What should I do? I have Ariat Heritage Field boots and after each ride I wipe them down with a dry towel to get the dust off. If needed I will take a damp cloth and remove the dirt that touches the horse. I generally clean my boots once every two weeks where I take a damp cloth all over the boot to get the dirt off and then take 4-way care to them and that is it.
Is this too much cleaning and conditioning? Should I be doing a polish as well?
Thanks,
Marc
I have the same boots and while I’ll brush them off with a cloth when they get a bit dusty I do give them a good clean and polish every few weeks or so or when they’re particularly dirty. To me, this is a decent amount of cleaning and conditioning to keep them nice and supple. Some people use vaseline as a polish some use leather cleaner. All depends on what material your boots are and what you prefer.
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/hunter-jumper/306025-cleaning-caring-for-tall-boots
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/off-course/265053-did-i-ruin-my-field-boots
I just read a historical book where they used champagne to polish the boots to a “mirror like finish”, you way want to try that :winkgrin: :winkgrin:
If using the Kiwi cake polish spit in the polish (only if it is yours alone) rub it in and then apply it to your boots. That along with the nylons will make them shine!
Make sure your boots are clean before adding polish. Putting polish on dirty boots is not a recipe for a long-lasting quality shine. Also, make sure the polish has completely set on the the boots before buffing. I usually put polish (Kiwi) on in the evening and then buff them in the morning.
If you do a good polish with a kiwi type paste polish the boots will dust off and shine up quite nicely for a while.
Boots are different from Tack. You put softening and conditioning oils in n Tack. Boots are like old school.leather shoes. You polish them up with shoe polish. But not the soles or the inside that goes on the horse.
I polished the soles of my cowboy boots once when I was 15 and promptly wiped out on the front walk.
boot leather should not be conditioned like tack leather… Keep with the wipe and water. Boot polish is what you need to treat the leather properly.
this is so interesting. i never knew. been using tack soap almost daily… not good. thank you for the info
It occurs to me that everyone grows up nowadays wearing sneakers, with maybe fairly disposable pleather high heels for clubbing. I bet even most people’s father’s don’t have high quality leather shoes anymore. Polishing shoes is probably a lost art.
I have a Sergio Grasso boot cleaner that I love for everyday wipe down kind of thing. I use Urad for my paddock boots and schooling boots as I’m too lazy to do a full polish on those and the Urad goes on super quick. Kiwi full polish for show boots. My dad was a Marine who taught me how to polish. Just never polish the inside of the boots! He thought he was being thorough when I was a kid and polished the inside to a great shine. Didnt work out so well for me! Full chaps to polished boots in the show ring is no bueno!
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