wellies every single day. I did find a pair of heavy-duty boots to wear on the yard which lasted me well over a year until I put a pitch fork through them (ouch!). The trouble was they were really heavy and extremely ugly so I wasn't sure I wanted to buy another pair. I'd seen a few of my friends and associates wearing and raving about Rudds Wellies - they said how comfortable and durable they were and I could see for myself that they looked smart, but I was nervous to start the welly hunt again and potentially spend £130 only to be disappointed. I spoke with the lovely Rachel, the women behind the brand, she explained why her wellies differ from other on the market and she was absolutely confident in her product which put my mind completely at ease. One of the perks of being a blogger is that you get to work along side brands you love and shout about the ones that really do what they say on the tin and more. Rachel sent me a pair to try and test, use and abuse (no wellies were harmed in the making of this blog but they have been well and truly tested!!) and wow, they are worth every penny of their price tag and more. WARMTH What I love about the wellies are they are lined with 3mm of neoprene, not only making the fit extremely comfortable but it also offers insulation against the cold. Anyone who knows me, knows I am always cold so warmth is extremely important to me and I can hand on heart say, I have never had cold feet in my Rudds, despite the particularly cold winter we've just had. SUPPORT One of the issues I've had with other brands of wellies is that they're baggy round the top and in no way supportive of my ankle which is important when I spend a lot of the day in them. The Riding Rudds are designed with a shock-absorbing insole and stainless-steel foot supports within the sole and they have an adjustable calf which means they cater for all shapes and sizes. What I love most about them is the support they offer around the ankle - the minute you slip your feet into them, the boots hug your ankles and make you feel completely supported. NON-SPLIT GUARANTEE Like I said before, one of the major flaws in some other welly boot brands is this splitting in the rubber which is extremely frustrating. Rudds are made with natural rubber made to resist the effects of manure and horse-pee on the rubber. AND they offer a 12 month non-split guarantee - that's good enough for me!! SAFETY The Riding Rudds are designed with the rider in mind so they're made with a slim-lined 4inch foot width and a reflective strip up the back of the boots, making them a great size as well as safe for slipping into stirrups should you wish to go from stable to saddle. The tread on the sole is also tapers to allow you to take your foot out the stirrup quickly should you need to. Hand on heart, I love these boots and they have well exceeded my expectations of how good they would be. I could not recommend them more. If any of you are in the market for a new pair of wellies, these are the ones to buy.