What is Leather???
How many leather products do you use on a basis with your equine animals? Do you have a cleaning process?
As an equestrian, leather products are commonly our most used item because of their durability and flexibility when maintained regularly.
Leather tooling allows for different designs and patterns to be created, giving it that hand-made appearance. The leather craftsmen’s tools can make leather products more unique to the customer and give it that hand-made feeling. There is a wide variety of leather goods that provides the daily life of an equestrian.
Leather is created by tanning an animal's rawhide and skin. It also can be made from all different animals such as; cows, pigs, goats, sheep, and exotic animals (alligators, ostriches, and kangaroos). Cowhide is a common material used in the saddle industry due to accessibility, cost, durability, and other factors.
With both English and Western saddles, you find different types of leather on the seat such as suede (split-grain leather that is soft and has a grip feel), rough-out (opposite to the smooth-grain side of leather), ostrich print (ostrich skin and pore appearance), alligator (alligator skin and pore appearance), and many others. Depending on the rider, some prefer having a smooth leather seat which is great for getting in and out of the saddle repeatedly with an all-around feeling.
There are three major factors in the manufacturing process of leather. The three are tanning, retaining, and finishing.
- Tanning involves treating the skins and hides, it takes about four to eight weeks depending on what animal it came from.
- Retaining is to change the features of the first tanning process, taking about 24 to 48 hours depending on temperature, humidity, and thickness.
- Finishing is a complex process, it includes; carrying out the operations of drying skins so the surface for both aesthetic and functional aims can be changed. The finishing process can take a long or short amount of time depending on what aesthetics or functional goals are set for the hide.
In the leather industry, there are all different types of tools. The number one tool that is in use the majority of the working day is the sewing machine.
Think about the beginning stages, the skeleton products would be the materials and glue to assemble the product so if there is an error, it can still easily be taken apart and redone. After it is put together correctly, it would be sewn together. This helps with efficiency because there can be one person making the skeletons and another on the sewing machine.
Taking care of the needle should be a top priority because if it is not cared for, there could be a large expense followed behind. It can be either be redoing the sew work (loss of time) or loss of a sewing machine (loss of time, plus the cost of the machine), and at the end of the day, time is money.
Most of the leather products made should not sit in a window. The reason for avoiding direct sunlight all the time on leather is because it can get sun-bleached ruining the aesthetics.
The leather would turn a lighter color where the light was hitting directly, while the parts that were not in the "sunspot" would have the original leather look. The value of the leather product would diminish.
Each part of the rawhide is either thinner or thicker because of where it was located on the animal and/or the tanning process.
- The buttock region is the best and most expensive area because of how strong and tight the fiber structure is.
- The back region is a combination of the buttock and shoulder areas.
- The shoulder region is a looser and more uneven fiber structure than the buttock area.
- The belly region is the loose fiber structure with uneven thickness and stretchiness. It all depends on what the project is and what it will be used for when it comes to the best location on the hide.
Leather is commonly sold by the square foot or by the pound when purchasing. The actual square footage of each piece of leather will vary, no two pieces are the same.
Having a project in mind and its intended purpose will decide the type of leather that will be needed. Many projects can be made with leather, but having a passion for the art of tooling will improve one’s skill.
The proper thickness of the leather is important to any project. In the interesting world of saddles, there are many different shapes, sizes, and colors a customer can ask for. Each design is purpose-built to aid the rider and horse in a specific discipline that they are in, such as jumping saddles vs. barrel saddles, same with other leather (handmade) projects.
In Conclusion…
Having the skill and practice will help one know exactly what to do if a random customer asks for a purse and wants three pockets and a floral design on it. The Leather Craftsmen would know exactly what part of the hide to use for the best quality and efficiency. Practice and patience make perfect.
Having suitable equipment that fits you and your equine creates an opportunity for a balanced ride.
Thank you for joining the Equidae Family here at Benner Stride!
In the comments below, let us know your favorite type of leather and what it is used for.