Buckaroo John's Blog — Quality Leather

I remember one really wet winter we had, where unless you had a covered arena, no one was riding. Once we had a few sunny days I happily went out to my trailer, where I stored my saddle and tack, eager to throw a leg over my mud clad gelding. However, much to my horror, when I opened the tack room door, my saddle and bridle were covered in mold.  Seeing my beautiful saddle and bridle covered in a layer of mold was devastating. However, it doesn't mean that your gear is ruined! While we don't seem to have any...

The Problem Winter weather is no friend to leather, especially polluted rainwater. Microscopically, leather is made up of collagen fibers. During tanning, hides are soaked in chemicals to prevent its fibers and their bonds from decomposing. Natural fats and oils are tumbled with the hides to keep the protein bonds from drying out and to make the leather supple.Protein bonds must be lubricated and kept supple, this is the key to long lasting leather. If the bonds dry out completely, they shrink, become brittle and break. Once broken, they are permanently weakened. Soaking leather in oil may make it supple...

There are four key points to look for when purchasing leather tack that we would like to share with you! We believe in producing gear, and we view your tack purchase as an investment into the longevity of your gear and safety of your ride. Start with the feel of the leather: Is the leather soft and supple? You want to avoid purchasing tack that feels dry because the quality will be subpar. If you bend the leather and you see it starting to crack it is useless and may become very dangerous when riding. It should be bendable, soft...

1. Start with the feel of the leather: Is the leather soft and supple? You want to avoid purchasing tack that feels dry because the quality will be subpar. If you bend the leather and you see it starting to crack, it is useless and may become very dangerous when riding. It should be bendable, soft and not stiff. Even if it has not been oiled, tack should still stay supple. However, when buying new tack, if the leather feels overly soft then this is not good either. This sort of tack has had too much oil applied and is...