Coated leathers - why??

cptrayes

cptrayes

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When I first used to buy saddlery leather was not expected to shine. To feed it, you oiled it. Now it seems that even really expensive saddles are being made with what I describe as "coated" leather - it seems to have a coloured "skin" on it. Of course when it's new it looks fab, but scratch it or put some wear on it and the colour just rubs off.

These leathers just don't seem to me to be nearly as practical as the old leathers. Anyone know why they are being used? Is it just fashion, that people want to buy new stuff that looks "perfect", when normal skin has small flaws in it? Or is there some practical reason why it's better?
 
Its funny as I was thinking this the other day whilst looking at my showing stirrup leathers as they look terrible, so I am using them for everday now and will try and buy a pair that dont have this coating on, I have a really really old pair I use as spare and although stretched to the limit they look much better than any of the newer ones I have.

Any ideas where to get the un coated ones as most I see in shops are.
 
I think the Heritage (Marlow) ones are good - you can email Matt to ask him, he sells on eBay. Make sure they are Marlow and not the Asian import Heritage. They are value for money but nowhere near the quality of Matt's English made stuff.
 
I believe that there are two reasons:

1 - It can cover up for poorer quality leather

2 - It allows you to have coloured tack (other than browns). Black dyes in particular are not always very effective or long lived. The coating means that you can have really black-black tack that doesn't fade to dark green or dye your breeches when it rains!

I'll stick with my old fashioned dark havana tack thanks!
 
I hate black or coloured tack. I've been searching for a plain flat hunter bridle in traditional english leather havana (with billets) for ages. Time was when leather was as soft as butter, but tack now just seems hard and plasticy :(
 
Some us still use good old fashioned leather, including on our hunter bridles (with billets!). Coated leather is cheaper, it's not dyed in the same way, you have coated leather on sofas with the more traditional waxy leathers being a more expensive option.
 
sbloom said:
Some us still use good old fashioned leather, including on our hunter bridles (with billets!). Coated leather is cheaper, it's not dyed in the same way, you have coated leather on sofas with the more traditional waxy leathers being a more expensive option.
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Thought it might come down to money! Thanks sbloom, do we know where to find your stuff (without you advertising, of course ;) ) ?
 
-cheaper,
-some companies think shiny is what consumers want (wrong - I want tack that stays the right colour, if I want shine I'll whack on some patent shine lol!)
-also, there has been a change in permitted substances used in the tanning process, several manufacturers have been having leather issues because of it.

Good british bridle butt is still good stuff! Find a tame saddler who will make you up something properly, will last a lifetime! Where are you based?
 
I much prefer non-shiny natural type leather too! I like the satisfaction of cleaning and conditioning your tack and it looks shiny, with this coated stuff I'm just trying penetrate the coating and it kind of looks the same which you'd think would be good but its not really :-)

I don't like black tack and even my Havana saddle is too dark, whatever happened to brown?
 
I've heard most leather is imported and finished over here, then gets branded 'made in the UK'.. Cows are killed younger these days, hence the hides over here are not good enough for horse tack, which has led manufacturers to look overseas for 'better leather'.
Unless the situation changes, you'll not get decent leather from over here.
 
Totally agree, OP, leather just isn't what it used to be! I much prefer older saddles (I'm never buying new again!). It's like everything else, though (home appliances being the thing I've noticed are the worst for not lasting like they used to) they don't make stuff to last anymore so you have to go out and buy new again after a short while, but unlike home appliances, tack hasn't really got cheaper!

Ponypilotmum - Tradtional leather and bridlework can still be found, try Mat Marlow (will make stuff to order I do believe), Jeffries and Fylde.

http://www.ejeffries.co.uk/category/132366/Traditional_Bridlework

http://www.fyldesaddleryltd.com/index.php/ridden_bridles/show_all/?k=:10:251075:
 
Yup, it's down to cost.

I trained in saddlery over 20 years ago (although it never became my career) and I wince at some of the leather I see used nowadays. I only ever used quality stuff like Sedgewicks.

There are still makers using quality leather but you have to be fussy!
 
cptrayes said:
What is the best thing to use on traditional leather? I still have some :)
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I like four: Effax Lederbalsam, Oakwood Conditioner, Stubben Hamanol, Leather Therapy conditioner. Use little and often until leather is soft, then less often, just enough to keep it supple and not drying out. If the back of the flaps are being marked by the girth buckles etc then you're not using enough, but never drown it in it!
 
Can I hijack for a second and ask sbloom a question - is it Leather Therapy that kills mould? I'd love to keep my tack somewhere other than a damp tack barn but with a sharer needing to have access it's not practical to take it home.

And is there anything I can treat my tack with to help protect it against damp? I should say the barn gets very dry in summer, so it's one extreme to the other!

Back OT, I thought this thread was going to be about coatings on leather trainers (or perhaps it's the same coating!), because I wonder what the point of paying all that money for breathable leather just to seal it up with plastic?
 
How about this then?? Bought through Ebay two lovely old bridles and a nice chunky leather head collar. The double has hardly been used and the snaffle has a lovely pair of plaited reins that despite looking like they haven't been used for years are lovely and soft! This is what I meant when I've posted before about good leather being tan when new and getting darker with use, cleaning and oiling.

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As others have said, the leather today is not as good as it was, even when I trained 25 years ago it was starting to get bad then, best hide is made using Aberdeen Angus cattle. It has a good structure to the cells, usually takes longer to mature the cattle so the hide has longer to grow and "set" itself.
Bakers in Devon are really the only traditional tannery left in the UK, oak bark tanned hides in a pit from yesteryear is their favoured method there.
I bought some stirrup butt from them, that won't break in a hurry!
Here's their website

http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/index.php

I still use traditional hides, I dress my own hides with my own leather conditioner I make, I have hides that are 25 years old and still in good nick.
I don't like today's hides, they are getting worse too.
I see saddlery coming in to be repaired that was made with the most awful leather, fittings and workmanship, no wonder it breaks!
 
marmalade76 said:
How about this then?? Bought through Ebay two lovely old bridles and a nice chunky leather head collar. The double has hardly been used and the snaffle has a lovely pair of plaited reins that despite looking like they haven't been used for years are lovely and soft! This is what I meant when I've posted before about good leather being tan when new and getting darker with use, cleaning and oiling.

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Nice traditional bridlework!
This is how I make them, notice you have "bridle" pointed ends (shape of end of straps) which is correct for traditional english bridlework, these days they usually are "egg pointed" which is cheaper to make (use a shaped punch rather than cut by hand as in bridle pointed ends).
Egg points used to be seen on show in hand bridles, head collars, foal slips,driving bridles etc never on riding bridles.
The bridle also has a stitched on noseband to noseband cheek and headstrap instead of the cheaper inferior method of stitched through like on modern bridles.
Looks like hand stitched 12 stitches to the inch as well, again very traditional, most I see now if they are not machined are 8 to the inch.
You got yourself some nice saddlery there, well done!
 
totally agree. Although that said, I have just purchased my first 'decent' saddle - well what I would call decent anyway. The best Id had before was a Kent and Masters but the leather was so hard and stiff. Ive just got a new Black Country saddle in dark brown and the leather is divine:cool:

I bought a pair of Amigo leathers last year and despite being looked after they are literally 2 different colours as the black is peeling off the sides:rolleyes: and they are all rubbed and faded, just from use.

Sbloom - i love the Effax Balm, it smells like honey:D Can I ask what is the difference between neatsfoot oil and leather dressing, like the hydrophane stuff:confused:
 
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