Leather on seat of used saddle, and flaps

[keysfins]

I have seen several dressage saddles for sale that have what looks to be ripples in the leather of the seat. They go across the width of the seat, in the middle third of the seat where seat bones might be sitting.

Is this normal? Does leather quality play a role? What causes it? Is it acceptable on high end saddles? I have never had a saddle that showed this type of wear.

Also, what should one expect from a well known maker when the bottom of the flaps on a saddle start to “peel”? I had a Prestige Optimax that had a sort of reinforced area at the bottom of the flaps. My current saddles (Windsors and Custom Saddlery) have never shown layers of leather coming apart. But I have recently seen a saddle, that is well cared for, that has a thin layer of leather peeling in that area. What would you expect a saddle maker to do about this problem? The saddle is not old, nor “abused”.

Thoughts?

[sheltona01]

Anytime you see a wrinkle across the entire seat, I would be careful. Most of the time it means a broken tree. Not always, but a majority of the time.

If the other saddle it newer, I would check the warranty to see if it is covered.

[keysfins]

[QUOTE=sheltona01;8551842]
Anytime you see a wrinkle across the entire seat, I would be careful. Most of the time it means a broken tree. Not always, but a majority of the time.

If the other saddle it newer, I would check the warranty to see if it is covered.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. I would think that the leather used in the seat would be fairly durable. The tree is intact, so I’m wondering if the leather of the seat can stretch? Or what else could cause the ripples, in an otherwise sound saddle?

Then there’s the weird bit on the lower part of the flaps. Sorry, no photos.

[soloudinhere]

[QUOTE=keysfins;8551908]
Thanks. I would think that the leather used in the seat would be fairly durable. The tree is intact, so I’m wondering if the leather of the seat can stretch? Or what else could cause the ripples, in an otherwise sound saddle?

Then there’s the weird bit on the lower part of the flaps. Sorry, no photos.[/QUOTE]

A calfskin covered flap has more layers than a plain grain leather flap, and that can peel with enough wear. Typically gets worn through by people who don’t clean their boots or saddle often enough or who use leathers with stitching on them that rub.

As to the seat, as people have wanted grippier and cushier saddles, the seat leathers have become thinner and yes, they can stretch, especially if the seat is very soft. The foam wears and the leather stretches with the rider’s weight. Can be accelerated by the wearing of full seats, as friction is what causes wear.

[mvspencer]

I’ve seen some dressage saddles with wrinkly seats, but the trees were fine. Wrinkly seats on close contact saddles are pretty much always a broken tree, but my guess is a wrinkle in a dressage seat could come up after you spend a lot of time sitting, and stretch the leather funny. It shouldn’t be something to expect, but it can happen. One of the saddles that I saw with a wrinkle in the seat was a Lazer Amulet and one was a Custom, MAYBE. I can’t remember. I just think that the leather wasn’t stretched completely before it was put on over the seat. I wouldn’t be too worried about it in a used saddle, but if I had bought it new, and a wrinkle like that appeared I’d be pretty upset and contact the manufacturer.

As for leather peeling on the bottom of the flap, I’ve seen that before too. But it’s mostly been on close contact saddles. Usually M. Toulouse saddles too, but I don’t expect much from their covered leather anyway. My guess is it’s from stirrup leathers rubbing. Perhaps the leathers weren’t as well cared for as the saddle itself, or they were of lower quality leather. Or perhaps the rider does a little pinching with their leg that increases friction between their boots/stirrup leathers/saddle.

[jaybird660]

There are different reasons a seat can have wrinkles. It can mean a broken tree but it can also mean the leather has stretched. If the rider is the type to drive with the seat, that can happen. Certain leather choices or the quality of the leather can influence that as well.

If the seat has foam that has bunched up or wrinkled or degraded, it can wrinkle. Additionally, if the seat has extra foam which some add for specific reasons, it can wrinkle.

[blonderider]

Does anyone know if there is a way to fix a wrinkle in the seat?
My seat on my buffalo leather saddle wrinkled on one side. I am assuming because I lean that way when I ride sometimes. I would like to sell it but I don’t want buyer’s thinking it has a broken tree. I know the tree is not broken because it was inspected and x-rayed by the saddle company recently.

[TwoRoads]

[QUOTE=blonderider;8552417]
Does anyone know if there is a way to fix a wrinkle in the seat?
My seat on my buffalo leather saddle wrinkled on one side. I am assuming because I lean that way when I ride sometimes. I would like to sell it but I don’t want buyer’s thinking it has a broken tree. I know the tree is not broken because it was inspected and x-rayed buy the saddle company recently.[/QUOTE]

Check in with a leather expert/saddler. They might be able to pull taught the leather again, however, if the leather has shown some stretch it is probably thinner leather, which isn’t bad necessarily, it makes for a softer seat. But if you take out the wrinkles and stretch the leather tighter you run a greater risk of stretching it even more. Leather can only stretch so much before you wear through it.

[jaybird660]

It depends on what the cause is. I would contact Patty Barnett, saddledr@aol.com. However, it could be as little as stretching the leather seat to pull it tight again or having to redo the foundation, whether tree or foam part of the seat.

[keysfins]

Thanks so much for all the information. I really appreciate the wealth of knowledge here.