Have a new pair of Mountain Horse tall boots. Love them…except the breaking in is painful! I have a wound on my heel and have bandaids on it to try and keep from opening the wound when I walk or ride.
Painful!
Any good suggestions out there to get the boots to soften up and be more flexible? Im not looking forward to continuing to have this open wound while the boots get broken in…
sigh
I would search this forum for the bathtub method, but I would also purchase a pair of equifit gel bands. They were a lifesaver for me when I was breaking in my last pair of boots.
Equifit gel bands to cushion your sore bits, plus LOTS of Lexol conditioner on the INSIDE of the boot. Slather the inside with Lexol and wear the things around the house, walking the dog, to the movies, etc.; open them up and reapply the Lexol frequently. Wear them as much as you can off the horse with the Lexol soak, and then when you get on they ought to be quite soft. Always worked for me.
Bathtub method. I used it on my Mountain Horse boots that I couldn’t zip more than half way and now they fit very nicely.
Gosh Im worried about damaging the leather if I soak them. It sounds like this is a common way to get the boots to fit, but Im worried about the leather. today I put thick socks on them which isn’t very comfortable either. I did order some of the gel socks. sigh Love these boots but they are painful !
Soaking won’t hurt English boots at all.
I was worried about getting them wet too, but they are totally fine.
dampen them in the tight places on the inside and out using a sponge or rag (every day). Use moleskin or gel bands and heel lifts if you need to.
My custom Vogels were stiff for a very long time. I used the Vogel conditioner on them many times, and they were still stiff. Recently I started cleaning and conditioning them with Higher Standards products, and the boots are now soft and pliable. I actually love wearing my tall boots now.
I agree…the gel bands are lifesavers. Definitely worth it. You can buy the Equifit ones, or there are more generic ones out there that are used for others sports, like skating, etc. But, seriously, these are awesome.
[QUOTE=Skip’s Rider;8270486]
My custom Vogels were stiff for a very long time. I used the Vogel conditioner on them many times, and they were still stiff. Recently I started cleaning and conditioning them with Higher Standards products, and the boots are now soft and pliable. I actually love wearing my tall boots now.[/QUOTE]
Can I ask where you put the conditioner. Was it on the outside and if so did it affect the polish/sheen. I have the same thing going on with my vogels (getting ready to show now and my right foot is numb ). Thanks!
Thanks for the comments. I ordered a set of gel socks ! And doing conditioner but its not making a difference…yet
Interestingly I got a pair of brown De Niro boots a while back and they were comfortable from day one. No issues at all. I got them in brown as I wasnt planning to show…but thats changing so I picked up the mountain horse tall boots on sale. Oh well…have to make it work.
[QUOTE=sandsarita;8270895]
Can I ask where you put the conditioner. Was it on the outside and if so did it affect the polish/sheen. I have the same thing going on with my vogels (getting ready to show now and my right foot is numb ). Thanks![/QUOTE]
I put the conditioner on the outside, and it didn’t affect the polish. I wouldn’t hesitate to put it on the inside of my boots – just didn’t think of that at the time.
[QUOTE=Skip’s Rider;8271244]
I put the conditioner on the outside, and it didn’t affect the polish. I wouldn’t hesitate to put it on the inside of my boots – just didn’t think of that at the time.[/QUOTE]
Thanks. I will try it
[QUOTE=ParadoxFarm;8270889]
I agree…the gel bands are lifesavers. Definitely worth it. You can buy the Equifit ones, or there are more generic ones out there that are used for others sports, like skating, etc. But, seriously, these are awesome.[/QUOTE]
Not to hijack, but where do you find the generic ones? I looked on Amazon but had trouble finding any that looked similar to the Equifit brand.
i just went on amazon and did a search for gel socks. I found some that looked similar and ordered them. I wasnt looking for a specific brand but rather, I looked for gel socks that looked like they would help with my heel which is where the boots rub.
I highly recommend the gel socks, too! The ones that I sold were expensive, but I bet you can find a generic type from Amazon…maybe even search on Walmart’s website. PLEASE DONT SOAK YOUR BOOTS! Soaking was a very common method back in the day when leather that was used was of better quality and not treated with so many chemicals to add strength to the lesser quality leathers that you find in boots today. Now that most stock boots are made with zippers, you have a lot more stitching and synthetic material that can be compromised when the boot is submerged in water. Boots today are not made to last as long as our premier quality pull-ons from the past. Someone suggested conditioning the inside of your boots…excellent advice! I use a mixture of Lexol conditioner and coconut oil and apply to the inside of the boot with a tack sponge…do not apply to synthetic areas and stitched areas…only to the actual leather. Mountain Horse is a funny brand in terms of how the ankle and heel fit…it’s not consistent in the various boots that they sell. I just bought a pair of Serengeti’s that broke in like a dream; they’re so comfortable to wear as a street shoe as well as a riding boot. However, the Sovereign is very pinched at the heel and comfort is achieved when the heel is down in the correct position. Obviously, comfort usually depends on the shape of your foot, but Mountain Horse boots vary greatly in fit within the brand. Hope you get some quick relief and they feel better for you soon!
I was wondering about applying conditioner inside, thanks for this well-timed advice.
It took me 15 minutes to get my tall boots on for a show recently, and I had to get help taking them off. Once on, they’re fine, but getting my fat foot through the narrow ankle was an exercise in frustration.
[QUOTE=Linda;8273023]
i just went on amazon and did a search for gel socks. I found some that looked similar and ordered them. I wasnt looking for a specific brand but rather, I looked for gel socks that looked like they would help with my heel which is where the boots rub.[/QUOTE]
Got it, thanks. For those of you also shopping for gel socks, I found this sleeve which you can cut in half to make a pair - it came out to about half the price of the Equifit bands. Hope it helps, my blisters are huge right now :eek:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JFTW43I?refRID=VP4FBJAJ7FVEMYP49EN6&ref_=pd_rhf_sc_p_img_1
I want to reiterate that it is not just putting the conditioner inside, but then also wearing the boots a LOT in a non-riding context, while continually reapplying the conditioner, that will soften the ankle area up. Do your shopping and dog-walking in them. Good luck! And OP: since you love your brown boots, if they are still in good shape, have you thought about having them dyed black? In my day there were two boot styles: Black dress, or cordovan field. My roommate had her cordovan field boots dyed black when the style changed and they were stunning.
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