Why Tucci?
As the 2015 show season approached, I knew I needed to order new show boots. Mine were getting old, and I was concerned that the zippers would give way at some critical time.
My good friends, high-level eventers Dom and Jimmie Schramm, were sponsored by an Italian company called Tucci, and as fate would have it, Tucci's International Representative, Davide Canesso, was coming to Aiken, South Carolina, where I spend the winters with my horses. Dom and Jimmie offered to bring Davide by so he could measure me for some boots.
Once I got a closer look at Tucci's product, I was completely enthralled. Tucci's trademark is the incredibly precise, tapered ankle that produces a beautiful, classical-looking silhouette of the rider's leg. My main complaint about most dressage boots is that they look and feel so large around the ankle. So needless to say, I was completely thrilled at the idea of having a dressage boot that gave me the lookI really wanted.
Davide measured and measured and measured, checking all of his numbers for accuracy, and continually asking me questions to determine what I preferred in the fit and appearance of my boots. The options were virtually endless--stitching, colors, patent leather, crocodile trim, crystals! I thoroughly enjoyed learning all about Tucci. And, of course, the quality of the products blew me away. The leather is the most supple and beautiful possible, and the workmanship of the boots was unlike any riding boot I had seen in my nearly 4 1/2 decades of riding.
When it was all said and done, I opted for the Sophia, which is normally a jumping boot, which Tucci modified to my specifications as a dressage boot with a patent leather top, and three small crystals. I also ordered a set of punched-toe paddock boots--the Marilyn style--and a set of Tucci's unique Mini-Chaps, in a gorgeous red color called Bordeaux. The short boots and Mini Chaps function as my every day boot; their unique design with a concealed snap at the front of the half-chap and boot gives a seamless appearance, so they actually look like tall boots!
One Thing Led To Another
As Davide was measuring me for my boots, the whole process reminded me of a saddle fitting--precise information was needed, and Davide had to ask the right questions and listen carefully. We discussed the similarly between my work and his, and the conversation led to the possibility of me adding Tucci boots to the amazing line of products I offer my customers. And so a unique relationship was born.
At that point, I had no idea how involved and interesting the process of becoming a Tucci representative would be. In June 2015, I spent a day in Pennsylvania with Davide, learning all about the Tucci products, and the unique process of how these boots are made. Did you now that, upon measuring for a pair of custom Tucci boots, the measurements are used to make a unique wooden form, and then the boots are essentially built around that wooden form? This is what makes Tucci's custom boots fit so very well. But that also makes the measuring process so critical. So, in July 2015, Davide traveled back to the US from Italy to spent four days teaching me to measure for the custom dressage boot line. These days were spent going from one farm to another, and with the help of many of my very cooperative and patient friends, Davide coached me through the process.
Today, I am very proud to represent the Tucci custom dressage boot line in Maryland and Virginia.
Pierre Renard and Tucci are, in fact, all about the same thing--custom-designed, handmade products of superior quality, for the most discerning and accomplished horses and riders in the world.