Cleaning and caring for your leather riding boots

Home -> Articles -> Steps to clean and care for your leather riding boot

When you have spent a small fortune investing in a pair of beautiful long leather riding boots there is no doubt you want them to endure the rigours of everyday life and look as good as new for as long as possible. Well, with the correct care and attention there is no reason why this cannot be achieved; the following article will look at how.

Cleaning your long leather riding boots

Grease, dirt, dust and sweat embed themselves into the leather so it is necessary to clean your riding boots thoroughly before any sort of polishing and conditioning can be carried out.

There are numerous leather riding boot cleaners in the equestrian market which all offer similar benefits, ultimately though, a good saddle soap, non abrasive pencil eraser and some warm water will do the job.

It is important to get all the dry hardened mud off the boot to start with; this can be done by using a shoe brush. From here use a soft rag and a toothbrush to clean the boot. Care must be taken to ensure that when cleaning the riding boot, minimal water is used on the rag, as you do not want to saturate the boot and have moisture being absorbed into it. Once the leatherwork is cleaned, use a toothbrush dipped in the warm water to work out all the engrained mud off the soles of the boot as well as the ridge of the boot (the welt) where the leather meets the sole. After this a non-abrasive pencil eraser can be used to remove scuff marks.

After cleaning make sure that no saddle soap residue is left, as this will dry out the boot and damage the leather. Allow the leather riding boot to nearly dry off and then move onto the next step in the process.

Conditioning your long leather riding boots

Before going ahead with the rigorous polishing, one should condition their riding boots to help soften, moisturize and feed the leather, replacing natural oils lost in the day to day activity and cleaning. Some shoe polishes do this themselves; however, it is much better to use a dedicated lanolin based conditioning product.

A point to note is that you ensure you use a conditioner that is suited to your particular leather riding boot, as you do not want to accidentally dye your riding boot or use a leather conditioner that is suited for a different type of leather such as nubuck.

Rub the conditioner into the boot in small amounts until it is entirely covered, then wipe residue off after a few minutes. Your leather riding boot will absorb as much conditioner as it can. Leave for approximately 24 hours for the conditioner to be thoroughly absorbed and then move onto the next step in your boot cleaning and caring process.

Polishing your leather riding boot - spit n shine

For the best shine to your riding boots it is recommended to use a wax shoe polish instead of the shorter term benefits of creams, pastes and liquids. Wax benefits your riding boot by giving a glossy shine, preventing scratches to the actual leather and stopping moisture from soaking into the boot

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the famous spit n shine boot polishing technique, however, with a few easy steps one can go somewhere to mastering the methods involved in getting your boots to shine like an officer.

Spread a layer of polish on the riding boot and allow it to dry for a few minutes.

Wrap a clean cloth around 2 fingers to give a smooth polishing layer, dip it in water but not so it is saturated. The idea of wetting the cloth is to stop the polish sticking to the cloth instead of the leather.

Using a small circular motion, buff the dried polish with the cloth until a shine starts to appear.

Whist still using the damp cloth, apply a fine layer of polish in a circular motion and keep working till a light hazy shine begins to develop.

Build up the shine by continually working in circular motions small amounts of polish until a glossy shine appears.

Once you are happy with the shine that has developed, use another clean, dry cloth to give it a buff and remove the last of the haze.

Finally, to achieve the greatest shine, get an old pair of tights and use these to buff the riding boot to bring out a glorious shimmer.

By following the above mentioned steps, you are sure to prolong the life as well as the look of your precious long leather riding boots.

Site Design by