Caring for Ariat Monocos

[VTMorgan06]

After a very long and difficult search for tall boots that actually fit. I took a trip to Smartpak, and literally tried EVERY boot. I ended up buying a pair of Ariat Monocos. I know that Ariat doesn’t have the best reputation, and I don’t plan to use these boots for daily use. I am not sure how to care for them though, and I want to be sure that I can make theme boots last! So far I’ve been wearing the tingley rubber covers just for riding, and wiping them down before putting them in the bag. Should they be cleaned daily with leather cleaner or conditioned? What about the inside grippy leather panel, I’m not sure what type of leather that is and how it should be treated.

I’d love to hear from anyone with Monocos and how they’ve extended the lives of these boots!

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

First: Be careful when you use rubbers over your boots. Any sand or other grit inside can wreck your leather finish.

For cleaning, use any good leather cleaner sparingly, then finish with Urad self-shining leather conditioner. Be careful not to use too much water in your cleaning sponge, and make sure you dust off any sand/crud before you clean (again, so you don’t scratch the finish).

[VTMorgan06]

[QUOTE=Melissa.Hare.Jones;6957917]
First: Be careful when you use rubbers over your boots. Any sand or other grit inside can wreck your leather [/QUOTE]

Am I better off without the rubber covers?

[bM1]

I don’t take care of mine at all and they still look great. I literately just pulled mine out after 6 months to try on and they were covered in dirt and horse sweat from the last show (Opps!) and gave them a quick clean with spray on saddle soap.

[DNB]

[QUOTE=bM;6958089]
I don’t take care of mine at all and they still look great. I literately just pulled mine out after 6 months to try on and they were covered in dirt and horse sweat from the last show (Opps!) and gave them a quick clean with spray on saddle soap.[/QUOTE]

This…I make sure to get the dirt and such off with a towel, but they are going strong after a year knocks on wood. I only wear them for shows and maybe a lesson or two before the show. That’s a big part of caring for them. They won’t last long if you wear them multiple days a week and ride more than one each ride. I absolutely love mine, though!

[Manni01]

My recommondation… No saddle soap.
Only wipe of the dirt with a damp cloth and let it dry… Then apply good shoecreme. (Kiwi) with a cloth all over… Then polish with a nice soft horsehair shoebrush

This is really the best way to protect the leather and they will look gorgeous…

Oh i forgot… Dont aply shoecreme on the inside of the shaft… Because then the saddlepad might get black spots…

[vegas01]

First of all, my Monaco’s are falling apart and they are my second pair that I wear when the weather is crappy. Not happy about that…they do fit me beautifully for off-the-shelf boots.

I clean my boots with melatonin cleaner after I ride. No saddle soap. I am told you can’t get them shiny. I use a creme based polish. The kiwi dries them out. Just my opinion.

[ponywrangler16]

I use a damp cloth to wipe mine. I have never used boot polish or leather cleaner and they are still in great condition even though I ride in them almost every day.

[_Southwinds]

I use Equipe Soft Clean and Soft Oil on mine and it works wonderful. Doesn’t get “gunky” and keeps them so soft. Plus when cleaning them it smells like Febreeze.

[MB]

Barely damp sponge to get rid of the big dirt followed with Effax soap–makes them soft, shiny and gives a nice grippy feel. Every few rides I do the Effax cleaner to deep clean, then Sergio Grasso polish. The Effax label says it helps strengthen stitching which I figured couldn’t hurt.

[BAC]

[QUOTE=vegas01;6959820]

I clean my boots with melatonin cleaner after I ride. No saddle soap. I am told you can’t get them shiny. I use a creme based polish. The kiwi dries them out. Just my opinion.[/QUOTE]

i think you mean Meltonian cream polish, not melatonin. :). It’s the best product for. Boots. No saddle soap or tack cleaner, it dulls the finish. Meltonian kept my 40 year old custom Dehners in fantastic condition. I too was warned not to use Kiwi or Urad. Give a final buffing with a pair of pantyhose for the best possible shine.

BTW I use Tingley rubbers all the time and have never had a problem with scratching the leather. And I use neutral Meltonian on the inner leg of the boot, it keeps from getting black polish on your saddle pads while still conditioning/polishing that part of the boot.

[PNWjumper]

[QUOTE=bM;6958089]
I don’t take care of mine at all and they still look great. I literately just pulled mine out after 6 months to try on and they were covered in dirt and horse sweat from the last show (Opps!) and gave them a quick clean with spray on saddle soap.[/QUOTE]

I’m with bM. I treat mine terribly (forget to clean them at the end of almost every show and/or clinic and never realize it until the next!), and I’m on year 4 with them. They still look great, though there’s a tiny bit of wear starting to show on the inside of the calves. With that being said, I only wear them for shows and clinics.

I usually just run a sponge with Oakwood Leather Conditioner on it over them right before riding in them. Once a year I have a shoe shine guy do a cleaning and re-polish them (and curse me as he does it, lol).

[BeastieSlave]

My daughter doesn’t give hers the love I think she should…
She doesn’t wear them too often, and cleans them when she has to (for shows or when her mother has fits). Generally, she just wipes them down with a damp sponge. She does polish them as needed for shows.

[karasha]

I have Sergio Grasso boots. I just wipe them down with a damp sponge and buff them dry with a microfiber after every single ride.. Every month I put meltonian polish on them with care: Warm up the polish a little, apply with a soft rag, let it dry, buff with a terry cloth (that has kind of roughness with big loops), buff with a microfiber rag, finish buffing them with nylon hosiery.

That’s it. They look glorious and brand new even after 2 years.

[kmwines01]

I don’t have monacos but I use the sergio grasso boot cleaner when i need to quick wipe the dirt off and then follow with Urad if i’m lazy. If I need to really polish my boots I’ll do just water and black boot polish. I’ve heard of using rubbing alcohol when you want to get a really good shine but I like a little less shine than my Marine father used to put on my boots No polish on the inside but I do use the Urad on the inside. Learned the hard way when my dad polished the inside that it can be slippery, lol

[alteringwego]

When I got my Monacos I asked the shoe guy in town about caring for them. He examined them and said that for $7 he’d clean them so now every time I show in them they make a trek to see him on the Monday after the show.
In between visits I use a brush or rag to get the mud off and a separate rag to shine. They really are beautiful boots.