Horse Leather: Should You Consider It?
When it comes to boots, bovine (from a cow) leather dominates. It’s to the point where if someone says boots are “leather,” you can be 99.99% sure they are talking about bovine leather. If it wasn’t the person talking to you would have specified what else it is. However, there are more animals out there than Betsy.
The second most common leather in the boot world comes from Mr. Ed – horse leather. There are a number of different horse leathers though for the purposes of footwear, and therefore this website, we’re going to focus on horse rump leather. The leather from the front of the horse is simply too thin to be used in footwear.
This article will act as a guide to explain what people mean when they say horse rump, why you might want to consider it for your boots, and a few tanneries to be aware of. Oh, and it almost certainly will be boots. Due to the characteristics of the leather, shoes or sneakers made of horse are few and far between.
Why Horse Leather?
Durability
The biggest benefit for picking horse leather for your boots is going to be the durability. More than any other common leather used in footwear, horse rump is extremely durable. The fibers within horse leather are much denser compared with something like bovine. This density means that for a given weight or thickness you’ll find better resistance to tearing and scratches.
What that means for you is that boots made of horse leather will last you much longer compared to standard leathers on the market. If you really need to depend on your boots, there really isn’t a much better choice out there.
Unique Style
Horse leather also has a different look to cow leather. While it will depend on the tannery, in general horse leather tends to be smoother, with more of a mottled appearance. Of course, style is entirely subjective.
If this is better or worse is up to the eye of the beholder, however most people like the idea they can have something slightly different than the norm.
Material Cost
Finally, when purchasing leather from a tannery, horse leather is typically not a substantial price increase over cow leather. You’re able to get many of these benefits without paying the premium that a super durable bovine leather would cost. Though, there is an asterisk to that which we’ll get to in a second.
Why Not Horse Leather?
If horse leather is so much more durable and light weight, why might you want to stick with bovine leather?
Difficulty Lasting
While the cost of the leather itself is not substantially different, one big difference is actually making a boot with the leather. The increased density of the fibers means it’s often much harder to shape the leather around the last (the wooden or plastic shape of the boot). While this is a pain and takes more labor, it also means that the bootmaker is more likely to damage the leather, wasting much of the product.
In short, even if the leather itself is not too much more, labor and wastage increase the cost to build the boot. That cost will need to be passed onto the customer.
Comfort
Durability is all well and good, but there are always tradeoffs. Leather from a horse’s rear end will take longer to break in, and will never be buttery soft. In fact, I had the chance to sit down with Brett Viberg on a pair of horse rump boots I bought and his exact words were, “you don’t break those boots in, they break you in.”
That isn’t to say they are unwearable. However, if your focus is comfort, these boots might not be for you.
Legal Concerns
Many places around the world have bans on the slaughter of horses for the purpose of leather, though allow the use for animals that have died by other means and for importation. Still, this creates the possibility of a legal grey area. Further, both the US and the EU regularly see legislation introduced to place stronger bans on the sale of horse products.
All of the tanneries listed below will be above the board, but that can’t be said for all horse leather.
What About Shell Cordovan?
Shell cordovan is actually not a leather at all. It’s a layer under the skin, which explains why it acts so differently than other forms of leather. Horse rump can often include the shell within it, however more often than not it doesn’t.
While there are some similarities, such as being tough, non-porous material used to make footwear, shell cordovan should be treated as a different material compared to horse rump.
Which Tannery is Best For Horse Leather?
There are countless tanneries where you can find horse rump, but the three most famous are Maryam, Horween, and Shinki.
A quick disclaimer: due to the rarity of this material, I’ve only ever owned anywhere from 2-5 boots in this material from each maker. Compared to something like chromexcel where I’ve had more than 50 pairs go through my hands, this is a very limited data set. Please take this section with a grain of salt based on that.
Maryam
Maryam, or more formally Conceria Maryam, is probably the best-known tannery that sells horse leather. They have been used on everything from Oak Street Bootmakers to White’s. Focusing on a veg-tanned process, they tend to make leathers that develop strong patinas.
Due to a combination of volume and legal reasons, Maryam also tends to have some of the most affordable horse hides out there. In fact, they are so tied to the material that if someone doesn’t list the tannery of their leather, I’d be that 90% of the time, it’s a Maryam leather.
It’s easy to see why they have this ubiquity. Maryam horse tends to be among the softest out of the box. For someone who is wearing their boots casually and is interested in horse more for the story and looks than durability, they are much more approachable.
As for drawbacks to their leather, I’ve found that Maryam can be somewhat inconsistent with their leather thickness. This comes down to the maker as well, of course, but even among single brands Maryam tends to have more variation. I’ve also noticed that some Maryam boots have a really foul smell out of the box. It goes away with time, but it can dampen the unboxing experience.
Horween
Horween has an on again, off again, relationship with horse. Sometimes they have a number of options available, other times they’ll carry just one (or even none during a particular run).
The most common horsehide they have is chromexcel horsehide. This is exactly what it sounds like, the leather follows the combination tanning process usually used on bovine leather, but using the hide from a horse instead.
This results in a leather that carries both excellent weather resistance alongside durability, though can be somewhat lifeless in patina compared to other options.
The other famous horse from Horween is my personal favorite of them all – workshoe horse butt.
Tanned in a similar way to their chromexcel horsehide, WSB has a full shell panel underneath the leather. This makes it unbelievably tough.
While the exterior of WSB shares the similar issue of not really getting a strong patina, the shell means the boot takes a unique shape with wear. Not quite rolling and not quite creasing, you can get a really cool design over time.
Shinki
Shinki Hikaku, or Shinki to their friends, is probably the tannery with the best story. Like your favorite pair of denim, Shinki follows a slower, more deliberate process in their tanning. Taking close to a year to go from hide to leather, there is an undeniable allure to owning something that carries that sort of story with it.
Shinki has several different types of horse hide, but in general the material that you find on boots includes the shell, similar to WSB from Horween. However, it’s important to know that just because a brand advertises “Shinki” doesn’t guarantee you’re getting their top tier stuff.
Other than the story, the best thing Shinki is known for is the unique pattern that their leather develops. It comes from the leather shrinking over the long tanning process, and is an unmistakable mark that it is from the Japanese brand.
This shrinking also means the leather is extremely tough. However, that isn’t all good. This tight and tough leather means that creases tend to be much deeper and less gentle than other brands. I’ve found that my Shinki boots often become pretty uncomfortable from wear 5ish to wear 50ish as the creases set and then settle down. That’s on top of the normal difficult horsehide break in.
Is Horsehide Right for You?
If there is one take away, I hope you get from this article is that horse leather isn’t better (or worse) than any other type of leather. It’s all about what you’re hoping to get from your boot.
For those out there who are looking for a comfortable boot with minimal break in and a consistent pattern out of the box, horse is probably not for you. And, honestly, I’d put most people in this category. Cow leather didn’t become the de facto standard for boots for no reason.
However, there is a reason to pick up a pair. The biggest is durability. If you’re constantly banging your boots into something, the extra durability will go a long way. I’d say the best example is the number of motorcycle boots made of horsehide – if you’re constantly scraping on metal, this is a great option.
The other is the ability to change up a look. Horse patinas differently than cow leather, and you might want to have a different style for your footwear.
Personally, I don’t think I’d want a pair of horsehide boots as my only boot. Or even, my primary boot. Ultimately, I’m a soft dad living in a major metropolitan city. However, I do appreciate the pairs I have, and still keep one in the rotation.
Always great to have the choice.