bridle, harness, latigo: what's the difference?

[Rannoch]

Here's my understanding of the differences between these terms, but I'm not confident in this understanding.  Please comment on what I'm missing or misunderstanding.  

They are all start out as veg tan, then are dyed and infused with waxes and oils.

Bridle has medium flexibility and will become pretty soft with use.

Harness has less flexibility than bridle and has a harder finish.

Latigo is like bridle only it has a better finish on the flesh side.

In terms of quality over all, depending on the tannery, latigo is best, followed by harness and then bridle.

I've talked to people at different leather suppliers, wholesale and retail, and it seems everyone has a different idea.  

I searched the archive, but was looking for more detail.

Thanks for your insights.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Rannoch
clarity, hopefully

[tsunkasapa]

Per Wikipedia;  Latigo leather is cowhide leather that is combination tanned. First it is chrome tanned, then it is vegetable tanned.^[1] Before modern combination tanning, latigo had been combination tanned with alum and gambier.

Per the Buckle Guy;  English Bridle leather is an authentic vegetable tanned cowhide/steerhide that is made from the highest quality English animals and products. It is dyed in drums in order to develop deep, consistent colors with waxes and tallows. After the dying process, the leather is then hot stuffed with pre determined amounts of spew on the grain and flesh, giving it the English feel. Upon completition the leather will be stiff, though with the proper care and an ample amount of break-in time it will become soft and supple with a lot of strength.

Per Weaver Leather;  Stuffed with heavy tallows, harness leather offers exceptional weight, thickness, ease of cutting and durability. Its self-explanatory name sometimes expands to include collar and saddlery leathers. All harness leathers are generally made from vegetable tanned cattlehides.

[chrisash]

You only have to go back to say 1940 when Horse power was the main user of leather, (at least in Europe) with Massive heavy horses out in all weather's pulling farm equipment or teams of horses pulling carriages of all sorts day in day out to find the reason for the relationship between leather names and the horse.

Today we chose leather generally for light use imitation gun belts, riding a horse in fine weather for a few hours (yes I know some cowboys still live on their horse) knife sheathes that hardly get wet apart from the odd occasion. In the old days your tack was a major investment; and you could not afford to not  get the best you could afford, so brought leather items for the intended task to use in all weathers 24/7

[Rannoch]

Thanks for the responses, gents.  It's surprising that latigo is chrome tanned first, then veg tanned.  Is that done to speed up the tanning process or to create a particular quality in the leather?  Bridle and harness seem to mean the same thing, but it sounds like bridle means something specific in the UK.  

[LatigoAmigo]

1 hour ago, Rannoch said:

Is that done to speed up the tanning process or to create a particular quality in the leather?

Found this info on the web (bestleather.org) and thought you might find it interesting:

"Latigo leather is both durable and pliable, making it suitable for rigorous activities and applications with rough usage. It is resistant to moisture and sweat, due to the high amounts of oil it is infused with during manufacture. As a result of this oil infusion, and the process of partial chrome tanning and partial vegetable tanning, latigo is more rigid than full chrome-tanned leather but less rigid than vegetable tanned leather. Due to the heavier weight and tanning process, latigo is more costly than most other cow leathers. It is not stretchy and goes from rigid to supple and soft in a short time."

[kiwican]

And English bridle leather is not the same thing as Bridle leather that we get here in Canada either.

[William Bloke]

On 6/16/2021 at 5:28 AM, Rannoch said:

Thanks for the responses, gents.  It's surprising that latigo is chrome tanned first, then veg tanned.  Is that done to speed up the tanning process or to create a particular quality in the leather?  Bridle and harness seem to mean the same thing, but it sounds like bridle means something specific in the UK.  

To this UK saddler...

Bridle leather is used for bridlework, that's the leather on a ridden horse that isn't a saddle. Bridles, breastplates, martingales, that sort of thing. It's a smooth, shiny, corrected grain, veg tan leather with lots of oils and waxes in it (for waterproofness and strength.) and a well finished flesh side. (That last point is important because it is often used for unlined straps.)

Saddlers normally use butts for strength and cutting efficiency, but bridle finished shoulder is excellent for cases and fancygoods.

 

Harness is used for making harness for driven horses. It comes in backs only, the extra length is important for things like traces and reins because the horse is simply further away. It has a bit more texture on the grain side (a slight haircell) and is a bit heavier than bridle butt (about 4.5-5mm.) My understanding is that it is stuffed in the same way. Usually the flesh side is well finished, but not always as harness straps are usually lined.

 

In my mind, and I suppose this is largely fashion, I use bridle for all sorts of non-equestrian things. Belts, bags, cases, even watch straps. I can't imagine using harness for anything but harness, carriage and veteran car fittings.

[Rannoch]

On 8/31/2021 at 12:56 PM, William Bloke said:

To this UK saddler...

Bridle leather is used for bridlework, that's the leather on a ridden horse that isn't a saddle. Bridles, breastplates, martingales, that sort of thing. It's a smooth, shiny, corrected grain, veg tan leather with lots of oils and waxes in it (for waterproofness and strength.) and a well finished flesh side. (That last point is important because it is often used for unlined straps.)

Saddlers normally use butts for strength and cutting efficiency, but bridle finished shoulder is excellent for cases and fancygoods.

 

Harness is used for making harness for driven horses. It comes in backs only, the extra length is important for things like traces and reins because the horse is simply further away. It has a bit more texture on the grain side (a slight haircell) and is a bit heavier than bridle butt (about 4.5-5mm.) My understanding is that it is stuffed in the same way. Usually the flesh side is well finished, but not always as harness straps are usually lined.

 

In my mind, and I suppose this is largely fashion, I use bridle for all sorts of non-equestrian things. Belts, bags, cases, even watch straps. I can't imagine using harness for anything but harness, carriage and veteran car fittings.

Thanks William.  That's exactly the explanation I was hoping for.