What is it about horsehide?

[Mark]

I love my FQHH HWM, calling it garbage I find almost offensive not to mention ridiculous. The fact it is heavy & stiff (until warmed up a bit) is part of the appeal, you are constantly being reminded you are wearing an awesome quality item.

 

[mendelboaz]

When I received my first jacket in chromexcel steerhide, the first thing I noticed was that it smelled "perfect".
The horsehide tanned in the same method I had briefly encountered previously also smelled pleasant, but there was a whiff about it that at times made me feel lightly queasy. It was strange.
But I also took a liking to the heavily chrome tanned chemical smell of the Gibson Barnes goatskin (the dark brown G-1 smelled the best), so I have particular tastes.
My Aerial Star, chrome tanned without pigment I believe, smelled very "natural". I can't recall the scent of the others that have passed through my hands.
I think I'd go mental working with leather as a profession. The scent is nice for kicks, but I'd imagine it taking a toll on your senses being exposed to it day in and day out.

My entire bedroom is packed with leather jackets, gloves & boots... I hang my jackets up on the wall (still got room for 6 more), and I wear my jackets all the time. Everywhere I go, I smell leather. Though I have to say, I believe I don't smell it as intense as I did when I got mynfirst quality jacket (Schott 618) 1.5 years ago.

 

[Deusis]

In my experience, I would highly prefer a horsehide jacket to a cowhide jacket.

Horsehide has fantastic properties that make it very desirable for any type of leather goods. Firstly, if you're mainly looking at Chromexcel, horsehide will have more of a firm temper than cowhide. It will be more resilient and have an overall better longevity. Horsehide will be thinner so you may not get as much "warmth" (excluding whatever it is lined with) vs. cowhide as it is generally thinner (2 - 3 oz).

 

[mendelboaz]

I'm no expert, but I highly doubt there is a significant difference in durability and other properties when comparing horsehide to cowhide. The reason it's believed to be more special and 'better' than cowhide is because there is a certain amount of hype to horsehide. In the end, it comes down to more than just comparing hides of different animals (source of the hides, the quality of life of the animal, tanning process, etc.).

 

[2jakes]

I've developed a strong preference for Horween's Chromexcel hide. I have numerous shoes/boots made with the stuff as well as one jacket. All of those examples are of steerhide as opposed to horsehide. My next jacket is going to be horsehide Chromexcel, but to be honest, I only went with horsehide because it was cheaper than the steerhide. I've actually handled the hide (I ordered the hides directly through Horween) and while I'm sure it will make a great jacket, there's a part of me second guessing myself, wishing I had invested a bit more for the steerhide CXL. I'd love to have a pair of shoes constructed of Horween's Shell Cordovan horsehide. However, when it comes to jackets, I personally find Horween's steerhide to every bit as desirable as their horsehide.

I'm a bit perplexed that horsehide has developed the mystique that it has around here. I used to think that some folks were drawn to horsehide because of the grain of the product, but the whole Aero situation has shown that the two hide types are practically indistinguishable from one another when the final product is examined. For those that have owned both quality steerhide and horsehide and have developed a preference for horsehide, I'd be interested to know what is it about the horsehide that you prefer? Did you develop this preference over time?

I first "discovered" horsehide leather by reading the hype about the MacArthur A-2 that was being offered many years ago.
This horsehide leather jacket took a long time to break down to the way I like it.
I also own steer, goat, & the soft buckskin leather jackets. Majority of my jackets are of the A-2 style with a couple of A-1s.
I have no technical knowledge about leather. I love some of them more for the looks & some for the comfort level.
I only own one "original" WW2 G-1 jacket. But it's too delicate to wear on a daily basis.
I also have a '39 Ford panel, '46 Chevy truck & a '52 VW beetle.
I get compliments when I drive my cars...the same applies to my jackets. And that feels good as well !

 

[pawineguy]

http://horween.com/101/by-request-whats-the-difference/

This touches on the topic, directly from the horse's mouth. (couldn't resist) This is a bit of an old thread, but the dissenters do themselves no favors by being factually wrong about Horween FQHH. It's certainly not for everyone, but it's a very high quality product.

 

[Deusis]

I'm no expert, but I highly doubt there is a significant difference in durability and other properties when comparing horsehide to cowhide. The reason it's believed to be more special and 'better' than cowhide is because there is a certain amount of hype to horsehide. In the end, it comes down to more than just comparing hides of different animals (source of the hides, the quality of life of the animal, tanning process, etc.).

I'm not trying to be confrontational, but how much experience do you have handling both Horween's cowhide and horsehide together? They do in fact have significantly different properties, especially when it comes to Chromexcel. The pullup is very different with each and the tighter grain and firm temper leads the horsehide to be more resistant to tears and is generally more resilient.

I don't say this speculatively, I have 10+ sides of both cowhide CXL and horsehide CXL (and non-CXL).

This isn't to say that cowhide CXL is going to be insanely different than horsehide CXL. It just needs to be recognized that there are differences.

 

[nick123]

Only comparing chromexcel horse to steer in roughly the same oz weight (not the heavy 4oz stuff)...the steer feels more comfortable and organic, as you'd imagine a jacket should feel like, out of the box. The horse feels awkward and cardboard-like. But the horse breaks in more quickly and looks more "dramatic" as a whole when looked at closely, and especially once broken in. The steer looks more conservative as a whole, with patches of grain in certain areas that have more drama than horse, with less sheen to the hide. I prefer the steer for initial comfort and subtlety, while the overall drama of the horse is appealing. It's hard to choose, but my gut tells me the steer is my preferable choice.They're different.

*drama= grain, character.

 

[Deusis]

Only comparing chromexcel horse to steer in roughly the same oz weight (not the heavy 4oz stuff)...the steer feels more comfortable and organic, as you'd imagine a jacket should feel like, out of the box. The horse feels awkward and cardboard-like. But the horse breaks in more quickly and looks more "dramatic" as a whole when looked at closely, and especially once broken in. The steer looks more conservative as a whole, with patches of grain in certain areas that have more drama than horse, with less sheen to the hide. I prefer the steer for initial comfort and subtlety, while the overall drama of the horse is appealing. It's hard to choose, but my gut tells me the steer is my preferable choice.They're different.

*drama= grain, character.

This is a good assessment. Cowhide or steerhide will more often than not have a softer temper than horsehide which leads to it feeling more comfortable right out of the box. Horsehide does tend to feel more, as you said, cardboard-like. Once it breaks in, those properties will go away. Horsehide will have more contrasting creases and the pullup will come through lighter than cowhide.

 

[mendelboaz]

I'm not trying to be confrontational, but how much experience do you have handling both Horween's cowhide and horsehide together? They do in fact have significantly different properties, especially when it comes to Chromexcel. The pullup is very different with each and the tighter grain and firm temper leads the horsehide to be more resistant to tears and is generally more resilient.

I don't say this speculatively, I have 10+ sides of both cowhide CXL and horsehide CXL (and non-CXL).

This isn't to say that cowhide CXL is going to be insanely different than horsehide CXL. It just needs to be recognized that there are differences.

There are definitely differences between the two, I won both a CXL steer jacket (4.5oz) and CXL FQHH jacket (3oz). The steer feels a lot waxier and more luscious, is more soft when warmed up and the pull up effect is much more noticeable on the steer than the horse. When comparing the FQHH sample to the steer sample I got and messed around with, the horse indeed shows a lot more grain and the surface feels different from the steer. I'm just a bigger fan of saying 'to each their own' instead of putting one hide above the other. Except for when it comes to the full grain/top grain vs genuine & bonded leather.

 

[Deusis]

I'm just a bigger fan of saying 'to each their own' instead of putting one hide above the other. Except for when it comes to the full grain/top grain vs genuine & bonded leather.

Oh absolutely. Maybe I misunderstood you - sorry! They both have unique properties. I wouldn't say one is better than the other. It is definitely subjective.

 

[mendelboaz]

Oh absolutely. Maybe I misunderstood you - sorry! They both have unique properties. I wouldn't say one is better than the other. It is definitely subjective.

That's quite all right, sir!

 

[tmitchell59]

I like horsehide, but it is all different. Take Lost Worlds and Bill Kelso HH; worlds apart, but both HH. Same with old jackets, a lot of variation in the hides.