English Leather bridles?/Imported Leather?

[floradora09]

Trying to find a good quality (for about £60) flash bridle (without a crank noseband!). Found exactly what I was looking for on the GFS website in their advantage range. However, I was slightly surprised to find that the leather was 'good quality imported leather', something which I had always been told to avoid. However, it was a £50 bridle, which would be very cheap for english leather, but seems quite a lot for imported?

Anyway, my point is- how important is it that bridles are made from english leather? How much would I expect to pay for it and which companies sell them? Thanks! xxx

 

[flyingfeet]

Most leather is not english these days, as even hides sold in Walsall are often imported but tanned as english (which is really a description of the stuffing used in the tanning process).

If worked on in the UK it can have the english flag applied, but still doesn't mean what you are buying is English. Also the remaining UK tanneries are aiming for very high quality products, like car interiors, gloves and bespoke gift type items. So again much more expensive and not often choosen for equestrian products

Now having said all this if you have a quality hide and tanning with a good method and quality vegetable stuffing, this is a quality product. So because it was tanned in England doesn't mean its not quality "English Leather"!

To a large extent you do get what you pay for - so a £20 kincade type economy bridle is exactly that and liable to have a stuffing which isn't English leather quality.

However for £60 I would expect to get a product that is as good as most "branded" items.

As a side note we've stopped producing leather items, as the internet got flooded with cheap tat and its very hard to differentiate your leatherwork without people seeing it in person.

 

[monkeybum13]

Not too great on quality of leather
BUT I had a GFS bridle for my welsh section c, had it about 7/8 years and then it went with him and looked as good as new the day we sold ponio

 

[longdog]

Trouble is GFS now only do the Advantage range & have discontinued their previous very nice range of Extra bridlework which, although not english made was reasonable quality. It is worth seeking out a proper english made bridle as the quality & longevity will make it worth the purchase price (think of it as cost per use!)
This one is super quality - http://www.dragonflysaddlery.co.uk/...les&subcatname=All+Purpose+Bridles&itemid=435