Editorial policy

Who writes what you read

Every article on Spur & Stitch is written and edited by Selena H., the site's owner. There is no anonymous content, no guest-posted content, and no content supplied by a brand. Every page carries a byline and a last-updated date, and the byline links to the about page so you can see who is behind it.

What we will never claim

• That we have worn, owned or tested a product, when we have not. We have not worn the boots on this site, and every roundup and comparison says so above the first pick.
• A qualification, license or credential that the author does not hold.
• A number of years of experience, a background in the western industry, or a count of products reviewed.
• A price, a discount or a saving. We do not publish prices at all.
• A customer review or testimonial. There are none on this site, because we have none that are real.
• A star rating or score expressed as machine-readable review markup. We score nothing we have not tested.

Those are absolute. If you ever find a claim on this site that breaches one of them, it is a mistake and we want to know about it.

How we source claims

• A product specification - leather, sole, construction, shaft height, toe shape - is attributed to the manufacturer's own published description, and the manufacturer is named in the sentence.
• Where a page draws on a maker's published material, that page carries a Sources section listing it.
• Where something is a judgment rather than a fact, it is written as one: 'the reason this suits a beginner is' rather than 'this is the best'.
• Where we do not know something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Corrections

Corrections take priority over everything else. If something here is factually wrong - a specification, a sizing claim, a product that has been discontinued - email contact@spurandstitch.com and we will check it. If you are right, we will fix the page and update its last-updated date. We do not quietly edit and pretend the error never happened.

Update cadence

• Roundups and comparisons are reviewed when a product in them is discontinued, changes materials, or is replaced by a better option for the same buyer.
• Reference guides - toe shapes, heel types, sizing - are reviewed when the underlying advice changes, which is rarely. A guide that has not changed has not been neglected; the facts have not moved.
• Every page shows the date it was last updated, and that date reflects a real change rather than a scheduled touch.

Independence

No brand pays for placement on this site, sponsors content, or supplies products to it. Affiliate commission is how the site is funded, and it never decides which products are recommended or the order they appear in. The full detail, including the programs we participate in, is on the affiliate disclosure page, and our selection process is on the how we pick page.

A note on what this site is for

The aim is not to be the site that has tested the most boots. It is to be the site that explains the decision clearly enough that you can make it yourself - including deciding that a product we recommend is wrong for you. That is a lower-drama goal than most review sites set, and it is the one we can actually keep.