Wait. I have to know why you plucked the little fella out of 20-year retirement!
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Thank you everyone for all of your advice! Going to go through it again and try some of your recommendations.
Thank you so much!
Started riding again and my saddle may fit the horse I have been riding! Saddle I have been riding in is LOVELY, ,but big for me. If my saddle doesnāt work I will stick with the barnās saddle. And yes, have blessing from trainer, they are going to take a look at it on the horse this week!
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Iāll second using Hydrophane leather dressing to bring back really dry leather. In pony club our method was saddle soap like Fiebings worked to a lather to clean dirt and grime off, then oil with Hydrophane, and then once the oil soaks in coat with glycerin and buff. I have a 50+ year old Kieffer that is still in great shape. I always won best conditioned leather at rallies and ratings using this process.
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Do check your billet stitching is still sound.
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imo: Old Butets respond well to oiling. I typically use neatsfoot, but Iām sure some of the other suggested products in that category would work too. I wouldnāt soak, but applying with a paintbrush is a good way to oil evenly in layers. I keep my oil in a hoof oil jar, so thereās a built in brush handy.
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I have a sidesaddle that was dry when I got it and didnāt get quite enough care from me. A sidesaddle specialist recommened repeated applications of Leather Therapy, not more at one go than normal conditioning, but just keep repeating it every few days. It worked really well, and the saddle is almost 100 years old now. And this reminds me it could use a round of conditioning.
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I have used slightly warmed olive oil. Recently have started using Flexalan. It is a very nice light oil. I work at a horse farm with lots of very old not daily maintained saddles. Flexalan is our go to. Old as in 24+ year Bevals with maybe once a month or 2 maintenance. The Flexalan is great at both breaking in a new saddle and recovering an old dried out saddle
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Rode in it today and everything seemed good! Any suggestions on how better to check?
If itās truly an older Butet, I would love it and care for it, but not ride in it. The channels are typically too narrow to allow the horseās spine ample clearance and the trees are typically too narrow to fit comfortably.
I rode in it today and the horse, built similarly to the horse I had purchased the saddle for as a junior, seemed to do well in it. Itās a 2002, if that means anything.
Saddle technology has just come such a long way in 20+ years. Here are two Butet saddles sold from HighLine, the first is a 2002, the second is a 2022:
You can see how much more clearance the second channel has than the first, and how much more space for the spine / back muscles it has. Then you also have thinks like how the billets are attached, the 2002 being very narrow and pulling straight down from the center, and the 2022 being wider at the top and distributing the pressure more evenly across:
These things look minor, but make a huge difference in the comfort of the horse. If you want an older butet ride in a more modern saddle, take a look at a Prestige Renaissance. They are designed by F. Butet, but are available with wool flocking and an adjustable tree along with other modern saddle design features!
