"Green" leather ..

floppy

floppy

Active Member
Feb 25, 2001
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So I have owned 4 leather saddles in my lifetime and one of my current leather saddles is looking a bit green ( all saddles were brand new)
I haven't had this with any other saddleso_O The saddle in question is 5 yrs old but has probably been in use for not even a year (when u count the days I have actually ridden since I bought it and two pregnancies since then:rolleyes:o_O )
Trying to read up on greenish saddles....makes my initial theory flop- it wasn't the sun that made it fade... especially as the seat of the saddle is hardly exposed to sunlight. Even when cleaning my tack I do it in the shade or mostly inside.

I read it's due to not being oiled enough?

So can someone enlighten me why my saddle is green and what I can do to make it black again?

My other saddle is glamoursly black all over.
For both saddles I clean them the same- wash dirt off with warm water, then with saddle soap and then I rub using my own bare hands hamanol on it, leave it for 24hrs and then "polish" it
 
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I think a green tinge can be to do with the type of dye used, @Wally is the resident NR leather expert, she can probably give the best answer. Perhaps a pic would help show what you are describing :)
 
Mmm due to the fact I just cleaned my saddle...makes it a bit difficult to see. If you cant ee what I mean by the following pictures I will have to take new ones with better light ...
 

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Another picture showing next to the scuff mark a bit of grey ...green..faded leather
 

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Can't quite make it out, Looks like a Top Reiter saddle.

A bit of black Feibings ought to sort that out though, If it's chrome tanned leather the chrome salts turn the underlying leather very green before it's dyed
 
Yep, full points for the saddle brand ;) it's a top Reiter. IQ
I always question the quality of them but it's the only saddle that fits my boy.

I wrote to them last year and they said that their saddles are vegetable tanned so it's possible that they would fade. Nothing with Chrom. That I should use their own special leather conditioning Creme but that cost so much. And it's probably the same as some other product that costs less.

Unfortunately I had just cleaned the saddle when i took the pictures, I'm going riding tomorrow or on Sunday then i will take a new picture because you see it best when the sun shines on it


. maybe I shouldn't us the Stuebben hamanol then? It's a creamy yellow gunk stuff Incase you don't know it
 
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Hammanol smells nice, not bad stuff, Or Abbey 1982 is good, If you get some Feibings leather dye , clean it then put some dye on it then grease it it ought to help.
 
I was not overly impressed with the Top reiter saddles, But if it fits, then it fits and that the important thing. I was Jammy and managed to pick up a second hand Frelsi, still with the tags, only tried on and it fitted Tór like a glove. That was just pure jam
 
I actually swore after the last topreiter saddle that I would never buy one again. They are definitely not saddles you buy to last . And a bit weird in design . But when my youngun was freshly trained to ride I tried numerous saddles...and I be darned it was the only one...it is comfy though.

I tried a stuebben on him again last week that fits him now super...but I won't get the money I would like for my topreiter because it's faded. o_O
 
So Here is a better picture that shows my saddle is just not black like it should be

I have ordered some of the fiebings dye. Comes from America...will take a fortnight to come .
 

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So seeing as my topreiter isn't worth much anymore I got some fieblings dye and thought I would try it out
Mm...so it's kinda looking bronzy...have I just trashed my saddle

Haven't Greesed it yet

Is asorbines leather cream good?
 
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