Putting folds into tall boots

From: Ashleigh

Dear Jessica, I just bought my very first pair of good (semi-custom) tall dressage boots. I've been riding for twenty years and taking dressage lessons for six years, and this is a very big thing for me. I hate to spend money on myself - well, except for my lessons - but I think my new boots are just gorgeous. I haven't worn them yet, because my instructor warned me that I needed to "break them in" and "put folds into them" before I begin wearing them everyday. I have asked everyone at my barn, and apparently there is a "good" way to put folds into tall boots, and a lot of "bad" ways to put folds into tall boots. My instructor said that HER instructor was a military man who always said to stand in water until the boots were soaked and then walk around in them until they "broke" at the ankles. This seems extremely scary to me, what if I ruined the leather and they literally "broke"? Horrifying! So can you suggest some less dramatic way for me to do this? Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Ashleigh

Your instructor's instructor sounds a VERY old-style military type. Yes, a lot of cavalrymen used that method - it was practical for them, I'm sure. They would stand in a stream until their very stiff new boots became waterlogged and pliable, and then, once the boots had dried on their legs and conformed to their shape, they would do their best to restore the integrity of the leather through constant, nightly applications of dubbin (leather conditioner). It usually worked, but I agree with you - new boots are just too costly to risk in that way! So here's my suggestion. This method works very nicely, and just requires a little effort and patience for about a week.

The idea behind putting folds into the ankles of tall boots is based on the fact that tall boots inevitably develop creases at the ankles no matter what you do, and that being so, it's in the rider's best interest to avoid spontaneous creases that might be uneven, uncomfortable, and unsightly (accordian-like pleats do NOT look good). The best way to avoid such creases is to put one's OWN creases into the boots before wearing them - that way, one can be quite sure that the creases aren't in areas where they'll cause painful rubs.

SOME military men must have devised - or at least approved - this method, because I know it as the "Cavalryman's Crease". It involves using your own hands (and some bits of furniture) to create GOOD folds in new boots. Begin by standing the boots on a flat surface and admiring them in profile. They look almost straight, don't they? Nice and tall and standing straight. You're going to change all that, starting right now. ;-)

1. Since yours are dress boots, there will be a clearly-defined area just front-and-center, where the uppers are attached to the feet. With the front of the boot facing you, put both thumbs into that area - just above the ankle, it will be - and begin pushing the leather inward, into the cavity of the boot, until you create a long horizontal "dent" or fold.

2. At this point, the leather above this area should be bulging forward - whilst pushing the dent inwards, try to pull and roll this part of the boot (the front of the calf) towards you and down toward the foot of the boot. Keep bending and rolling and pulling this part of the boot until you've created a sort of folded-down section that crosses the entire front of the boot and almost all the way to the back of the boot, on both sides. Don't try to take it all the way to the seam that runs up the back of the boot! You want the deepest part of the fold to be just in the front-and-center area directly over the front of the ankle, and you want the ends of the fold to become less and less deep, so that the deep front-and-center fold gradually becomes less and less of a fold as it extends on either side of the boot, and finally becomes NO FOLD AT ALL as it reaches the back of the boot (easy to recognize as it will have the back seam at the center).

3. Place your boots on that same flat surface, and look at them in profile once again. THIS time, they should show a deep crease at the front, tapering on both sides to become NO crease at the back of the leg - and the silhouette should now show you a pair of boots that are no longer straight, but angled forward, with smooth backs, lightly-creased sides, with the crease deepening as it nears the front of the boot - and finally, a deep horizontal crease in front of each ankle.

4. If you like - and I generally do - you can now use a small sponge to apply a generous amount of leather conditioner (dubbin, hydrophane, or Leather Therapy) to the creases. This will help soften the leather and make it easier for the creases to get established.

5. Now, observe your boots. Are they remaining in position, like good, quiet, well-behaved boots? If so, leave them alone for a week or two. If they aren't - if the tops begin to creep upwards - then place them under some piece of furniture that will hold them in position and keep them from popping up (or falling over) and losing their lovely new creases. Some boots are VERY resistant to being creased, and persist in trying to pop back into their original configuration.

6. After a week - two, if they're very thick, heavy leather - work the leather conditioner into the new creases (add more if necessary), put on a pair of thick, soft ankle socks, then a pair of nylon knee-highs, and THEN put on your boots - but don't ride in them! Just put them on and walk around your house. The longer you can stand to do this, the better, because the combination of the conditioner, the warmth (you know how heat builds up inside riding boots!), and the activity will help make the creases permanent and encourage the boots to soften and drop correctly. If the creases aren't in precisely the right place and you need to re-crease the boots, or if the boots haven't quite committed to those creases yet, find out whilst you're still in your comfortable home, and can figure out exactly what you need to change. That way, you can remove the boots, implement the change, and put the boots back under that chair or bench. It's not a perfect system, but it's much, much better than going out on horseback and discovering the problem when you're several miles from home. ;-)

7. When you DO begin wearing your boots, for heaven's sake remember that bootmakers KNOW that boots will drop an inch or more,and consequently new boots are invariably TOO TALL at first. They SHOULD be too tall. If they aren't, then when they drop, they will be too short, and you will be sad. But the extra height means that until they are broken in and/or fully accept their new creases, your new boots can cause incredible pain and bruising behind your knees. Don't accept this as necessary - it isn't. Buy heel inserts and use them. In fact, buy TWO pairs of heel inserts, and begin by wearing both at once. As your boots soften at the ankles, they will drop a little and you can get rid of one pair of inserts. When the boots are completely relaxed at the ankles and have become form-fitting, you'll be able to remove the second pair of inserts. If the inserts slide around and won't stay together and generally don't cooperate, or if you're having trouble sliding in or out of your boots, put on thin socks, then when your breeches are on, put on a pair of nylon knee-highs OVER them, and before you pull up the knee-hights, put the inserts between the socks and the knee-highs.

8. This last tip is NOT from my own experience, but someone with very slender legs once told me that breaking in boots was incredibly painful for her because of the rubbing behind the knee. She came up with a good idea that would be easy to implement if you're already wearing knee-high stockings over your breeches: Before you pull your boots all the way up, place a small, soft SPONGE behind each knee, between the breeches and the knee-highs. The sponges apparently provide enough cushioning to keep you comfortable. If you try this, let me know how it works for you!

Jessica

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