Giving Second Life to an Old (Freeform) Saddle?

I have an old leather treeless Freeform saddle I'm trying to turn over ASAP. The old leather has seen its best days and looks being a major factor in selling a saddle, I'm looking for ways to restore some of its former glory before offering it for sale. Luckily the leather is soft and not too beaten up, it just looks a bit too "used".

What are some of the easy & cheap-ish ways you can improve a leather saddle's condition besides cleaning and oiling? Is dyeing/tinting the leather a good solution?

Any Freeform-specific tips? The beige "furry" underside has a slight tear on the midline (? I guess it's not a feature?) and I'm thinking about correcting it. I don't have the original Freeform stirrup leathers, but I guess it's not worth the hassle to get new ones (planning on replacing the "normal" ones though)? What about cleaning the velcro, any good tricks?

Attached a totally shoddy picture of my saddle, if you'd like to give case-specific advice. :)

(Also, if you happen to be a Freeform expert, please tell me which model this is/how to find out myself!)

Thanks for all the help!

Join this email group and ask there: treelesssaddles : treeless saddle discussion

There's a bunch of people very experienced with Freeforms saddles
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I have found that liquid glycerin saddle soap.....the kind that comes is a spray bottle and is sort of an amber color, will give old leather a nice shine. I always use that when I put a saddle up for sale.

http://www.nrsworld.com/prodimages/6295-DEFAULT-l.jpg

I don't really use it generally as a conditioner, but it does shine, so I think the shine factor makes it worthwhile. Just spray it on and wipe and voila, saddle looks beautiful and well cared for.

PS. I would pass on the dye. Worst case senario, you have a saddle that rubs dye onto the hands (and pants) of prospective purchasers.

What is the seat size and how much do you think you'll be asking for it? I may be interested, clean or dirty. Can you post a pic of the underside showing the tear?

Good tips, thanks guys! Keep them coming.

Saddlebag, I haven't checked yet, but I think it's 17". I'll check when I take some pics (tomorrow, I hope).
On asking price... Well I really don't know! I have no clue what these are worth, or even what exactly mine is. I was told this was a $1400 saddle. Maybe it was/could be. I'm a bit sceptical and would like to see some proof & current market info.

Yup, I love selling stuff I don't know enough about. Someone local was also interested and I'm keeping my fingers crossed she doesn't ask anything about Freeforms... Or the pads. Or fitting help.

Saddlebag, phew, finally I had the strength and inclination to battle with my PC and here's the pic! Very bad one, sorry.



The tear size including all the dubious bits is about 4" in length. The placement is in the front (over withers).
The seat size is indeed 17".