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!

  

Higher Standards Leather Care - Part 1

There's a bit of tried and true wisdom that you will hear not just from horseman, but from people from all walks of life. The saying goes, "Buy once, cry once," and it means you might have a bit of anguish over the price of quality items but they will last unlike products that cut corners.  Even when you're on a strict budget, you'll often hear suggestions to buy high quality tack that's been used and it will serve you well. The other thing you need to remember is that taking proper care of your quality tack will extend its life and be more comfortable for you and your horse.

When I purchased my saddle a few months back I knew that the old routine of glycerine soap and neatsfoot oil was a bit out of date and that I'd need to find a new set of products to care for it. I am somewhat new to caring for calfskin so I needed a gentle cleaner that didn't strip moisture and I wanted to keep that plush and lightly sticky finish that it came to me with. I was also looking for a conditioning balm that would do the hydrating job but not leave a greasy film like neatsfoot oil.

While checking out products I came across a thread on the Chronicle of the Horse message board that had hundreds of reviews for a small hand made brand of soaps and leather balm called "Higher Standards," that had a very loyal following.  As you know by now, I love supporting smaller brands and I'm also a bit nosey so I really wanted to try these out and see what the fuss was about.  The only problem... my "new to me" saddle came to me in amazing condition and was in no need of a proper scrub down so any kind of testing I wanted to do just wasn't going to be enough to get a good read on how the soap and leather balm performed.

http://www.higherstandardsleathercare.com

I packed up the blue containers, a few sponges and a polishing rag and headed to the barn with the perfect test subject in mind, a tough as nails, will out live us all, Stubben Edelweiss on the rack of lesson saddles.

The Stubben right before I got started.

Underside of saddle flap before cleaning

Some dirt and sweat on the panels

The leather on this saddle is pretty stiff and overall needed a good cleaning.  The stirrup leathers had also seen better days and needed a drink after having the remnants of spring mud cleaned off. I also intended to give the whole saddle a generous coating of leather balm to see if there was any chance of softening up that tough exterior. As I got to work I was quite pleased with how nice the scent of the soap was.  I had the "Ben's Rosemary Mint" scent but this soap also comes in an assortment of vanilla lavender, citrus ginger, and rosemary citrus offerings. The next thing I noticed was that this soap didn't create large amounts of suds but it did glide over the leather and did a great job breaking up dirt and gunk.  I followed the directions of wringing out the excess water from the sponge and wiping off the soap by flipping the sponge over.  There was quite a bit of funk on this old Stubben but as I worked I could see that there was some pretty great progress being made. The saddle soap on its own has a cream conditioner incorporated so instead of a waxy, squeaky glycerin finish I had a soft, semi flat sheen on the leather. What I really liked is that the soap didn't seem to darken the finish and that was quite evident on this havana colored saddle. I also really enjoyed discovering that just a little soap goes a long way.

Next week I'll show you what this Stubben looked like after the soap and conditioner and will even give you an update on how it held up after a week of use. Check back for the after photos and the final verdict and until then, happy riding!