leather vs synthetic

[Quelah]

I love leather, I think the horses prefer it too. For lines, leather all the way. I had gotten a set of beta lines to use everyday, can’t stand them and gave them to a friend for ground driving her youngster. I used the same lines for show and at home, I want the same feel in my hands and I just take care of them. Mine are quite light and fine and have stops sewn in which saved my bacon when I showed in the snow this spring and quite literally could not feel my fingers by the end of the class. I knew if I kept my hands clenched on the lines they wouldn’t slip through

I do confess that at home I sometimes use beta traces/breast collar/breeching, though they are leather lined (Smuckers’s), but the saddle/lines/bridle are always leather.

[Cielo_Azure]

I have a number of harness here…I love my beta best of all

BUT not all beta or bio is the same. There are at least ten grades of the stuff (then there is the difference between beta -mat finish and bio- patent finish). The cheap stuff is disgusting -I wouldn’t have it in my barn. The good stuff is amazing.

My good quality bio harness that is a decade old -looks almost new. It is the stainless that is all scratched!

For me, the mold issue here in the south is huge. I am so tired of cleaning leather and cleaning leather only to find that four months after not using it, the whole thing is green. So, my house pantry ends up full of leather. I finally bought a dehumidifer for my tack room. That helps -but now I battle dry leather!

Then the weight, I hate my leather harness for my 18 hand horses. I can’t hardly lift it on the horse and it always clonks me about the ears. They kind of cringe when I set it on them also -it is heavy. I really, truly hate the weight.
Even my old leather work harness is just heavy. It never comes off the rack these days.

Looks -my good beta harness is one that I get complements on all the time. It looks like leather. I use this harness all the time-
My husband got 2nd in carriage driving at the World Percheron Congress last week with this harness:
http://horsephotos.ca/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=56349
It has an interchangeable breast collar (same harness -single)
http://horsephotos.ca/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=57768
or
http://horsephotos.ca/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=57782
I just love this harness!

Reins. I love 5/8 inch beta lines of excellent quality. I love thin lines, I have little hands -it makes a huge difference to my driving. I used to think I loved leather lines until I bought the thin beta lines. I have not had issue with stiffness in the winter but it doesn’t get that cold here (or I don’t drive when it gets below freezing -generally). Actually, I find when I go back to using leather -they are stiffer than beta. I like that the beta is exactly the same all the way through the lines.

Remember, here in the USA -“patent” leather on the driving collars is almost always bio. I haven’t seen a leather patent on a collar being sold in years.

So, over the years -I have become a beta and bio convert!

[Quelah]

Jill have you tried using Leather Therapy conditioner? It’s an excellent product and has phenol in it which is a mold killer/preventative. I was give a set of Samson show harness that had been abandoned in a Florida tack room for a year. I’m sure you can imagine how bad it was It wasn’t until the Leather Therapy that the mold stopped coming back, and it’s been mold free for about a year now.

[MSP]

I ride with Beta reins and my pony harness is beta with soft beta reins. I love them. Even with leather I prefer a smooth fine rein; no bumps, stops, rubber, cotton.

I am down right abusive with my tack, I think I just went 1 or 2 year since last time I cleaned and oiled my saddle and bridle I use every week. I felt guilty as I was cleaning it a few weeks ago and am trying to spray some Lexol on it once a week now.

I have a 1970’s leather harness that I used to clean in the bathtub. I just find leather a pain in the hind end to deal with. First you have to clean it, same as beta, but then you have to oil it, unlike beta!

Beta for me! Maybe some day when I have lots of time and money I will spring for a lovely russet leather harness!