at the risk of stirring up a huge hornet's nest of controversy: I read a posting by an individual who may be the one true expert on the subject of leather saddle repair and conservation...I won't repeat his name but his initials are T.C. Now he may have been pulling a fast one on the unsuspecting masses, or this may not be a technique for the novice, but he said he dunked a dried out saddle in a bucket of water to re-hydrate the leather (yeah, that would do it!). Shocked the pee out of me, but if it's true...he IS the expert. Then the trick is to dry it out very gradually and carefully and then treat it with the correct dressing that keeps the the moisture in (and keeps mold/mildew at bay). Take this FWIW
