Leather Care
How to care for your bridle/ Leather Work
In order to take care of our planet and our ethos for looking after the planet, we have chosen vegetable tanned leather for Evoequine bridles and leather work.
In order to take care of our planet and our ethos for looking after the planet, we have chosen vegetable tanned leather for Evoequine bridles and leather work.
TIPS & GUIDANCE for maintaining/cleaning your bridle:
- Always apply leather grease to your new bridle before using it for the first time. It is best to protect the leather before use so the leather can repeal from the inside out. This is prolong the leather.
- Never wash with saddle soap or wet wipes. You do not want to make the leather too wet as this can cause to rotting of the leather and fibres.
- Use a damp cloth with water or leather cleaner to remove dark sweat marks.
- Use leather balm or oil once a week. If your horse sweats a lot, use it twice a week. Do not use large amounts of leather grease – just enough to lightly wipe over your bridle.
- If you use too much leather grease or oil, the stitching can become worn with time and damaged. This is true of all tanned leather.
- Store the bridle in a dry temperate tack room. If this is not possible, make sure not to hang your FinesseBridles® directly above a damp surface.
- If you have been riding in strong sunlight or rain, always treat with oil afterwards.
Evoequine use Vegetable tanning.Vegetable tanning is best known in connection with exclusive shoes, bags, jackets and furniture. This gives a beautiful colour without using harmful chemicals for the benefit of your horse and the environment.
The vegetable tanning agent is extracted from tree bark and various plant extracts, such as many different types of bark and roots that have a high tannic acid content, which softens the leather. The tanning process is very deep-acting and up to 80% of the tannic acid is absorbed by the skin. However, it is expensive and takes a long time: 45 days.
The vegetable tanning agent is extracted from tree bark and various plant extracts, such as many different types of bark and roots that have a high tannic acid content, which softens the leather. The tanning process is very deep-acting and up to 80% of the tannic acid is absorbed by the skin. However, it is expensive and takes a long time: 45 days.
- The advantages are that we take better care of our planet and the people who work in the tanning industry.
- The disadvantage is that the leather is not as resistant to moisture, sweat, water and sun. It dries faster and when leather becomes dry, it marks more easily (also called patina), but a scratch can be removed by applying leather grease.
Evoequine leather is not tanned with chrom.Leather tanned with the heavy metal chromium (chemical tanning) ([Cr(H2O)6]2(SO4)3) is the most widely used tanning method, and up to 80% of all leather industries worldwide use this form of tanning.* This is due, among other things, to the fact that it is the cheapest method of tanning skin.