Very well stated, bonechilling. I heard somewhere that not too far back meat in this country was something that people had on a once a week or once a month basis...not with EVERY meal like it is now days. Too bad I nearly lose control of my salivary glands every time someone puts a Del Monico steak in front of me.

What would have to be done to qualify as a vegan saddle...just that it doesn't use any animal products in the process? I think going into a LBS and asking which saddles use real leather and which ones do not would yield the best results.