Originally Posted by
Lbxpdx
I have this beauty of an old saddle that I would like to use, though I feel it should get some sort of conditioning before I tighten the bolt. I’ve heard obenauf and proofhide, though I’m not sure what would work for an old and kinda dried saddle.
I hope you'll pardon me for being dense, but what are you trying to do? Is there something wrong with the saddle that you want to fix, or do you feel it needs routine maintenance? I'm not sure what 'kinda dried' means.
Both Obenauf's and Proofide are fine. Don't put on more than the leather will absorb, which won't be much.
If you look underneath, on the cantle plate you may see a date code consiting of one letter and two numbers. It'll probably be early 70's. So the saddle is likely about 50 years old. With that in mind, you have to be realistic about the condition of the leather. Like you and I, it's not getting any younger, and it's already been dead a half century. It may tear in half when you hit a bump. It's really hard to assess the strength of old leather, and whatever state it's in, you can't turn back the clock. So, with that in mind, don't worry. It will be fine until it's not.
It looks like your saddle has some flexibility; if that's the case, you don't need to soften it. The shape looks pretty good as well, so you don't need to reshape it.
I don't like the spots where the finish has worn through. I would put some gum taraganth on those and burnish the surface to a sheen. Shoe polish would work too, but you'll get it on your pants when you ride.
I'm sure someone will tell you not to use neatsfoot oil under any circumstances. If it were a new saddle that would be good advice. But Neatsfoot oil isn't going to do any harm to leather this old, and it might do a little good.
Good luck with it! And if (ok, when) it fails, don't worry, it was not your fault.