I have kidnapped Bensmom for next Saturday to take HER BABY HORSE to her first dressage tests, so y’all be PATIENT!!
[QUOTE=FlightCheck;7048425]
I have kidnapped Bensmom for next Saturday to take HER BABY HORSE to her first dressage tests, so y’all be PATIENT!![/QUOTE]
Is this the cute dapple grey? Because she is ADORBS! We’re gonna need pics. :yes:
It is!! And I’ve lost my mind!! I should be home, making soap and conditioner and doing lots of other things, and OMG – I’m gonna load up the Princess and go do walk/trot tests! :eek:
I’m gonna be the fat lady on the fat pony, competing against all the short stirrup kids on ponies. And I intend to kick their butts! 
I did design a vinyl banner to hang on my trailer, and will be traveling with soap, so if anyone wants any . . . See, this business stuff is cool! I can turn a show into a business trip! 
We’ll be at the Oaks Equestrian Center in Lake City, FL if anyone else is planning to go!
And pictures of the pudgy pony are encouraged. As long as I’m not in them . . .
Libby
Good for you, Libby! Hey, you can totally write off the showing costs as “business costs” for taxes then, right? :lol:
Have you looked into the Intuit payment thing-y that you put on your phone? Because then you can take credit/debit cards while you’re on the road. They’re free, you just pay a percentage fee on each purchase (something like 2%, I believe). I am definitely going to get one before Red Hills!
I have and I actually have the one through Paypal. No one has bought anything with them though! I may have to sell myself something, just so I can see if it works! 
Annnnnd . . . .
The new website landing page is live, and has quotes from you guys from your review posts!!
I will plan on tracking you down and making sure you don’t mind being quoted with your name attached over the next week. I would also like to get permission from you to use photos, if you have before and after photos, as the webpage will have a link to a before and after photo page.
Thank you guys so much! The COTH community has done so much to make this happen!!
I’m really looking forward to using my conditioner, I’ve just been busy and sick and haven’t been up to tack cleaning. Hopefully tonight!
Conditioner review. OK, so I agree about the square jars. They feel flimsy compared with the round ones. When I opened the jar, I wasn’t so sure. It has been warm here and the conditioner had come away from the side walls. Doesn’t matter to me, but if you end up widely marketing it, it may be an issue. At first, when I put it on, it seemed kind of heavy and greasy like the Passier Lederbalsam. I use Lederbalsam regularly, but it is despite the greasiness, not because of it.
Your conditioner is different because it spread really well and seemed to be absorbed by my saddle (an older Ainsley Chester) much better than the Lederbalsam which seems to sit on the surface. Two days later the leather still seems much more supple and conditioned than after other conditioners. Also, it was much less messy to apply. So it is a win in my book. I ordered two more saddle soaps (ostensibly as gifts, but I am getting addicted to tack cleaning) as well.
I really cannot say thank you enough. The thing that has kept me from cleaning and conditioning all the time is the stinkiness and greasiness on my hands. Both your products not only do a better job than the competition (and I have Stubben, Leather Therapy, Effax, and Passier on hand right now), but they are pleasant to use. I know that I sound like a prima donna, but I hate the stinky, greasy hands, from most products. So now what do I do with the drawer full of really expensive products that I am left with?
You are not the only Prima Donna about not wanting stinky, greasy hands! I hate hate hate getting anything yucky on my hands (so, you might ask, how is it that I deal with horses at all, then?!) and these products were created with stuff that I didn’t mind handling.
I even hate getting fly spray on my hands – I keep a bottle of dishwashing soap in the barn so that I can wash my hands a lot.
I have a WHOLE ton of products myself in three different places and I haven’t used them, and have the same problem. Not sure what to do with them all! A bunch of it is now old enough that I could throw it all out – it has been so long since I’ve used anything else, it is probably no longer good.
Hmmm – time to finish cleaning out the tack room!
Yeah, I am thinking that I will donate the old soaps and conditioners to a college equestrian program. Johnson and Wales is down the street, and my daughter is on the Earlham team. They always need stuff, and so long as I don’t let my daughter near your stuff, she will think that I have just developed a really generous streak, sharing the tack care stuff that I told her was off limits haha!
Love the conditioner and can not wait until I can order more. Been using it on two new Voltaire saddles and it is doing a lovely job. I also “loaned” some to mom to use on a Louis V. briefcase that hadn’t seen love in a while…worked great but she wanted to keep it to use just on her hands!!!
Good stuff.
I donated my old saddle soaps & conditioners to our local Pony Club. Figured the little ones could use some tack cleaning practice!
Now… Today I tackled my horse’s disgusting, sweaty, grimy cribbing collar. ICK. I was ashamed at the level of filth. So… For your viewing pleasure, I present the following before & after photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/111905546578685545738/albums/5893934887439421633
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Your conditioner is different because it spread really well and seemed to be absorbed by my saddle (an older Ainsley Chester) much better than the Lederbalsam which seems to sit on the surface.[/QUOTE]
IFG, I also found the conditioner spread very well and my 2001 Prestige absorbed it very nicely and evenly. I agree that other balm-type conditioners (and especially Stubben Hamanol) seem to sit on the leather’s surface.
I did take pics - before conditioner, after conditioner and after conditioner / soap wipe-down. Click on the photos to see the captions - The conditioner made a HUGE difference in those little surface cracks on the calfskin leather. Here you go: https://plus.google.com/photos/111905546578685545738/albums/5889818950673245617?banner=pwa&authkey=CO75k7Hynqr_LA
My saddle’s billets think the conditioner is the best thing since people discovered oil.
There wasn’t a noticeable change on any of the other tack I cleaned (all in pretty good repair) but hot damn, those billets feel good! I didn’t realize how dry they were.
I really like how well this conditioner absorbs, even into tack that isn’t necessarily in need of it. I’m used to products which are still in evidence the next day (whether they’re visible on the leather or just come off on my pants) and this conditioner sank nicely into the leather and just plain stayed there.
I have two Ainsleys, a Chester and a XC. Neither seems to ever absorb any oil or conditioner that I have put on them (and I have tried plenty). So far, the Higher Standards seems to be sinking in and getting rid of the dry spots.
Thanks :).
I’m so glad y’all are pleased with it! I have noticed the same thing on one saddle I have that has SUPER dry billets.
The other thing it is doing a great job on? My leather wrapped steering wheel in my truck. It is a 2001, and starting to show its age. I was concerned it was time to get something that would be a “wrap” on it to cover up the rough and slightly sticky feeling it has at the top, where it sits in the sun.
Instead, Mr. Bensmom suggested that I start applying the conditioner to it and see what happens. Dang, it has made it SO MUCH better! I keep a small container in the truck door, and whoever is driving it puts a small amount on a soft cloth and rubs it in whenever we think of it. It has really helped.
I wish I had started using it on the seats before the leather split. 
Now, i have to figure out how to get that repaired.
Real labels should arrive Monday, and keep an eye out – the black top lid jars arrived, and I’m still not sure whether I want to stick with those for the conditioner. So, we will probably put it on sale Monday and ship 'em out and see what y’all think!
I don’t like them “undressed” but with the label on, I like it better than I expected.
Y’all are the Best Research Team EVER!!
Thank you!!
Libby
BTW, a week after conditioning, and the saddle still looks great. Thanks!
I feel like the conditioner would do a great job on some really thirsty tack… alas, I don’t actually own any really thirsty tack. But it sure has softened up the old crappy running martingale, my billets have a new lease on life, and my horse really likes to smell my hands.
And the conditioner is now for sale in the Etsy store!!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/154155989/handmade-leather-balm
It has gotten pretty good reviews, but I’m still up for making changes, if y’all have any recommendations.
And Josh Walker, and Bright Horse Communications have done a terrific job of putting up with me and my going into this, having no clear idea of what I was trying to do or create. Y’all look him and Emily’s new site up and see all the cool things they do! www.brighthorsecommunications.com
We have new labels finally done and I can’t wait to see what folks think – they actually have the directions as a side label, and I think that will be helpful for folks.
And thanks to y’all for being the best testing market EVER! I actually had someone approach me the other day, wanting to provide some nationwide test marketing == I smiled to myself and thought “Oh, no thank you. I have COTH already, and there is NO WAY you can do better than that!”
Libby
Okay, so I FINALLY got around to trying the balm!
I used it on a random leather halter I’ve had sitting around for a couple years, and it was sitting idle for who-knows-how-long before that. It wasn’t in great condition, but not terrible either. I cleaned it first with citrus-ginger soap.
The balm.
Oh. My. Gosh. I thought everyone was exaggerating about how nice it is on your hands. It is SO NICE. I used my hands to rub it into the leather, fully expecting my hands to be gross and sticky. It’s like a nice lotion on your hands.
It absorbed nicely into the leather and I think it’s more supple now. I can’t wait to try this on my saddle! I’ve been using Passier Lederbalsam, which always seems to sit on top of the leather and makes it a bit sticky. I think this is far far far superior.
I like the consistency. It’s firm enough that you won’t accidentally gouge out a huge chunk, but soft enough to spread easily.
And again, so nice on your hands. I just wiped the excess off on a towel, no need to wash or scrub.
Love this stuff!!! The soap is nice and good and all that, but the balm is fantastic! I don’t think it’ll take the place of neatsfoot for really dry tack, but it’s going to be my go-to product for everything else. (The fact that it’s not gross and stinky is an added bonus!)
Bensmom, you hit it out of the park with the balm!
