How do I care for my new riding boots?

You just purchased a lovely new pair of boots-now how do you take care of them so they stay looking beautiful? Here are a few tricks we've been compiling over the year on how to take proper care of your custom riding boots.

Put them away clean-If you do just one thing it is to wipe your boots down after every ride. Using a cleaner to remove sweat/grime is essential in helping prevent leather from becoming stiff and dry.

Condition them-Occasional conditioning helps prevent cracking from occurring-we use leather dressing on Ariat, Fabbri, Konig, and Parlanti boots as it is easy to apply and designed for the leather used in these riding boots.

For Deniro calfskin boots use Nourishing Cream. For Deniro brushed leather boots use Silicone Cream.

Store them correctly-Always keep boot trees inside your boots. Inflatable boot trees that come in boots like Deniro are not meant for long term storage-they are just used for transport from the manufacturer. We use and recommend simple boot trees that are lightweight and inexpensive and do the job. For "stovepipe" type dressage boots we recommend these boot trees as they are sturdy and wide enough to support the heavier stiffer ankle. Also, use cedar foot inserts. They pull the moisture out of the leather which makes leather last longer and helps retain the beautiful shape of the foot and instep meanwhile reducing the likelihood that they will crack at the ball of the foot.

In addition to this-buy more than one pair of riding boots. We don't expect our daily shoes to last forever, why would we think our riding boot would? Sure, they're more expensive but they take a lot more work to make than a pair of tennis shoes! You should rotate your riding boots each time you ride-never use them two days in a row. A general rule of thumb is to have three pair of boots at all times: one older pair that is broken in, a newer pair that is for lessons and special occasions, and a new pair that is used for shows and/or clinics.