Higher Standards Leather Care - Part 2

Last week we talked about how nicely the Higher Standards saddle soap cleaned up the Stubben lesson saddle and this week we'll talk about the results of their leather balm.

After the saddle was dry from cleaning I brought out the leather balm to see how much of a difference it could make in rehydrating.  The balm, pictured on the right, has a yellow tint and a creamy, lightly waxy texture that smells amazing. I polled a few people at the barn on the mild but yummy scent and was told more than once,"it smells like chocolate."  That's probably due to the mix of cocoa butter, safflower oil, and beeswax.  

I first tried using a rag to spread the balm over the clean saddle but quickly realized that just using my hands did a better job of evenly coating the leather. Because this saddle hasn't been oiled in a while I used a very liberal amount and made sure to work it in by rolling the flaps, billets, and stirrup leathers.  What I really liked was the formula was so light but it was doing a great job of restoring moisture and flexibility.  I also liked that there wasn't much residue left behind after application. There was a nice sheen to the leather but it didn't feel dripping wet and oily like a treatment with neatsfoot or other liquid conditioners. This saddle got so soft compared to what I started with that I almost couldn't believe it was the same piece of tack. Take a look at the after leather balm photos below to see just how nice it cleaned up.

What a huge difference, right? I remained a bit of a skeptic though as leather does feel nice and supple when it's still damp so I thought the best test would be to put this saddle back to work and see how my results held up after a week of lessons. Well, let's have those photos speak for themselves.

Before

One Week Later

Before

One Week Later

Before

One Week Later

The saddle could use another round or two of the leather balm to keep up with the moisturizing and softening but I'm convinced that it's totally up to the job. I don't think there's much more praise I can give Higher Standards in this case. Their products did a fantastic job, the results are pretty evident and the scents and textures of the products made them a pleasure to use.  You can purchase the line of Higher Standards soaps and leather balm direct from their website or through their retailers.  The scented soaps will run about $15.00 for an 8oz. jar that from my experience will last quite a long time and the leather balm is just under $20.00 for an 8oz. jar. 

Next week I'll be doing a list of items you didn't know you'd need for your horse show check list but are going to be glad to have just in case. 

If you have any questions about what you've seen on the blog or would like to know what my opinion of a certain product is leave me a comment, email, tweet or Facebook message and I'd be happy to share what I know.  Until next week, happy riding!