ok i just got new tall leather ariat field boots. i am going to a show this weekend and i need to have them broken in by the show. any advice on how to break them in faster besides just wearing them all the time?..lol
When I first got mine I wore them all the time and rode with them up to the point of the show, but do you have enough time before showing to break them in? It seems like you waited until the last second, which is very hard to break them in fast, besides riding with them.. unless you wore them around the house or something ;-)
haha well i have a week and a half..and i have been wearing them around the house for a while..and they kill!...i have about 2 blisters from them too. thanx for the advice..anyone else???
are they the new Ariat Heritage II boots? Because those are the ones i have, and the leather was so soft it didnt need much breaking in. But if they are too stiff for your liking, you can try using mink oil, which softens leather. Neatsfoot oil works well too for softening, but i must warn you that they can make your boots SLIPPERY! I never use it on my saddle or boots unless i absolutley need to... and in that case i rub some Saddle-tite in the inside of my calfs to make it less slippery. Both of these items you can find at pretty much any tack shop or catalog.
my trainer told me to put some damp towels in the microwave for about two mintues and thrn wrap them around my boots to make them softer and more flexible...and that helped a lot. i am probably going to try the oil now though, thanx caroline!
I would advise against mink oil. It made my boots (and the boots of others) kind of dull looking, even after being polished and cared for regularly. Even after that, it didn't really soften up my boots much at all.
I have the older Ariat Heritage field boots and they are still really uncomfortable for me. I've had them for a year, but haven't used them a lot just because they are so painful to walk in after I ride. They're fine for riding, but walking in them is just awful. I probably should wear them more, though...
Once I was in your same postion. It really stinks. What I did that helped was bend my boots and put them under my bed. Make sure to bend them forward, like your leg postion would be. Leave them under your bed for a night or two. I hope this helps!!! Good luck at your show!!
Rather than using mink oil which will dull the polished leather you can use baseball glove softener which although mink oil based it is diluted. The hot towel trick works well, and rubbing leather conditioners in with your hands will keep it warm allowing the conditioner to penetrate deeper. A friend swears by bending wire hangers into a flexed ankle position to mimic her leg position and putting them in her boots overnight...I don't know if that actually works though.