Black western saddles, yay or nay?

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=Showbizz;8358565]
Quarter horses have been actively sporting black tack at the world show for at least a couple of years now.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcXKwyR5WHyEAz0.JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzcXEwY3A0BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANlZTlhMTNjOTU5ZWFmOThjZDI3OTY4NDdkYjY0YjRlMARncG9zAzExBGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DAQHA%2BWorld%2BChampion%2BWestern%2BPleasure%26fr%3Dmcafee%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D11&w=350&h=250&imgurl=www.aqha.com%2FShowing%2FWorld-Show%2FClasses%2FOpen-Western%2F~%2Fmedia%2FImages%2FShowing%2FEvents%2FWorld%20Show%202013%2FClass%20Winners%2F2yowp.ashx%3Fw%3D350&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aqha.com%2FShowing%2FWorld-Show%2FClasses%2FOpen-Western%2F2-Year-Old-Western-Pleasure.aspx&size=85.3KB&name=<b>AQHA<%2Fb>+<b>World<%2Fb>+<b>Championship<%2Fb>+Show%3A+2-Year-Old+<b>Western<%2Fb>+<b>Pleasure<%2Fb>&p=AQHA+World+Champion+Western+Pleasure&oid=ee9a13c959eaf98cd2796847db64b4e0&fr2=&fr=mcafee&tt=<b>AQHA<%2Fb>+<b>World<%2Fb>+<b>Championship<%2Fb>+Show%3A+2-Year-Old+<b>Western<%2Fb>+<b>Pleasure<%2Fb>&b=0&ni=144&no=11&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12t4v6uvk&sigb=13gkirkai&sigi=14758v749&sigt=12s2h6kj3&sign=12s2h6kj3&.crumb=NUv9qhhYjFG&fr=mcafee

https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcXKwyR5WHyEA8U.JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzMnA4bjFjBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM3YzIyODBhMGI0Y2I2ZWQ3MmU2NTgzY2M5MDliODk3MARncG9zAzQ1BGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DAQHA%2BWorld%2BChampion%2BWestern%2BPleasure%26fr%3Dmcafee%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D45&w=600&h=400&imgurl=www.aqha.com%2FShowing%2FNovice-Championships%2FEast%2FClasses%2FAmateur%2F~%2Fmedia%2FImages%2FShowing%2FEvents%2FNovice+Championships%2FEast+2013%2FClasses%2FAmateur%2FNA+Western+Pleasure.ashx%3Fw%3D600&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aqha.com%2FShowing%2FNovice-Championships%2FEast%2FClasses%2FAmateur%2FWestern-Pleasure.aspx&size=245.3KB&name=Elle+win+amateur+<b>western<%2Fb>+<b>pleasure<%2Fb>+October+5+at+the+Nutrena+East+<b>AQHA<%2Fb>+…&p=AQHA+World+Champion+Western+Pleasure&oid=7c2280a0b4cb6ed72e6583cc909b8970&fr2=&fr=mcafee&tt=Elle+win+amateur+%3Cb%3Ewestern%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3Epleasure%3C%2Fb%3E+October+5+at+the+Nutrena+East+%3Cb%3EAQHA%3C%2Fb%3E+…&b=0&ni=144&no=45&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12rml9u9o&sigb=13geguo4c&sigi=15ah7fcdu&sigt=12tbeucqm&sign=12tbeucqm&.crumb=NUv9qhhYjFG&fr=mcafee

https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrTcXKwyR5WHyEA8k.JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzdGpwdG1uBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM0ZDk0NTllNzYzZGUzNTlkZDk3ZWFlMjkyNjg3NGIyYwRncG9zAzQ2BGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DAQHA%2BWorld%2BChampion%2BWestern%2BPleasure%26fr%3Dmcafee%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D46&w=350&h=233&imgurl=aqha.com%2FShowing%2FWorld-Show%2FClasses%2FOpen-Western%2F~%2Fmedia%2FImages%2FShowing%2FEvents%2FWorld%20Show%202014%2FClasses%2Fsrwp.ashx%3Fw%3D350&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aqha.com%2FShowing%2FWorld-Show%2FClasses%2FOpen-Western%2FSenior-Western-Pleasure.aspx&size=74.2KB&name=<b>AQHA<%2Fb>+<b>World<%2Fb>+<b>Championship<%2Fb>+Show%3A+Senior+<b>Western<%2Fb>+<b>Pleasure<%2Fb>&p=AQHA+World+Champion+Western+Pleasure&oid=4d9459e763de359dd97eae2926874b2c&fr2=&fr=mcafee&tt=<b>AQHA<%2Fb>+<b>World<%2Fb>+<b>Championship<%2Fb>+Show%3A+Senior+<b>Western<%2Fb>+<b>Pleasure<%2Fb>&b=0&ni=144&no=46&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12ou0frg5&sigb=13gc9vqgf&sigi=13qnpbni6&sigt=12ovec5gv&sign=12ovec5gv&.crumb=NUv9qhhYjFG&fr=mcafee[/QUOTE]

That is what I thought too. I have been seeing more and more saddles that have been re-dyed as black advertised on the AQHA Facebook groups I follow, and not just low end saddles. Harris, Broken Horn, and Chavez.

Big news at Congress, an ApHC gelding just won the $10,000 maturity, and was shown in a black/tan combo saddle. https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12109086_10153738841541940_4245890224812635159_n.jpg?oh=b2509d720826d26637e239c777c924b0&oe=569A1A1B

[Draftmare]

By the way, here she is in a saddle close to the color I am currently considering. I think I may go for the saddle if the tack shop still has it the next time I am down there.

[Rusty15]

I don’t want to derail this but there’s something that I’ve been wondering about that some of you have brought up. How come everyone says black western saddles don’t hold their color, dye rubs off, etc. and yet here are approximately 661865135163521352116864488355431 black english saddles that have NO issue? They’re both made of leather…

[StarPattern]

[QUOTE=Rusty15;8368065]
I don’t want to derail this but there’s something that I’ve been wondering about that some of you have brought up. How come everyone says black western saddles don’t hold their color, dye rubs off, etc. and yet here are approximately 661865135163521352116864488355431 black english saddles that have NO issue? They’re both made of leather…[/QUOTE]

English and Western saddles are made with different leathers. English saddles are generally softer, more pliable and wouldn’t hold up to the type of environment western saddles end up in. Western saddle leather is thicker. I’d imagine black dye couldn’t penetrate thicker leather as well or evenly as it does the finer english leather.

That’s my experience anyway.