Ariat or Mountain Horse (or something else altogether)?

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Maia

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I had planned on investing in some Devon Pro's and Ariat leather gaiters as my decent boots are on their last legs. Have tried on various long boots but just don't find them comfy or a good fit on my odd shaped legs so definately wanting short boots and gaiters.

I have previously had MH Mountain riders and cheaper Ariat boots for everyday riding and yard work and while the MH ones aren't as comfy they have worn really well and taken all the abuse I've thrown at them. My Ariats are meant to be waterproof (they leak!) and although extremely warm and comfy have cracked after less than a year.

Soooo, I'm torn between MH and Ariats - MH for shear durability and Ariats for comfort, although MH may have become more comfy or less hardy in recent years as my current pair are about 6 years old!!! Also, after reading the post over the weekend on Ariat and the quality of their products I am rapidly thinking against them!!

If I went for MH I would probably go for the Windsor or the Stirling with the SCS sole in the brown - in which case would I do better to go for MH gaiters or a different gaitor?

Boots would be used for general riding, rallies and competitions although I'll probably continue to use my current MH for general yard work and hacking but new boots will still be expected to take a fair amount of abuse!

Thanks in advance
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I have had Ariats for years and i have had endless problems having to replace them ALL the TIME as either the metal thingy in the sole keeps making a noise and then hurts my foot or the sole drops off or the zip goes - i think town and country are sick of me keep going in a sending them back, so i gave up on the and got Tredstep instead! they are BEAUTIFUL so much nicer than Ariat! and longer lasting i muckout, go down the muddy field, ride and go shopping in them - marvlous

Mountain horse i dont know much about them i only got the long insulated ones (i cant think of the name) but they didnt ever seem to want to bend, they were very stiff - well still are after 2yrs of use.

Ariat are made by HacTac and i never really like their stuff anyway.

Maybe not to take my advise but if you were i would check out the Treadstep and the gaiters so very smart and classy looking and the same sort of price.
 
ariat all the way would never touch mountain horse broke my foot twice in them and have never forgiven them! ariat are soooo comfy would love a pair of bromonts if they went round my fat legs!!! on a side issue Ihave a pair of saxon long boots which again are ridiculously comfy look quite convincing even if they aren't leather and I got mine for only£34.99 so a bit of a bargain as well!!!
 
Hi - I've had the Ariat Devon Pro boots (the £150 ones), they've been absolutely useless, they've split and cracked in around 8 months, I'd never buy Ariat boots again. I thought they'd last much longer being that they were expensive but they've been worse than a £50 pair of boots.
 
ariat short boots have been crap for me too, splitting, zips going (very very quickly) etc etc. ariat grasmeres, however, i cannot recommend highly enough. blissful comfort, as waterproof as wellies (how do they do that?), toasty warm in winter and cool in summer (how do they do that??!), have done a full year of all day every day wear, and still look as good as new.
 
I have had MH boots for a while and found they lasted brilliantly had a pair of the Windsor (I think) the zip up ones and they recently started to come apart at the seams but that's after 3 years of constant daily use. Only thing I would say though is the SCS tread wears down so if you walk around in them a lot it's pretty useless after a while mine just look like a normal tread now.
I got some Ariats recently only been wearing them about 2 months, so far so good, as comfortable as the MH from day one but getting worried now as also been reading about the problems with Ariat on this forum, just hope they last!!
 
To be honest I don't think there is a right answer! I wouldn't touch MH or Treadstep as I have seen too many come back to the saddlery and I have never seen Ariats come back so have invested in a couple of pairs on recommendation of colleagues. Yet many of you have had problems with those. Why can't manufacturers just offer decent value for money for a change? Why do you have to pay £200 for something that won't self destruct within 12 months?
 
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