Saddle tearing at twist-what to do

[STaR2]

Hello,

I joined mainly to ask this question. The nearest dressage saddle repair place that is a really good repair shop (they make bridles and leather goods) is a couple hours away. I ride in a used Schleese saddle which wasn’t particularly well cared for. The leather where the seat meets the flap right behind the twist is starting to rip apart from the seam on one side. I can see where that’s going to happen on the other side. A friend who made a saddle suggested leather glue to hold it down. I was going to use duct tape and she said no - the residue would be hard to get off the leather. I took pictures and will send them to the saddle repair place. I’d like to avoid the cost of replacing the seat leather if possible.

Has anyone encountered something like this? Did you use leather glue or have the whole seat leather replaced?

Thanks.

[Absolut_Equestrian]

There is no way to make it “pretty” without a $$$ seat replacement. Professional patches will last a while.

Another option is to buy a roll of leather repair tape and cover the tear. When the tape starts to wear off, you replace it with remaining tape from the 5’ roll Repeat as nessecary.

[luvmyhackney]

JB leather weld is fantastic, fixed a few things with it. If you are concerned about looks try the leather patch kits they have on Amazon for car seats.

[SolarFlare]

This happened to my jump saddle. I did end up trying to get the seat replaced by my fitter who does warranty work for the saddle brand I have (mine is older and well past warranty) and they were unable to source any good leather after Covid so I have it back unrepaired.

I asked about a few options. He said not to use glue as it might put pressure on the tear and cause it to worsen when riding. Same with a seat cover. I was worried that I was going to catch the edge of the torn leather and really rip it when dismounting, so I put a piece of K-tape (kinesiology tape) over it. It actually works really well! The K-tape is sticky enough to stay put for a while but also has some stretch to it. I have to replace the piece every so often, especially in summer if it’s hot. When the tape comes off, there’s a bit of residue but it comes right off with leather cleaner.

I actually showed my fitter last time he was out so he could share my solution with others who had these seat tears but weren’t willing or able to replace the seat.

[Mango20]

I got patches done (professionally) on a saddle with that problem. They glued thin leather patches over the tears. It held up great, and lasted for years. The patches outlasted the saddle, which met its end when I stupidly loaded a pony in a trailer wearing the saddle. The pony suddenly backed under the butt bar (which he had never done before) and the saddle went over the butt bar. It ended up ripping the billets right off where they attached high up under the flap. The saddle was already at least 25 years old by then and not worth repairing.

[SillyHorse]

@Mango20

I got patches done (professionally) on a saddle with that problem.

What kind of professional did the repair? I have a saddle in need of patches and I don’t know who to take it to.

[hillary_again]

@Absolut_Equestrian is correct - this is a $$$ repair.

I had it done about 2 years ago and it was $1200. There are very few people in the US who know how to do this repair AND will do it. I loved my saddle and didn’t want to go through all the __ to find a new one (mine’s no longer made, so I could not just replace it).

A guy who used to work for Smith Worthington did it. He did give me the option of the patch, as others have suggested, which would have been a lot less expensive. The workmanship was top-quality and a beautiful match to the rest of the saddle.

[Mango20]

@SillyHorse

What kind of professional did the repair? I have a saddle in need of patches and I don’t know who to take it to

It was a localish tack repair place. Maybe ask at your nearest tack shop if they have a guy or a recommendation. Mine was done about ten years ago at Outback Leather in Laurel, MD. I just discovered it had a fire in August and hasn’t reopened yet.

[Knubbsy]

I heard Outback is reopening soon!