I Love My Fhoenix But...

[Alexa&Tess]

I got a Fhoenix a month or so ago, I have only ridden in it a few times but it seems to scratch very easily. There are scuff marks on the panel, some are quite deep in to the leather and an odd mark near the top of the panel.  I have cleaned it a few times with the G-wax but it has made no difference.

[Heather]

Hi Alexa and Tess, and welcome.

I presume you have the butt leather flaps? Butt leather is standard on nearly all saddle flaps, and yes, it will scratch, but even with our saddles which are used on several horses a day, the scratches only appear if we have been through mud and it has splashed up onto the flap. Sometimes then, the mud will scratch as the rider's leg rubs it into the flap, but it always polishes out as long as cleaned immediately.

But the panel? The Italian hide may look soft, but we have never found it to scuff. You do mean the panel and not the flaps?

Heather

[Tangled Tango]

ACtuallly on my Fhoenix with the  Butt leather flap, the leathers do scuff the flap noticably.  Have been using a leather renew on it to diminish them.

Jill

[carrieh]

I've got the soft leather flaps on mine - they seem to be ok.  I've only had the saddle about 2 months, but so far so good.  It gets cleaned after every ride, G-waxed every couple of weeks, and it is stored in a padded saddle bag.  I take the stirrup leathers and stirrups off the saddle before I put it away in the bag.  The stirrup leathers are the dressage style, I can't run the stirrups up them, so it's easier to take them off.

[stranger]

My oldest Fhoenix is now--what- well over three years old and gets a LOT of use-and it still cleans up as good as new.  No marks, no scratches.  I don't use saddle stuff on it though,  I use the stuff that you clean leather furniture with.  

Its all Italian hide--but even the girth pulls are not as badly marked as some much newer traditional saddles around.  

 

[TashaKat]

I've got the Italian leather and it looks good as new (when I clean it up  :blush: ).  I want the butt leather flaps on my next saddle because I want suede but apart from that I'd definitely buy the Italian again, it's lush    

[Roxy]

My original Fhoenix scuffed really quickly and looked a mess where the stirrup leathers had been after only 2 rides.  It had to be replaced for other reasons and the new one was great and didn't have a single mark on it after a similar amount of use with exactly the same leathers etc.  Never managed to get a mark on soft leather, apart from when a bl**dy cat decided to dig it's claws into the seat of my old SBS and that cleaned up so well the scratches were barely visible.

[Dark Cloud]

All I use is linseed oil to condition it and although I have just a few sratches its from my  few moments of travelling from car to house or forgetting stirrups whilst lunging. Pretty tough to me as it gets a lot of transporting...although NO mud :(  

[Potty]

I have the all italian fhoenix, had it almost a year and a half, abused it thoroughly, and I have to say the actual leather is almost completely unmarked, apart from slight wear from the stirrups, which I would expect on any saddle, apart from that, its spotless, it never scratches.

[Diane Smith]

I don't think mine has marked anymore than any other saddle I've owned, and it's used more than any previous saddle as the horses had one each then. I expect to it get scuffs, I do look after it, but anything that gets as much use as my saddle gets is going to bear a few marks.

I have the suber with the butt leather.  

[Alexa&Tess]

I did mean the butt leather flaps not the panels.  Maybe I'll just keep polishing and see if the look better.

[Vikki]

the stirrup leathers on mine has also scuffed the flaps

[Tiber]

Mine too!

[drummers mum]

My leather isn't scuffed but that gorgeous soft italian hide has just flattened a bit under the leathers, wouldn't any saddle? My Yo's wow looks terrible where the leathers sit, its lost its colour and it's the same age as my Fhoenix!! Mine looks brand new compared!

[Appy2quarter]

Hi all

I have the soft italian hide and its barely marked at all - just flattened under the stirrup leathers like Drummers Mum.  I do look after it to an almost anal degree but it has been on pretty rough hacks with evil brambles!