Cordovan & co.
CORDOVAN
Cordovan is very qualitative, extremely valuable, seldom used, complex, tanned and therefore very valuable and expensive horse leather. The 'Shells' that are taken from the hind quarters of the horse measure approximately 30cm in diameter and are only sufficient for one to two pairs of shoes.
A big advantage of the Cordovan is that it is robust, durable and has a high fat content of about 30%. Therefore, especially in the beginning stages you can polish the shoes without the need of actual cleaning materials (e.g. shoe paste).
The typical fine shine of the horse leather, generated at the end of the production process, can be affected through aggressive, solvent-based care products. Therefore one should treat the Cordovan shoes carefully, optimally with the special Ludwig Reiter Horse Leather Creme.
Due to the natural high fat content of Cordovan leather and the oil treatment in the tanning process, it can happen that, with elevated temperatures followed with drastic cooling, white fat residue may appear on the surface of such. It is often mistaken with mould and can be easily removed with a cloth.
Due to the special nature of the leather, surface-damages can easily be concealed with Ludwig Reiter Horse Leather Creme. The shoe paste is massaged into the leather with a firm but smooth item (e.g. smooth hammer handle, spoon etc.) in circular movements and lastly brushed and polished.
HORSEFRONTS AND HORSEBACK
Horsefronts and Horseback are leathers that come from the chest, belly and back of the horse's skin. These fine and supple leathers are often used for bags, but also for some shoe models and are to be cared for like full grain leather. Since they tend to have different color shades due to their vintage look, colourless shoe paste is recommended to avoid streaks and stains.