Compare and contrast Ariat paddock boots

[poltroon]

My daughter wears Ariat zip paddock boots as her everyday shoes even though she’s not doing a lot of riding at the moment. She isn’t great about taking care of them when they get wet or dirty, and she will wear them until they are no longer wearable, as is the case with her current pair that has lasted quite a few years.

I’m trying to buy her a new pair and I can’t really decide which one to buy, because I can’t find a good feature comparison. “Heritage Breeze” and “Heritage IV” are the same price. “Heritage IV H2O” is a tiny bit more. “Devon Nitro” is a bit more than that and seems to get poorer reviews.

Any feedback or ideas appreciated. I care less about the price and more about not having to do it again for a few years.

[Spudsmyguy]

I have no idea what model Ariat paddock boots I have, I think they’re the H2O but not certain. They cost almost the same price as their lowest end tall boots! I believe I’ve had them about 5 years and they’re still holding up well plus I wear them almost every day combined with half chaps for riding.

[GreyDes]

The first three will all have the same footbed, the difference is the leather type and style.

• Breeze is the soft tumbled leather, and is washable. These would be my personal pick because they come out of the box pretty much broken in and the tumbled leather doesn’t show scratches as much.

• Heritage is the basic model, and is a little more dressy looking than Breeze.

• Heritage H2O is the same as Heritage with waterproof leather.

Nitro is a different footbed. It’s their higher end model and is supposed to have better support and higher end leather. I’ve also see the poor reviews on these and haven’t looked closely in person.

[walktrot]

I started in Ariats when I was new to the horsey life. The BO asked me why I wasn’t wearing them. Never heard of them. This was in 1999-2000 when they were their own company. They used high quality leather so they lasted. They had one basic model for paddock boots, the ATS I think. They added another boot upwards of $200 that was really nice. The leather was higher quality. They had a more comfortable foot bed and the pull-on tab was blue. They were much better at staying reasonably clean. When they sold to whomever, casual shoes and sandals started to show up. I have some nice sandals that are lasting forever. The quality started to drift downward. The $200 paddock boots were still nice, but the ATS weren’t as comfortable and the quality of the leather declined. I bought a pair of Heritage a few years ago and they were the first Ariats that didn’t last a year. The sole separated.

I haven’t looked at Ariats since. I unearthed several pairs of the good ones from years ago. I took them to a shoe repair guy. He stitched a few areas where the stitching was worn and buffed them. They look good, better than what you can get today. That’s because I grew up in a family that didn’t throw things out if they could be useful in the future.

[Posting_Trot]

A former Ariat owner here, who opted not to buy another pair of Ariat paddocks after the last pair I had looked scuffed from the second wearing. Those scuff marks never went away, no matter how well I cared for them. These were not the super high-end Ariats, but they weren’t the cheapest ones either.

Anyway, I bought a pair of Kavalkade paddock boots, which at the time cost about the same as the mid-range Ariats. The leather is much nicer, and the fit is virtually identical. So if you’re happy with how Ariats fit, these will be perfect.

[Jarpur]

Only ones worth getting, IMO, are the Devons. My husband and I have been wearing this style for a very long time. We each get several years out of a pair.

Normally, when I replace mine, I keep the old ones for the times when I need a sturdy footwear with some protection, but don’t want to wear my good riding pair.

Worth the couple hundred to me. I think my “new” pair will be three years old this fall.

[Anna.m]

I own a few pairs of Ariats, and I will not be purchasing more. I had both paddock and field boots. I used to love them, they were great quality and lasted many years. In recent years, i have replaced both my paddock and field boots with new Ariats and noticed a huge decline in quality, and changes in sizing. When I brought my field boots to a cobbler, he told me that Ariat has been outsourced to China and Mexico and are being made cheaply. Once the ones I have wear out to the point of no return, I will be looking at a different brand or custom boots.

A friend of mine loves her Blundstone paddock boots, she wears them all the time, not just for riding.