I have a nice, light oil Circle Y show saddle that I have tried selling to no avail. I get lots of lowball offers, but nothing with which I am willing to part with the saddle.
I need dark oil for showing on the Morgan circuit. Would dyeing the saddle be an option? Does dye (when done by a saddlery company) tend to bleed out or get uneven tones?
I don’t want to end up with a saddle that will have color rub off on my clothing or end up looking greenish/yellowish in spots over time.
There are a lot of QH people dyeing saddles black right now, so I don’t see any reason you couldn’t have it done in a dark oil. I have a friend who had her Blue Ribbon dyed black and it came out beautifully! I don’t know who did it, but I could find out. I haven’t heard of any issues of fading or rubbing and it’s pretty popular.
I would love to get the name of who to send it to! It was killing me to part with the saddle, but the horse we bought it for doesn’t show anymore and I need a dark oil for my Morgan. Please let me know what company your friend used.
Kari Grefsrud in Minnesota is the name I got - don’t have a phone number, but I googled and got a barn so I think you could get contact info there!
Thank you!!
I didn’t dye my saddle black, but I did order it semi-custom (I was able to pick the color of the leather, seat, tooling options, etc) and it’s black. I would never get another black saddle again. The dye doesn’t seem to hold it’s true black color (I have spots on my fenders and jockeys that are reddish brown color now) and the underside of the fenders and accompanying straps with the blevins buckle holes is like a chalky texture and the black rubs off all over the place if you touch it.
I wouldn’t do it. I’d see if you could trade your light oil for a dark oil, or just continue to try to sell it as is.
I wouldn’t do it either. When you have a used saddle that has absorbed many substances, some intended, some not so much, and the leather worn and slightly roughed in some places more then others? Nothing is going to absorb equally on those unequally worn surfaces and that could either enhance the saddle with a nice patina of varying shades or come out just plain old splotchy. It’s risky. And it can b,eyed on spots that don’t absorb as well as others.
Sometimes the original tanning process was not done as well or they used cheaper chemicals and that will also create uneven absorption of dye or oil. Especially lower price range mass produced brands.
You might try taking the saddle apart by removing the fenders, take the stirrups off and really scrubbing the saddle down with mild soap (blue Dawn) and water rinse really well. That will remove dirt and other substances that will block absorbtion including old glycerine product build up over dirt. Air dry away from heat source. Apply multiple light costs of dark saddle oil allowing to completely dry between coats over several days.
As you apply each coat, watch for areas that are not going to take the oil or are sopping up too much. Adjust the amounts you are applying to those or, worst case, stop before you end up with a Pinto saddle.
Even a really careful saddle dyer or oiler can’t do a thing about varying absorption rates on used saddles. You can sort of ruin them even if they are still useable. I sure wouldn’t risk it and spend the money to possibly make a currently less popular color used saddle I wanted to sell even less desireable. Drop the price, let the buyer worry about it.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
