I just got a brand new pair of ariat boots and i know it will take some time and wear but is there anything i can do to help break them in ? Also, i havent had proper boots since i was a kid, i always wore hiking/work boots but finally splurged. I rode in them and couldnt keep my feet in the stirrups at all ! Any time i put weight in my heels my feet would just slip right out even at the walk. It made for kind of a weird ride because i had to keep my legs more forward so i wouldnt loose my stirrups. Will this improve with wear?
Bathtub method?
Are they rubber or leather soles?
[QUOTE=PonyPenny;8573933]
Bathtub method?[/QUOTE]
Whats that?
[QUOTE=Aces N Eights;8573939]
Are they rubber or leather soles?[/QUOTE]
I think leather. They are smooth on the bottom
If they have leather soles, scuff up the bottoms to give them more traction, use some sand paper or take them to a shoe repair place and have them put a ribbed rubber piece on the sole for traction.
Bathtub aka water trough method, just get them wet while you have them on, and wear until dry.
Wearing them is the best thing, I wouldn’t use the soaking method unless the boot fit is bad. Use some leather conditioner on them and wear them. If the soles are smooth leather then scuff them up with some sand paper
You can get them a little wet and wear them dry to break them in faster. But I’d oil them afterwards to keep them from drying out.
As far as your feet slipping out of the stirrup, slick leather soles are meant for riding to keep from getting hung in western stirrups. I would not have rubber attached to tge sole nor would I sand the bottoms. I have ridden my entire life with leather soles and never had a problem with my feet coming out of the stirrup no mtater the boot brand or style of stirrup. Are you riding too long or too short of a stirrup?
Are you sure they aren’t too big? They should slip but shouldn’t be moving so far as to allow your foot not to be in the stirrup.
They dont feel too big, i was fitted at the store.
Stirrups are what i always have them at, i could maybe try a hole higher. I have a barrel saddle so i generally have them just high enough to post and feel secure when running the pattern. Any lower and i cant reach them properly to sink into them.
The only other boots with smooth soles that i have ridden in are english paddock boots, and i have ridden in my western saddle with them without this problem.
I find that I have to adjust the height of the stirrup depending on if I am riding in my paddock boots or my Justins. Enough difference in thickness of the sole to make a big difference.
There’s no secret to breaking in boots. Just wear them. Conditioning the leather helps, but mainly it’s just wearing them until the leather begins to conform to your foot.
If you are losing stirrups, make your stirrups a hole or two SHORTER.
As far as breaking in the boots, just wear 'em!
To some extent, you do want your boot to slip out of the stirrup easily. If you ever fall off, you don’t want your boot to get caught in the stirrup and risk getting dragged.
Were they rubbing? Sometimes if your feet are ouchy in new boots you will unconsciously not keep as much weight in the stirrups, which can cause you to lose them easily.
I just wear mine right away around the house, and if I feel a rub starting I add a little piece of moleskin in that spot (usually the heel and my prominent navicular bone on one side) before I ride in them. However, I haven’t had a pair of Ariat western boots or paddock boots take more than two rides to break in. Dress and field boots are a different, and far more painful, story.
