I’ve been wearing Ariats forever. I always buy the same ones, the $200 ish ones. I find the cheaper Ariats hurt my feet and don’t last long enough.
I wear them 7 days a week, with almost every outfit. I wear them to feed, muck, teach, grocery shop and once in a while to hack around the farm. I prefer paddock boots over other barn footwear because they cover vulnerable ankles from horse feet and the zippers are so convenient.
Am I missing out on something better? Is there another company who has built a better paddock boot?
Not quite a paddock boot but I use them as such, Georgia Leather boots. Mine are indestructible. 8 years old, still clean up as new. I bought the Georgia Farm & Ranch lace up boot. I believe it’s men’s but I don’t think anyone has ever noticed or commented.
My only complaint is sometimes the lacing slips out of the eyelets - crossing around behind my heel has fixed that. If they had a zip up option I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
I’m also done with Ariat, they never last.
8 years!? Holy crap!
They actually might be older (9?). I bought them from Boots Bridles and Britches in Aiken, and they’ve been closed for years.
Not technically a paddock boot - I mostly do chores in a pair of 10 year old DuBarry’s which are still going strong. Great protection, they go on without zippers or laces, so comfy I sometimes slip them on without socks for short ventures outside, and I often ride in them as well. I find Ariat quality has become inconsistent. The last pair I bought had rough seaming in the ankle area that never broke in. Had to throw them out.
Blundstones last and last.
Double H are better than Ariats.
My Ariat days go back to 1999-2000. BO turned me on to them. Nice boots. I always got the $200ish because they are comfortable and last. I still buy them, but the quality has been going down hill, especially the Heritage model that leaked and fell apart. They made some nice sandals and I have some sneaker-types that I love. The quality of the leather isn’t as good on paddock boots, including the expensive models. I found an old pair of brown in a corner with beautiful leather. A shoe repair guy stitched through the lining and revived them where some stitching had worn out. I left a pair of black the other day. At least there are good shoe repair shops/
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so glad to find this conversation - I had a pair of Grand Prix paddock boots that I have worn for 15 years - still have them but they are showing their age - bought a pair of Ariat paddock boots and in one year they are falling apart! everything I buy from ariat falls apart – I will never buy another item from Ariat! Unfortunately I can not find the Grand Prix paddock boots any longer – I am gong to polish the old ones up and wear them and toss the Ariats in the trash
Not technically paddock boots, but my Justin, Georoge Straight lace up ropers are the most comfortable boots bar none…and I have worn Ariats for since the late 1980’s. These boots are the bomb…and are water proof.
My last Ariat Terrains a few years ago were toast in two weeks of normal, no bad weather wearing.
They looked misshapen and 20 years old and ready to break up and toes stick out.:eek:[IMG2=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“full”,“src”:“https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/core/image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==”}[/IMG2]”‹
Didn’t even try to return them, had to throw them away.
I had before a Dansko pair that lasted over a decade, but they don’t make those any more either.
This is the closest to the old ones, I just found them, not sure how they may fit or last:
https://www.dansko.com/barbara-taupe-burnished-nubuck
I am using for now my Vasque hiking boots, that give excellent support all day, until I find some other more horsey type that works.
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I agree Ariat is garbage - can not believe how bad the quality of the items are… its actually quite shocking! Stay far, far, away from anything Ariat… this is a friendly public service notice…
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Funny on the story on the Dansko short boots, they were pull ons, no zipper.
Someone on COTH recommended them, I bought a pair, didn’t much like them when I tried them and stuffed them in the closet.
About two or so years later, needing something in a hurry, put them on and still didn’t really care for them.
By the end of the day my feet were in love with them and I used them all the time for the next ten/dozen years, until they sadly got unpresentably old.
If I had known I was going to like them so well for long and no more of those to be had, I would have bought a second pair.
Everyone has different feet and do different tasks wearing all kinds of footwear.
It makes sense that not everyone would like the same kind, but they all should last in use for a reasonable time.
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Weird you all are having so much trouble with Ariat’s. I wear the Terrain H2O and I use them for everything, and I mean everything. They ride, muck, double as work boots, they get wet muddy and all points in between. Given how hard I use them, they last about a year. And that’s fine - you are supposed to replace your shoes more often than every 8 years - your feet will thank you.
That said, my very favorite work boots ever were Carhartt, they were a ladies model that is no longer found anywhere. (This has been a number of years ago).
My first pair of Ariats are at least that old. So sorry to hear the quality has hit the skids.
I bought a stunning pair of half chaps from Tonic and I’d highly consider their paddock boots. Currently I have been riding in a blundstone style boot and they work for me
I wouldn’t be happy paying $200 on a pair of boots that last a year. I think 2-3 years is acceptable.
I’m still grumbling about my Tredstep Donatellos ($275 boots). Wore them less than 10x (clinics and shows only) and they fell apart at the zipper during a clinic, maybe my 7th time wearing them. Did not return them because I had purchased them over a year ago. Won’t buy Tredstep again.
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I’m really not sure about the current ones. Older ones seem to last forever but the last pair I bought were terrible; parts of the sole started delaminating pretty quickly and then the entire sole separated from the upper, all this while I was wearing them interchangably with an older pair that are still going strong. A lot of people complained pretty loudly, though, and I have heard the new-new ones are better. (In any case I’m down to one pair and am aiming for November sales to get more, so I’ll probably have opinions soon! Only current production boot that fits me, alas.)
