Saddle leather cracking along seam on seat

[Gwyneth]

My calfskin Voltaire dressage saddle unfortunately has some light cracking in the leather near the seams on the seat. The saddle is only 4 years old, and the cracking started about a year ago. I’m pretty sure it started after I rode in an absolutely torrential 3-day show. Perhaps I didn’t look after the leather properly after it got drenched, or maybe the softness of the leather just makes it prone to wearing out (I’ve only ridden in it with breeches).

Is there anything I can do to slow/ stop the cracking from getting worse? I’ve heard that some people put leather glue on the cracking. Has anyone here done that? Should I look into using a seat saver with it? I don’t really want to get a patch put on it, but I know I might have to in the future.

I might be moving to a barn without an indoor arena, and I’m worried that riding in the rain will make it worse. Would a seat saver solve this, or would the water just penetrate through it?

TIA!

[2tempe]

I have dressage saddle that developed cracks and ultimately a hole under my seat bone. I had the seat recovered, not cheap but way cheaper than new saddle. A saddle repair person can put a patch over the spot - not attractive but cheap and effective solution. Scroll way down this page and you will see one patched. I wouldn’t put glue on it, but only because I dont know what I’m doing. Prior to replacing my seat the repair guy did put glue into cracks and it bought me some time.
https://www.thesaddlegeek.com/buying-a-used-saddle-watch-out-for-these-expensive-repairs/

I have never ridden in a seat saver so cant vouch for whether or not that would do anything. I would suggest that you keep the area well conditioned and pliable rather than allowing it to dry out. Can you post picture?

Note that my saddle is a Custom brand, now maybe 4.5 years old, and unfortunately the quality of the leather was not great. Maybe your problem too, so dont beat yourself up too much

[beowulf]

Riding in the rain shouldn’t make leather on a saddle crack. I have no ring and I have ridden rain or shine, for the last ~15 years, outside in the competition/show season.

It’s okay for leather to get wet. It’s skin. What you do after makes the difference - wipe it down with a dry rag and, if it is dry, put some conditioner on it. I use Passier Leaderbalsam on my saddles after they get soaked, it helps seal in moisture (wait for the saddle to dry, before conditioning) while also adding a bit of a moisture barrier for future rain storms.

Referring to the meat of the question, a crack is usually from softness of leather, or, dryness, + pressure.

Calfskin is not as durable as regular leather, and several years is about the natural lifespan of an area that has lots of pressure on it (vs a flap, which has less wear and tear). A seat saver would hide the issue but not fix it – but, you can stay the progress of the crack by conditioning the seat carefully. Cracks are usually blemishes for quite a while before they need repair. If you condition it carefully it may not progress.

[ThreeFigs]

Thumbs up for Beowulf’s suggestions. I’ve had a few saddles that either developed cracks or bought used ones that already had them in the area you describe. After having one Passier saddle reflocked, the saddle guy recommended Passier Lederbalsam, rubbing a bit extra over the seam areas.

You canot ride in a (recognized) show with a seat saver unless you have a Para Equestrian classification with a seat saver listed as allowed adaptive equipment.

[Guilherme]

I was not familiar with this brand and looked them up. They are pricey At this price point I would expect a bit more durability, even in calf skin. There are a number of U.S. based people who deal in this saddle as well as a U.S. manager. I’d contact them and ask what they recommend. I’d not go into a DIY program with some thing this expensive until I had no other viable choices.

Good luck as you go forward.

G.

[clint]

Years ago I had a dressage saddle that developed a seat crack. I tried a patch, and that was a waste of time and money. It didn’t hold up. If you love the saddle, I recommend having a good saddlemaker put a new seat on it. It isn’t cheap, but it will last and as noted in another comment, it is way cheaper than a new saddle.

[GucciJumper]

I have heard putting a sweaty girth on top of your saddle will cause the leather to wear down faster.