What are the pros and cons. I live in hot, muggy, humid, (did I say hot) South Florida. Looking at an Antares buffalo on eBay.
My calf saddle molded in a non climate controlled tack room. My buffalo saddle looked new right up to the day I sold it. I am a buffalo fan.
1 Like
My saddle is double buffalo and has been through rain, humid tack rooms, my horse shaking it off his back and into the dirt a month after I got it, etc., and it has never molded and looks pretty much brand new every time I clean it.
As evidence after a quick scrub rather than a proper deep clean (from my IG story a while back, please forgive the added commentary, lol):
I should also add that I’m that person who properly cleans my tack maybe once every three months and that’s usually spurred by either getting rained on or going somewhere so it definitely doesn’t look like this due to me being on top of things with my leather care.
5 Likes
Calf is pretty but fragile.
1 Like
Buffalo for the win. I had a few calf saddles, still have one and it’s 15 years old and no matter how much I treated it like a baby, its looked pretty rough for the past ten years. Still kicking without holes but yeah.
My oldest buffalo saddle is a 2012 and looks pretty amazing still. I bought two more saddles in buffalo because of this.
I’m not opposed to calf and if the saddle works ill get it but buffalo is grippy still and wears much better. Your saddle will look better in five years than calf.
1 Like
Fun Fact on most French saddles (unsure about non-french saddles):
“Buffalo” is just nubuked calf. The calf is just ran through a machine where the top grain is sanded to make it suedey and “sticky”. There isn’t actually a longevity difference (within each saddle company compared to their own saddles) between calf and buffalo and it’s the same leather, one is just ran through a machine. I had clients that had calf saddles last YEARS and wear through Buffalo saddles, and I’ve had clients with buffalo saddles that wear through calf. Most of the time it depended on the care, what year the saddle was, the batch of leather, and the stitching situation vs anything else.
I personally liked the buffalo because it felt grippier to me. You can brush the suede back up on the saddle with crepe brushes after oiling and riding, and it just felt like it provided better grip vs calf or grain. However, if you want sturdy - grain is always the way to go IMO.
2 Likes
I’ve got both and have not seen a difference over five years and both saddles being used on a daily basis. I do think the calf is a little more comfortable. Not a climate controlled tack room in VA.
For British saddles it is not applicable. Buffalo is what we call a solid hide and it is much thicker and more durable than calf.
5 Likes
I assumed British & some other brands weren’t applicable, hence my side note. I rode in a buffalo county once that was for sure not nubuked calf. It sounded more like what you’re describing.
However, OP is looking at an Antares, which is French and just nubuked calf.
My Antares is solid hide and, I think, buffalo. Maybe it’s pigskin. I do know that it’s much more durable than the calf on my Amerigo. I avoid calf if at all possible.
1 Like
I just wanted to make sure the information was readily available for anyone who may need it in the future, on top of what you already mentioned
2 Likes
What is double buffalo?
