Yard/Country Boots - do we expect too much?

Kenzo

Kenzo

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There has always been and always will be lots of threats regarding boots, be it complaining about how long they have lasted, which are the best, shoddy customer service etc etc even I've started them before.

Which got my thinking, do we expect too much from a boot?, we complain when they leak or split but us horse folk surely must abuse the hell out of our boots, you can't have fashion AND practicality surely or can you?

I can't speak for other people but when I get a pair of boots (be it yard boots or everyday riding boots) I never have them off my feet, dog walking, riding, wearing around the yard, mucking out even cooked an cleaned in them :o and to be fair no matter how much I'm prepaired to pay for them be it the more expensive boot or the cheap and cheerful ones I'd be rather pleased if they lasted me more than 12 months, if they got that far then hey they've done pretty dam well really and I'd buy another pair!

I've never had a boot yet that's lasted me a few years unless I've just been unlucky, I mean I know there designed for the rugged country person/horse rider but do we expect them to last too long?

How long do you expect a boot to last before they faulter?
 
Not long on my feet! Managed to put holes in my less than 6 months old Ariat wellies whilst doing some fencing (damm brambles and barbed wire :mad: )

I woudl love a pair of the fashionble expensive boots, but I don't think I can justify it. The longest running boots I had were a pair of the mountain horse steel toe capped short boots, they lasted years, and took some beatings :)
 
it depends, i expected alot from my dubarrys, just because they cost so much. but they have exceeded all expectations 3 years on and i will definitely be buying another pair, though i would like to try the ariats.

I believe in you should expect to get what you pay for.
 
Sanolly said:
I expect leather boots to last with care, just like a saddle or bridle.
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But how long do you expect them to last?

When you say care, obviously I know every day leather riding boots need a certain amount of leather care or waterproofing depending on the material but you can't care for them while there on your feet or pussy foot around things trying to keep them clean and dry.
 
Dubin Rivers... still going after 18 months but pretty useless after 9, have been reheeled once, the seam has split at the back, the foot of the boot has also now cracked and ripped open and both boots have droped (unevenly as well!).

£10 wellies from cheapy shop are doing very well indeed, apart from the fact I trod on a tac the other week and so now have a hole in one, still they must be a couple of years old now.

It's my birthday next month and I'm debating asking the OH for a nice pair of country boots but I'd have to ban myself from wearing them to the yard!

I wore my Dublin's point to pointing the other day and all the girls could smell in the car was horse :D
 
Dizzle said:
Dubin Rivers... still going after 18 months but pretty useless after 9, have been reheeled once, the seam has split at the back, the foot of the boot has also now cracked and ripped open and both boots have droped (unevenly as well!).

£10 wellies from cheapy shop are doing very well indeed, apart from the fact I trod on a tac the other week and so now have a hole in one, still they must be a couple of years old now.

It's my birthday next month and I'm debating asking the OH for a nice pair of country boots but I'd have to ban myself from wearing them to the yard!

I wore my Dublin's point to pointing the other day and all the girls could smell in the car was horse :D
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You see if I have a pair of these 'country boots' I'd wan't to wear them, I couldn't not wear them at the yard, otherwise I'd be defeating the object of buying them, how often would you wear them (when not at the yard) during the summer? I can't think of any other reason to wear country boots other than for down at the yard, walking the dog, or riding in or during winter whe we have wet soggy cold ground conditions which is why it's nice to wear a warm waterproof boot.

Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much lol :D

Just wondered what other peoples thoughts were or if it was just me.
 
Kenzo said:
You see if I have a pair of these 'country boots' I'd wan't to wear them, I couldn't not wear them at the yard, otherwise I'd be defeating the object of buying them, how often would you wear them (when not at the yard) during the summer? I can't think of any other reason to wear country boots other than for down at the yard, walking the dog, or riding in or during winter whe we have wet soggy cold ground conditions which is why it's nice to wear a warm waterproof boot.

Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much lol :D

Just wondered what other peoples thoughts were or if it was just me.
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Lol :D I think the clue is in the name of the boots - if you dont spend much time in the countryside not much use for a 'country boot'!

I have worn my wellies in town and got scowled at when I popped into a highstreet fashion store to buy some socks. Like I was going to wipe my boots clean with thier lingerie or something. I would wear them to the pub though after a trip to the yard and all year round too.

I think it is important to care for your boots though. I have a pair of mountain horse leather yard boots that I have had for a good 8 years but I wash them if they get really manky and regularly feed them with stubben leather cream. They do look a bit, urrr, antique shall we say after all this time though! Water tight still which is the main thing.

My long boots have lasted 10 years now but I am religious about polishing them. (I bought them with my first RAF paycheck at 16! Quite sentimental!)
 
I think that's my point, if I don't use them they'd last!

I bought a pair of £20 winter boots from Debry House last winter, they were fab, really grippy and stopped me getting frost bite, I didn't mind chucking them away in the spring as they'd done their job at a good price. I'll probably buy another pair this winter as well.

I've no idea what I'm going to do about the yard boot situation going forward, I think I might blow fashion and buy some more wellies!
 
ETA: My riding boots are my pride and joy! The only time they have ever done anything that tacking up and riding was when a friend's horse was colicking badly(360 twist of one of the intestines) and I didn't have time to change before we had to get him up and out, yes basically it was life and death (thankfully he survived). They look as good as new still!
 
Hmm...I tend to wear Ariats- but their 'roper' cowboy boot type - for everything (including work, which means a lot of walking about in muddy fields LOL). I try to look after them well, using lots of polish and/or waterproofing treatments but still find that they crack after 18 months or so, and by then the heels/soles are pretty much worn out.

I buy them mainly from the internet or on trips to the USA, so rarely spend more than £150, so I actually think that's quite good value. After all, you can spend £70-100 on a pair of smart shoes (which I wear once in a blue moon :D ) and they last no time at all!

I do have a pair of Ariat wellies which I wear for bathing horses and anything really muddy of wet (ie the whole team chasing season) and they have far outlasted any hunters that I've ever had.
 
Mountain Horse - currently wearing a pair of rough riders, that due to me not being very good at "feeding" them with leather cleaner are about to split, but ive been wearing them every single day to ride in, and fetch boys in (not if mud past my ankles tho :rolleyes:) for over 3 years now.

This is my 3rd pair of mountain horse boots, the shortest time a pair has lasted me is 2 years and that was my fault i never once cleaned them :o

In my opinion theyre a good hardwearing boot. Theyre not waterproof, so i have to put my wellies on to drag bog ponies in in the depths of winter, but i really don't think leather/waterproof go together.

Its my birthday very soon and ive been badgering OH for another pair of MH classic, as theyve stopped making the rough rider! but the classic are just as good and soooooooo very comfy!!

And no i don't work for them, just like them a lot !!! :p
 
No kenzo i dont think you are being silly.

I cant be dealing with 10 different pairs of boots for 10 different jobs. i want an all round boot that looks good and can be be shone up and worn for smart occasions too.

I wear mine all year round, thought hey did get a little toasty this weekend. they have stood up to full seasons 6 day a week beating, long walks, animal related things, riding and even held up to walking a mile along a calf deep stream.

i cant wear wellies, they make my feet freeze, even in warm weather so a lush pair of leather boots is a lifesaver and forking out £280 i want THE BEST.
 
I agree, our boots take an absolute hammering.

I judge any boots I buy on the fact that a pair of £55 Hunters lasted me less than 6 months (I think they were splitting/leaking after 3, in the bin my 6), a pair of DH Thermal type boots at approx. £30 lasted me about 2 months, so anything that costs less than £10 a month is a bonus.

Having spent £85/90 on Dublin Rivers last May at Badminton, which kept my feet not only dry but warm through an awful winter I have to say I'll be buying leather without fail from now on.
 
I feel happy to moan about my Dublin river boots, they were not hammered. In the first year I owned them I wore them to go to horse trials with the trade stand and a couple of times to go out and about when it was snowing. They still sprang a leak!

Even now I have only once worn them to the yard and that was when I called in on my way home after Chatsworth. They aren't designed for horse wear so I don't use them for that.

My north face trainers on the otherhand have only just started to leak very slightly after over four years hard abuse! Including mucking out, training for and taking part in a marathon and half marathon, walking in the British countryside and in inhospitable conditions abroad like 50c heat in death valley...... they cost me about £30 and are still great as long as I don't wade through puddles. Can't fault them. Think I've only cleaned them a couple of times too!

It should be possible to make yard boots that last and can be repaired. My hiking boots take some hammer and are over 10 years old, they haven't required any repairs yet but I know I can have them resoled when the time comes.
 
Exactly my point Pink Pony! except you manged to get it across in one sentence :D

I'd have a boot full of boots rather than a boot full of..well bits of tack etc if I was to change into a different pair of boots every time depending on what I was doing down at the yard and I do always wash boots off so they are never left with lumps of mud on them but if your paying over £100 on a pair I'd at least expect them to last a year without any problems if you always wear them a lot which is every day when you think about it if you're like me, any more than that then they have served me well at what ever price to be fair.

I gave up on Hunters years ago, one pair only lasted me a few weeks before they sprung a leak, pair after that lasted 4 months, pair before those lasted a 8 months, wouldn't buy them again and because they were wellies I didn't have them stuck to my feet all the time only when it was wet, so I expected them to last me longer...years in fact.
 
Well its not often that happens!

I wore hunters maybe three times before i gave them away, they were uncomfortable and slipped on everything.
 
I agree we do ask a lot of our country/yard boots. I have the much debated Dublin River (new version) and since August they have never been off my feet in the dry the wet the poo the bogs and the snow. I even wear them to work (but take them off at the door), round the house whenever and I'm impressed they've lasted so well. No leaks or rips or anything as yet, they look worn but decent (smell too but thats the joy of horse wee!).

Saddles might get worn every day for an hour or 2, but they don't qite suffer the extremes our footwear does nor does it have to muck out! As with any review we all want different things from our products :)
 
I had the dublin river boots and they split at a seam after about 3 months. The replaced them. these ones started to leak before they were a year old. Been through a multitude of boots and none last.
I bought a pair of just togs huntsville boots at the end of the winter and they split at the seam at the ankle after about 5 weeks, I was just going to get saddler to repair them but within another 2 weeks they were leaking at the sole. They are going back! do like hte look of them and they are comfy but need them to be waterproof.
I have now bought a pair of MH high riderII so I hope they last a bit longery. I did have the rimfrost riders and they great and really toasty in winter, the zip busrt so i had it replaced so i hope these have a better one. The actually lasted about 18 months though. The best jod boots were 'Elite' ones but they don't make them anymore. Shame as they lasted about 3 years.
 
I've had some Ariat Grasmere for years, they have lasted well and i only clean them once a year usually after vfestival!! Love them they are well worth the money.
 
Joyous70 leather boots can be waterproof if well made. My leather hiking boots are waterproof enough to allow paddling in streams. In fact with a pair of gaiters on I once waded through a flooded stream in them and there were no leaks despite the water being about a foot deep.

Cleaning with original nikwax helps keep leather waterproof but my riding boots don't leak through the leather they leak through the zips and seams due largely to poor design.
 
I bought a pair of Rydales once, they lasted me a year and I never had them off my feet, mucked out in them, traped through snow, rode in them, dog walked and long reined (inluding running about in them at times!) and they lasted me a year before the soul came away (they were worn to the death...husband chucked them in the bin when I wasn't about!), to say they were only a cheap country style boot (more a fashion type boot than built to last pratical boot) but baring this in mind, they did a lot better than I thought they would considering the price of them.
 
I have a pair of Harry Hall all leather lace up short muckers, santos. They have been suitably mistreated over the last 8 years and still going strong ;) though they did have an easier life to start with as I was still at uni then :o.
love them.. the lining is now disintegrating but just wear more socks ;)
 
ester said:
I have a pair of Harry Hall all leather lace up short muckers, santos. They have been suitably mistreated over the last 8 years and still going strong ;) though they did have an easier life to start with as I was still at uni then :o.
love them.. the lining is now disintegrating but just wear more socks ;)
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8 years! :eek:

Crikey, they are good boots!

Think I might have to look out for a pair of those, do they look nice with a pair of chaps? ideal for summer I suppose.
 
I bought a pair of £25 wellies and they lasted about 15 months which I was pleased with. I used them for riding and all yard stuff etc.

I do want a pair of decent boots and would want them to last at least a year (although if I went for more expensive boots would expect longer from them). I'm just trying to find time now, to go to store to get a pair as they will also have to cover dog walking twice a day.
 
i wear boots out like nothing else, i hammered a pair of muckboots within 4 months (literally wore the sole out, nothing else went, good as new from the sole up!!), get through at least one (usually two) pairs of steel toe cap mountain horse boots per year (doesnt matter how well i look after them). So, for that reason i wont spend hundreds of pounds on a pair of country boots as i can guarantee they wont last for me!! I have bought myself a pair of k*ty lake boots from equestrian clearance (£55 i think they were) and they are seriously comfy and so far fairly hard wearing. Ok they aren't waterproof like dubarry etc but are as waterproof as any other leather boot and TBH where i wear them im not planning on wading through any ponds! If they last me a year or two i would be very happy and could easily afford to get another pair at that price!
 
sadly I don't think they make the nice leather ones with laces anymore, they make the same style but with a rubber bottom/velcro tabs. Wish I had bought 2 pairs if I had known.. I have done that with my chaps.. I have 2 pairs in waiting because they fit and they last ;)
 
My Ariat Grasmere boots lasted about 6 months - yes I did wear them to muck out, bring in and walk the dog but at £225 I really don't think they were a good buy! My Aigle green wellis are at least 5 years old and pretty much perfect, I rest my case...
 
KristmasKatt said:
Joyous70 leather boots can be waterproof if well made. My leather hiking boots are waterproof enough to allow paddling in streams. In fact with a pair of gaiters on I once waded through a flooded stream in them and there were no leaks despite the water being about a foot deep.

Cleaning with original nikwax helps keep leather waterproof but my riding boots don't leak through the leather they leak through the zips and seams due largely to poor design.
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This is what i don't understand KristmasKatt - my mum does does a lot of walking and has 2 or 3 pairs of walking boots, depending on the type of walk she does, and it amazes me, yes theyre expensive, but theyre also waterproof, it the soles weren't so chunky i'd buy some to ride in.

My Mountain Horse boots are kind of waterproof in so far as they don't let wet/mud etc., in only as you point out around the zips/laces etc.
 
Good thread, I was only yesterday discussing the death of my latest pair of country boots. Like you Kenzo I live in them and yea they get a serious bashing, I ride, walk the dogs, do all yard work in them. This pair did a seasons beating too which is hard going on them. But I only got them november and they are dead. Had the same ones before (toggis) and they did a year which is the longest I have got any of this type of boot to last. I get annoyed when I see people with country boots looking all smart and pristine but mine do get worn to death. In addition to this as I wear them practically all day everyday and for everything then I dont actually buy other footwear, I cant remember the last time I had to buy new trainers for example. So I guess we probably do expect to much and the whinging is unfounded as they do have an awful lot of use, it just seems they dont last very long when actually they do a very reasonable amount of work before giving up the ghost.
 
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