I bought a Black Country used that I really like, but I have tried everything I can think of on it. It has softened a little but not like I want it to. I’ve tried Passier Ledersbalsam, Lexol, Horseman’s OneStep, LeatherNew, blah, blah blah. I’m tack product poor. This appears to be my “keeper” saddle though, so I really need to do something about this. Suggestions?
The only way to soften a saddle that I know of is to use it. Ride, clean, ride sweat, clean.
It takes a while, that’s why a good quality saddle that has been properly taken care of is valuable. 
Try slathering on the Lederbalsam and then putting it out in the sunlight for a little while to warm it up.
I also find that Leather CPR softens things up nicely when the lederbalsam doesn’t work.
I would ride it in as much as you can, and oil it religiously. I used Hydrophane to make my leather supple.
Harness Honey, and put it in the sun… it will be buttery soft…
Does anyone know what the main ingredients are in these various things, and which ones serve which purpose (protection, moisturizing, softening)? I think the lederbalsam is mostly lanolin. What’s in Hydrophane and Harness Honey?
I dont know the ingredients of the Harness Honey, and its not on the bottle, but by far, it is the best we’ve found to soften up old, stiff leather (and new). We lather it on the consigned saddles that come in here. I’ve even heard folks using it on their feet & calouses!!! Its water repellant, controls mildew and doesn’t leave an oily residue. It soaks in amazingly.
Are you talking about the seat itself, or the whole saddle… flaps and all??
The seat is just going to take time, but you can do magic on the flaps with some physical manipulation of the leather.
I’m serious… you need to MANGLE the flaps by rolling, twisting, bending and doing whatever you can to loosen the fibers of the leather.
Adding a conditioning product of some kind will help, of course, but doing both at the same time is what will give you the best results.
You will be scared, but it will be worth it!
KD
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Answer and Question
The answer: IMO, pure neatsfoot oil, is the product missing from your list.
I have never met a piece of leather it couldn’t soften. No, you don’t need to get the leather all drowned and water-logged (oil-logged?) to do that.
The questions: have you put any of your products on every surface of the leather? Smooth topside and underside? I would NOT put neatsfoot on smooth calf leather; that stuff is too tender. But be sure to do both sides. Perhaps you know this, but I’m amazed at the number of used saddles I see that look nice on the topside and deeply thirsty between flaps.
Also, is this very stiff leather Black Country’s smooth grain option? How old is this saddle? I’m just curious because I want one of these, with this leather. Armed with my trusty neatsfoot, I’m not afraid. Should I be?
Thanks! Hope neatsfoot does it for you.
I just doused the undersides with neatsfoot today. And parked it in the sun for 20 or so minutes. It drank about a 1/4 a cup, I kid you not - but it didn’t do a thing for the softening. This saddle has me baffled. I really like it in all other respects. The seat, knee rolls, panels and gullet even appear to be calfskin. But the skirts, flaps and sweat flaps are just maddenly stiff. And trust me it’s been ridden in. It came to me with heavy wear marks. And I ride in it alot. But I don’t think it’s really been abused. The billets are soft. The calfskin is in GREAT shape. I have pounded Lederbalsam into it. It just sneers at me. By comparison, I also got an old Crosby PDN, not quite as stiff but close. You know, the kind of thing where you’d be afraid if you did all that manipulation without first putting something on it, you’d crack it or at least give it stretch marks. :lol: I gave the Crosby two passes of LeatherNew and Passier Lederbalsam and it’s just molten now. It drapes like bridle leather. Unfortunately, THIS is not the saddle that really fits my leg. And I’ll bet I’ve put 20 coats of various @#$% on the Black Country. I might as well rub my sidewalk.
I don’t know how old the BC is. It is their GP Event model. I can’t find a serial number on it. I’ve written them about this enigma to see what light they can shed. The very strangest part of this is that in the areas of least wear on the flaps, it almost looks like there’s a kind of varnish or shellac there. 
But the stiffness isn’t limited to the areas that have this strange finish. Where it’s worn off, the leather’s just as stiff, ruling out (at least in my mind) any theory about this blocking absorption of the conditioners. And it drinks in from the underside just fine. So what is it doing with all that oil, if it’s not making me some softness with it?:rolleyes:
A deep, deep mystery, indeed!
The swatch of smooth-grained, thick-n-stiff leather Trumbull Mountain sent me was what I was going on, plus pictures of other BCs and the printed, “vintage” “pre-oiled” demo I have in my hands.
I’m glad you compared this to a brand new Crosby. I had assumed that those set the standard for stiffness that did, with care, go away. Some people can’t even deal with their new saddle stiffness. I don’t think you are such a sissy. This one is beyond, right?
Do e-mail Nikki at Black Country. You might also call Trumbull Mountain for help. Finally, can you post pics of this freak-of-nature-(or weird tanning) leather? You know, for the betterment of all saddlers, tack cleaners and random people everywhere?
LEDERSOFT!!!
I absolutely SWEAR by this stuff! It is their oil product with avocado oil in it, and it is much more effective than the Lederbalsam.
I have broken in 2 saddles with it. It REALLY soaks into the leather, and it doesn’t leave a greasy surface – if anything, I find it to be “tackier”…and it will not harm stitching etc, no matter how much you use.
Here is what I did (advised by an ULR): Set your saddle somewhere hi-traffic at home (like the kitchen). Pour a bunch of Ledersoft into a small bowl, and keep re-applying it with a sponge about every 30 minutes over a couple of days, like a weekend. It soaks up so quickly, that I went over it about 3-4x before I walked away the first time. And, every time I walked back thru the room, I did it again. Because my flaps really needed work, I rolled them back and forth, etc every time as well.
I used about 80% of the bottle over the 2+ days. And, I had a very different saddle by the end of the weekend!
I believe I am pretty hard core about tack care. I grew up as a Murphy’s oil soap and neatsfoot and elbow grease gal. I went out to take some pics of this thing just now in all its freakish glory (it really is wonderful to ride in, btw :)) and my battery is dead. Look forward to meeting it in person soon, y’all. :yes:
Meet the Beast
Ta da!!
http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f296/cocreate/black%20country/?action=view¤t=BCside.jpg
I have an eventer friend who has a black County. She has the same problem you do. I wonder if the saddle being black has something to do with it?
I’d still rely on the Neatsfoot oil. It’s made from cow stuff, just like the leather your saddle is made of. Keep at it…perhaps they tan black leather differently and it doesn’t absorb oil as well? I don’t know…just thinking out loud.
Yeah, I’ve had similar thoughts as well. I really hope the BC people write me back on this one!
[QUOTE=mortebella;4178649]
The very strangest part of this is that in the areas of least wear on the flaps, it almost looks like there’s a kind of varnish or shellac there. But the stiffness isn’t limited to the areas that have this strange finish. [/QUOTE]
:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes:
AHA! I bought an older Crosby for DD a couple of years ago, and it had been sprayed with some sort of varnish (I think along the lines of what western folk use) when we got it. I took a magic eraser and gently used it to remove all of that stuff I could that was left. You could tell some of it had worn off, but I believe the whole saddle had been sprayed. I think it took a lot of the suppleness out of the leather as it had even cracked. Once we were down to the leather, I put on copious amounts of Hydrophane over and over and over and over and…
It is now a lesson saddle, but is soft and supple. This is the one all the kids fight over to ride in. I was told Hydrophane replaces the proteins that leather can lose when subjected to neglect or abuse (like varnish). Why would someone do that??? :no:
ETA - just saw the photo, and your saddle looks exactly like DD’s did when we got it. There is hope!
Oh yes, definitely write to Black Country. If you can provide a serial number or estimate its age, that will help. It seems to me that saddle makers have been scrambling in last decade to find decent leather. The leather on this one may have had a particular technique that goes with softening it.
It doesn’t look like either their modern “vintage” leather which is too soft and comes “pre-oiled.” Nor does it look like the current version of regular hide. Ask 'em What Up!
Ok, HunterMom, I am game. But tell me what a magic eraser is! Is it the same thing I know from art school? A kneaded eraser or a gum eraser? I have both in my “art geek” box, and I’m eager to try!
And mvp, I really hope BC will write me back! I have some dim memory of already having emailed, and not hearing. :no: Should I snail mail?
Thanks everyone for caring about my beastie! COTHers are great! :)
try adding these to your line up of tack products to use:
this stuff softens like the devil, it also helps remove small dings: http://blackrockleathernrich.com/
and this was suggested to me to help restore an old passier dressage saddle that someone had left out in a shed for 5 years. I generally don’t love the leather on german saddles to begin with, but this stuff worked unbelievably: http://www.saddlesource.com/proddetail.asp?prod=93-4028
The saddle is now nice, for a german saddle :lol: I’m an english leather snob :lol:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/passier%20gg/Picture1.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/passier%20gg/Picture5.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/passier%20gg/Picture4.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/passier%20gg/Picture2.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/passier%20gg/IMG_2833.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/passier%20gg/IMG_2838-1.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/passier%20gg/IMG_2837.jpg
the sweatflaps on this saddle were all curled and crispy, the billets twisty and crispy, the whole saddle was just a disaster, way scarier in person than the photos. All I used was saddle soap (this stuff, I heart it, makes my hands very soft, scroll down to Reitsport saddle soap: http://www.horsetech.com/popular-customs.htm) and the ko cho line. To keep it in shape, I use the black rock.
I too have an older BC and the only leather on the saddle I find even remotely questionable in terms of quality are the panels, the rest of the saddle is just lovely, and not calfskin.
