BY KAREN BORNE AND ANDY SANKEY
Silicone full-seat breeches have become incredibly common. They offer grip, stability, and the feeling of being more secure in the saddle. But longtime saddle industry professional Karen Borne and saddler Andy Sankey are seeing a downside that riders may not realize: significantly more wear on saddle seats.
Over the last several years, Borne has noticed more saddles coming in with torn or badly worn seats than she used to. What stands out is how quickly that damage is appearing.
“I can’t tell you how many people I am seeing with torn seats, and I never saw that to this extent,” Borne said. “I mean, saddles were 20 years old, but not three.”
The major difference Sankey keeps coming back to is silicone breeches.
“Silicone is a form of rubber, and rubber against leather creates an abrasive resistance, like sandpaper rubbed across car paint,” Sankey said.
That same extra grip that riders like in silicone breeches also creates more resistance between the breeches and the saddle. Every stride, every transition, and every small shift in the rider’s seat creates friction against the leather.
Traditional breeches allow the rider to move against the saddle differently. Silicone is specifically designed to prevent slipping, so naturally, it grips more aggressively. That can become a problem for the leather.
The other issue Sankey sees is that silicone can pull the natural grease out of the hide.
“What it does is it pulls all the natural grease out of the hide,” he said. “And so then it becomes an abrasive rubbing on the seat.”
Now you have two things happening at once: the silicone is gripping the leather more aggressively, and the leather itself may be becoming less resilient. Over time, that combination can contribute to visible wear in the seat.
Since silicone breeches became common, Sankey says the shop has been doing a lot more seat repairs.
“I believe that the silicone breeches are causing the seat wear,” he said. “Since they’ve come onto the market, we have been doing a lot more seat repairs.”
That doesn’t mean there is a scientific study showing silicone is the only possible cause. There are plenty of factors that affect how long a saddle lasts, including how often it is ridden in, how it is cared for, the rider’s position, and the environment where it is stored.
But from what Borne and Sankey are seeing in the workshop, there is a clear pattern.
“The leather’s not changed,” Sankey said, “so we can only assume that it must be caused by the silicone breeches.”
The leather has not suddenly become dramatically different, yet they are seeing more premature damage. Silicone breeches are one of the biggest changes in how riders interact with their saddles over that same period.
One of the reasons silicone has become so popular is because riders like the extra grip. That is understandable, but it is worth asking how much grip you really need and what that grip may be doing to your saddle.
There is a trade-off involved. Silicone may make you feel more secure, but the same resistance that keeps you from sliding may also be working against the leather underneath you. For riders investing thousands of dollars in a saddle, that is something worth considering.
Sankey’s recommendation is simple: if you want your saddle seat to last longer, avoid silicone breeches.
“If you want your seats to last longer, we highly recommend not wearing silicone breeches,” he said. “Go back to the old days.”
That may sound old-fashioned, especially when silicone has become such a standard part of modern riding apparel, but saddles are designed to last much longer than a pair of breeches.
If changing one relatively small part of your riding wardrobe can help protect a much larger investment, it may be worth it.
Take a close look at your saddle seat. Is the leather wearing faster than you expected? Is it beginning to look dry, thin, or rough in areas that have constant contact with your breeches?
Those changes may be telling you something.
Karen Borne is a saddle designer, professional saddle fitter, and founder of Ruby Roo Saddles and Borné Saddlery, bringing more than 26 years of experience in saddle fitting, design, and manufacturing. Through Ruby Roo Saddles, Karen specializes in thoughtfully designed saddles for children and ponies, while Borné Saddlery reflects her passion for bespoke, custom-crafted saddles created for the individual needs of horse and rider. Her work is rooted in proper fit, exceptional craftsmanship, and helping riders achieve greater comfort, balance, and confidence in the saddle.
