Why is horsehide better than steerhide?

[HoosierDaddy]

By best, we can ask what do you mean exactly?

Strongest, longest lasting, most comfortable, strong but lightweight, color, patina, grain finish, lightest, heaviest, quickest to break in, slowest to break in, most weather resistant, warmest, coolest, easiest to repair? The list could go on, I just rattled off what came to mind, and so much of these are subjective others are quantifiable but how do you set scales or compare these?

Also for the person the qualifying questions might be: what do you want it for and what will you be doing in that jacket. What do you expect of the jacket. Personally I want it to be: soft and comfotable, offer great protection from motorcycle falls, be light as a feather, look great and be historically accurate, warm in the winter, cool in the summer, be a slim fit but not too snug, make me look great and change colors on command to suit my mood.

Hey John
That's not really asking too much!...if you have a big enough closet.....! :eusa_doh:
HD

 

[EmergencyIan]

And if the original contract between Bronco Mfg, NY and the USAAF called for goatskin only..................??

I would have chosen another contract to be reproduced ... and it could have been from any other maker .

Is that a good enough answer for you?



- Ian

 

[Jeff M]

Moot question removed.

 

[too much coffee]

I would have chosen another contract to be reproduced ... and it could have been from any other maker .

Is that a good enough answer for you?



- Ian

Just trying to find out if it was the Bronco rendition(since that seems very popular with FL members) or the horsehide that was the selling point. Just trying to expand my knowledge of the A-2 for a future GoodWear purchase hopefully.
This is what makes the FL so entertaining and enlightning, straight up answers without any sarcasm or agendas.
Thank you Ian!
Regards, coffee

 

[acl1]

Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I'd contribute to this informative thread:
http://horween.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/by-request-whats-the-difference/#more-673

 

[Dav]

Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I'd contribute to this informative thread:
http://horween.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/by-request-whats-the-difference/#more-673

So from the horses mouth(pun intended) horse isn't better than steer just different.
Thanks for the post.

 

[Fletch]

Also, a main reason for the use of horsehide was because the country was
using more and more cars, buses and trains for transportation, and the horse
and buggy days were gone.

There were tens of thousands of horses around that were being turned into glue,
and other items, and they had plenty of hides to use.

Flathead

Don't forget agriculture...you know, that stuff they do to food before it gets to the grocery?
That was a major segment of the economy once, and pre-WW2 it was highly horse-intensive.

 

[Tomasso]

cordovan leather (shoes) is essentially horsehide. .

Actually, it's leather made from a muscle which lies under the horse's hide. It is not considered a hide.

 

[jac]

Gotta weigh in here. I wore the hell out of a Wilson steerhide motorcycle jacket bought in '84 for years, and it improved in every way. I couldn't go anywhere without getting complimented on it. It was nothing more than a standard black motorcycle jacket, and I'm certain the dullards who sold it to me only knew it only as leather. It was only after I got too big (strength, not fat) that I outgrew it in my early fifties and had to find a replacement. Seeing the lousy quality cowhide is what drove me to horsehide, and it was only through familiarizing myself with these options that I even realized what I'd gotten so used to was steerhide. That steerhide was tougher and better looking than some of my horsehide.

There is a purveyour of jackets from another famous high end manufacturer who was selling horsehide under dubious weight descriptions, and though I picked up some of them, the quality left me wanting. The one I hung onto has actually got holes and deteriorated stiching inside a five year period. Thank gods for ebay & barge cement.

I'd like to get another FQHH heavy jacket made by Aero at some point, but it'd have to be already made.
I will not repeat the numbing experience of waiting three months to recieve beautiful horsehide crafted to my exact body measurements intead of the size I need to wear it. That Chromexel FQHH has a magnificent feel to it.

I went through similar trials trying to find a decent purveyor of boots.
Prices for anything good escalate because everything is degrading while demand increases.
Oh, but I'm sick of nostalgia.

 

[Big J]

Q: Why is horsehide better than steerhide?

A: It isn't.

Remember the Aero Leather 'storse' scandal under Will Lauder? Even real experts couldn't tell the difference. DNA testing was required to determine if customers didn't receive the hide choice they had ordered.

I think it comes down to the fact that a lot of jackets originally made in the early 40's were made of horse because horse was cheap. Horse was cheap because agriculture was mechanizing, and a lot of horses suddenly became unnecessary and therefore cheap. The US Army could make the transition to mechanization by liquidating its stock of horses and using the hide to make A-2 jackets for a very low cost since it already owned the hides.

I think that a lot of present day customers have latched on to this golden era thing of horse hide being more widely available and cheaper, and mistake this for meaning 'better'. Period accurate, yes. Better? Maybe no.

 

[thor]

There was also the long-held belief that A-2 jackets were only made of horse and goat, never steer. However Gary Eastman proved that original example A-2 jackets were indeed made of steer using DNA tests and then following up by unearthing written documentation that the Army Air Corps actually officially approved steerhide as an acceptable leather choice for A-2 jacket production.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I think that a lot of present day customers have latched on to this golden era thing of horse hide being more widely available and cheaper, and mistake this for meaning 'better'. Period accurate, yes. Better? Maybe no.

I think it more boils down to horse jackets being a lot rarer and "different" and more the forte of custom jackets makers than more widely used cow hide and thus a bit more exclusive.

 

[Monitor]

I think it more boils down to horse jackets being a lot rarer and "different" and more the forte of custom jackets makers than more widely used cow hide and thus a bit more exclusive.

Pretty much.

Same with Shinki nowadays.

 

[Hh121]

Steerhide is just fancy name of cowhide which has been use for many mall jacket or mid-range jacket ($200-400).

I still wouldn't pay same price for steerhide jacket as I paid for my horsehide jacket.

Horse is a noble beast , cow is dull and boring.

 

[ton312]

Steerhide is just fancy name of cowhide which has been use for many mall jacket or mid-range jacket ($200-400).

I still wouldn't pay same price for steerhide jacket as I paid for my horsehide jacket.

Horse is a noble beast , cow is dull and boring.

Cow tastes better tho.

 

[morrison2951]

My decade old and now rare reddish tan HH Vanson Enfield is much nicer than the current cowhide offering IMO.

 

[Cyber Lip]

Don't some people prefer Steer over Horse for the way it grains?

btw are steer and cow really both labeled as Steer?

 

[handymike]

btw are steer and cow really both labeled as Steer?

No

 

[Hh121]

"Simmons Bilt offers the Horween Chromexcel Steer in 1.4mm (3oz), made from premium North American cowhide, comfortable, durable and the more it is worn achieves an authentic vintage look and feel."

 

[handymike]

https://www.horween.com/blog/2010/12/14/by-request-whats-the-difference