Did I ruin my brand new tall boots?!

[VaudevilleD]

In breaking in my new tall boots, (I’m not exactly sure the brand, I got them at a fabulous discount booth at the Rolex last April for $100!) I put neatsfoot oil on them to help the ankles drop. My trainer didn’t tell me it dulled the shine until after I had been putting it on them for about a week.

Is the shine lost forever? What other creams or oils can I put on them instead, since one boot is having a bit of a hard time breaking in? How do you get that mirror shine?

Also they are a touch large in the ankle but not enough to get them altered. Would using the bathtub method make them fit a bit snugger?

[JenEM]

If you feel the need to oil them, put the oil INSIDE the boot. But do look up the Bathtub Method on here, it works quite well.

Clean leather boots with a plain, slightly damp rag, or if very dirty, with a little bit of Castille soap. That might help get some of the oil off yours, and certainly couldn’t hurt. Then to get shine, polish with shoe polish, and I find buffing with a brush covered in an old nylon to work very nicely.

[Artemis]

The bathtub method does work wonders. Not only does the boot usually drop and/or shrink, but it also gives that custom feel. The boots just form to your foot. I was so so hesitant to do it, but I don’t regret it at all.
I also got misinformed about putting oil on boots because I never had a pair of tall boots until recently. I polished them with shoe shine, and my trainer says they look great!

[candysgirl]

Eh, I’ve put various kinds of oil on mine. Mink oil, Stubben’s Hammanol conditioner and a couple others. They still shine up just fine.

[dreamingofdressage]

Yeah, im with candysgirl on that one. I oil mine up all the time and they havent lost any shine. If your looking for that glossy, glasslike shine, ive hear that kiwi parade polish (i think thats what its called?) Works pretty well. There are directions on how to use it somewhere on this board, but i dont know what thread.

[alto]

Urad

[candysgirl]

I just use the good old fashioned Kiwi polish. It takes 3-4 applications sometimes to get that real shine back, but it’s not that difficult. It takes me about an hour by the time I get the mud and gunk scrubbed off (I foxhunt and trail ride in mine too).

I scrub them off with just plain water, a brush and a rag to get all the junk off of them. After they’re dry, I apply a layer of polish on both of them with a small, round brush. Then I take a cloth and “spit shine” (I use a little cup of water instead…) them. I rub the polish in with the wet cloth over 2 fingers in a circular motion until the excess is worked in/wiped off. Then I do it all again. This gets the polish really worked into all the crevices of the leather. After 2-3 applications, I then use a soft brush to buff the whole thing for several minutes. Mine have never not shined up really nicely this way.

The Kiwi parade gloss stuff does give you a faster initial shine, but I don’t feel like it stays looking as nice as long as the old school polish does.

Whatever you use, I advise gloves. The polish WILL stain your hands!

[myalter1]

Second urad. It’s way better than kiwi

[horsepoor]

I also prefer the Urad.

[hollynanne]

[QUOTE=candysgirl;7207323]
I just use the good old fashioned Kiwi polish. It takes 3-4 applications sometimes to get that real shine back, but it’s not that difficult. It takes me about an hour by the time I get the mud and gunk scrubbed off (I foxhunt and trail ride in mine too).

I scrub them off with just plain water, a brush and a rag to get all the junk off of them. After they’re dry, I apply a layer of polish on both of them with a small, round brush. Then I take a cloth and “spit shine” (I use a little cup of water instead…) them. I rub the polish in with the wet cloth over 2 fingers in a circular motion until the excess is worked in/wiped off. Then I do it all again. This gets the polish really worked into all the crevices of the leather. After 2-3 applications, I then use a soft brush to buff the whole thing for several minutes. Mine have never not shined up really nicely this way.

The Kiwi parade gloss stuff does give you a faster initial shine, but I don’t feel like it stays looking as nice as long as the old school polish does.

Whatever you use, I advise gloves. The polish WILL stain your hands![/QUOTE]

This.
My husband shines all the boots in our house (leadliner daughter, me and him). He’s pretty good at it since he’s been polishing his military shoes/boots for 10 years.
He always uses Kiwi and only Kiwi on all of his boots, riding and work/dress shoes. He also says the same thing about Parade Gloss. It will look shinier sooner, but doesn’t look nice for very long. Or, not as long as regular wax.
He’s abusive to his field boots. Tromps through mud and poo, bathes horses in his boots, and then won’t clean them off until he really needs to (like before a show or clinic). I don’t recommend being that abusive to your boots, but the shine should come back, no problemo. It might take a few coats of polish to get them where you need them.
And, I totally recommend the bathtub method.
Good luck!

[candysgirl]

[QUOTE=hollynanne;7211516]
This.
My husband shines all the boots in our house (leadliner daughter, me and him). He’s pretty good at it since he’s been polishing his military shoes/boots for 10 years.
He always uses Kiwi and only Kiwi on all of his boots, riding and work/dress shoes. He also says the same thing about Parade Gloss. It will look shinier sooner, but doesn’t look nice for very long. Or, not as long as regular wax.
He’s abusive to his field boots. Tromps through mud and poo, bathes horses in his boots, and then won’t clean them off until he really needs to (like before a show or clinic). I don’t recommend being that abusive to your boots, but the shine should come back, no problemo. It might take a few coats of polish to get them where you need them.
And, I totally recommend the bathtub method.
Good luck! :)[/QUOTE]

My dad’s a Marine :). He taught me early on how to shine my boots for shows.

I am also horribly abusive to my boots. I foxhunt, trail ride, bathe, do chores, catch my horse, drive, etc. in them. They always come back just fine!

[hollynanne]

[QUOTE=candysgirl;7211598]
My dad’s a Marine :). He taught me early on how to shine my boots for shows.

I am also horribly abusive to my boots. I foxhunt, trail ride, bathe, do chores, catch my horse, drive, etc. in them. They always come back just fine![/QUOTE]
That’s awesome! My husband is a Navy Pilot and a USMC brat. It’s good to learn from the experts!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Just DO NOT put the polish (any polish) on the inside of your boot (part that touches the horse and saddle).

The military guys/girls are the experts on getting the polish on. I do use Urad and like it.

[Duckz]

@hollynanne;7211516

This.

And, I totally recommend the bathtub method.

Is the bathtub method recommended for boots with zippers?

[PNWjumper]

I love Urad, and it makes boots look great, but it’s not great for the leather (acknowledged by the Urad guy I bought mine from at a show). I consider it my “lazy, cheating” way to getting show-ring ready boots.

I paid a shoe shine guy to do my boots before a GP last year (after using Urad all summer), and he took one swipe over them with his rag and demanded that I leave them with him and pick them up in an hour. I watched him go to work taking the layers of Urad off and it was pretty gross.

So if you’re like me (somewhat lazy about having shiny boots) then Urad works great. If you want to take the absolute best care of your boots that you can, then go the regular shoe shine route (Kiwi, or whatever brand you like).

And I agree that getting the shine back to the oiled area shouldn’t be too terribly difficult. Also, I live by the bathtub method over any other way of breaking in boots. Though, because I don’t want to walk through my house in wet boots, I just stick the hose down the back of my boots when I’m rinsing off a horse, and then walk around til they’re dry.

[EvieG13]

[QUOTE=candysgirl;7207323]
I just use the good old fashioned Kiwi polish. It takes 3-4 applications sometimes to get that real shine back, but it’s not that difficult. It takes me about an hour by the time I get the mud and gunk scrubbed off (I foxhunt and trail ride in mine too).

I scrub them off with just plain water, a brush and a rag to get all the junk off of them. After they’re dry, I apply a layer of polish on both of them with a small, round brush. Then I take a cloth and “spit shine” (I use a little cup of water instead…) them. I rub the polish in with the wet cloth over 2 fingers in a circular motion until the excess is worked in/wiped off. Then I do it all again. This gets the polish really worked into all the crevices of the leather. After 2-3 applications, I then use a soft brush to buff the whole thing for several minutes. Mine have never not shined up really nicely this way.

The Kiwi parade gloss stuff does give you a faster initial shine, but I don’t feel like it stays looking as nice as long as the old school polish does.

Whatever you use, I advise gloves. The polish WILL stain your hands![/QUOTE]

As an ex-military type who has shine WAY too many shoes we use just plain black Kiwi. Not Parade-Glop. Never use the wet/shine shine in a box that is a sponge you just wipe on. It is almost impossible to get even and will go on streaky. AND it wears off. Boo. And you are SUPPOSED to get rid of the crap shine that comes on them. You need to shine with polish or it won’t look proper.

I use basically the same method that candysgirl suggests although some say that heating the polish helps (I’ve both melted it with a lighter before applying and at a different time ran a blow dryer over my boots once the polish is on). Once you are all done with the brush buffing you need a piece of old nylon. Take it wrap it around both hands and rub back and forth super swiftly over the whole boot (except the inside obviously!).

[EvieG13]

[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7211660]
Just DO NOT put the polish (any polish) on the inside of your boot (part that touches the horse and saddle).

The military guys/girls are the experts on getting the polish on. I do use Urad and like it.[/QUOTE]

LOL first time my grandpa saw me ride (as a kid)he offered to shine my boots (retired Lt Col USAF) I said SURE!!! and he also polished the inside. When I grumped he replied that in the military there is no HALF polishing of shoes!

[candysgirl]

[QUOTE=Duckz;7211690]
Is the bathtub method recommended for boots with zippers?[/QUOTE]

I’ve always used it on mine. I’ve never actually had boots without zippers. I’ve done it to several pairs of Dublin zip ups. Works well.

[candysgirl]

[QUOTE=EvieG13;7216205]
LOL first time my grandpa saw me ride (as a kid)he offered to shine my boots (retired Lt Col USAF) I said SURE!!! and he also polished the inside. When I grumped he replied that in the military there is no HALF polishing of shoes![/QUOTE]

Haha! It drives my dad up a wall that I don’t polish the inside of my boots! Walking around he asks at least once each time he sees them if he can please polish the whole boot. Noooo! Made that mistake once! So slippery!

[Willesdon]

A Trooper in The Household Cavalry uses up three whole tins of plain Kiwi shoe polish per week on his boots when on duty at Horseguards Parade. However, the key bit is to spit on the boot to help the polish work into the leather. Hence the phrase ‘spit and polish’. Sounds gross but it actually works. My boots are more than 40 years old and still look good enough to show in.