Riding boots form the heart and soul of a horse rider’s riding attire. Experienced riders know the importance of buying a sturdy pair of riding boots. Many of the riders spend a good amount of time in choosing the right set of boots.
The idea is to buy a pair that is tough enough to provide you with years of service. Veteran horse riders and owners will always tell you to go for riding boots made of leather. A leather riding boot is the classic rider’s boot.
These boots will take you back to the good old days. Riders in the 1950s and 1960s used to prefer riding boots made of leather because of their classic look and feel. You can also choose long country boots if you like. Just make sure that you buy it from a reliable vendor. You can wait for a country boots sale if you wish to buy good country boots at reasonable prices.
In all fairness, leather boots are just awesome. The pleasure of buying a brand-new pair of leather riding boots cannot be described in words. The smell of fresh leather is the one to die for, but you need to take good care of your leather boots if you want them to go the distance.
Here are a few tips to make sure they last really long:
Keep them away from water
This is the most important point that needs to be kept in mind before buying leather boots. Leather boots tend to get damaged if they come in contact with water constantly. Experienced horse riders are well aware of this fact. Leather will disintegrate if and when it comes in contact with water. Even when you are cleaning them, use a sponge to wipe off dirt and dust. In this way, the shine of your leather boots will stay intact.
Clean them regularly
Cleaning is very important. A leather shoe can lose its shine if it comes in contact with dust, mud and dirt on a regular basis. An everyday-riding shoe made of leather does get pale and wan if you don’t clean it regularly. Again, make sure you are not using excess water to clean it. You can clean them every two days. Cover all parts of the shoe and make sure you clean the shoe thoroughly.
A leather conditioner would come in handy
Yes, of course. Buy a leather conditioner and a brush. You can then condition the leather with ease. Make sure that you don’t apply conditioner on a daily basis. You can make it a fortnightly exercise. Applying conditioner regularly can lead to a decline in the leather’s firmness.
Do not let dust settle on them
Dust is a leather riding boot’s worst enemy. If you see dust settling on your boot, then wipe it off there and then. Also, if you plan to keep your boots unused for a long period of time, then keep them in a place that is clean and dry.
Store them correctly
Storing your boots correctly is quite important. As stated earlier, if you plan to keep them aside for a considerable amount of time, then store them in a box or a clean container, and keep them in a cupboard or a trunk. Do not leave them unattended for too long. Carelessness can lead to damage.
So, here were a few tips that will help you take care of your leather horse riding boots in a better way. You cannot afford to take your riding shoes for granted.
Happy shopping, horse riders!!!