Saddle Care
by Gail Ledbetter, first published in the Montana Horseman's Journal
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The ride is over, the horse is groomed and fed and put away, and now it's
time to relax. Right? Wrong. Now it's time to clean that tack!
We all know it needs to be done, and rationally, we realize that if we just
wiped it down after every ride, it would be easier to clean thoroughly when
we do finally take the time. But let's be honest. How many of us clean our
tack after every ride? I know that most of us are guilty of cleaning only
sporadically and even then, grudgingly. Cleaning tack more often is a habit
we all need to cultivate. Here are some suggestions to making tack cleaning
easier, less time consuming and still do a thorough job. Keep a bucket of saddle cleaning materials in a handy spot. You'll need: Clean rags, a sponge, bucket, toothbrush, saddle soap and conditioner. A good way to organize is to put everything together in the bucket and keep it in the same spot all the time, preferably near your tack room or saddling area. There are a few very basic steps to leather care. First and foremost, you need to clean that leather. Glycerine soaps are the most popular and work great, but there are other good saddle soaps out there. Warm water helps cut through the accumulated crud quite well, so soak that rag good. The most important part of tack care is to get the dust and dirt out of the pores, so lather up! Work that soap in with your rag and sponge clean. As long as the soap suds turn gray, you need to keep cleaning. The next step is to condition the leather. There are a variety of great conditioners out there, and every horseman has their favorite. Ask around, experiment, and pick the one you feel does the best job for you. Most conditioners are not meant to be used every time you ride. Certainly every time you clean thoroughly a conditioner must be used, but every ride would be extreme and would eventually do more harm than good. Use it sparingly, but use it well. When picking a conditioner, look for code words like "condition" or "restore" or "penetrate". A product that does these things is going to help keep your leather at it's best. Thick, greasy products don't penetrate as well as liquid ones, but can still work very well. One method of applying a thicker product is to heat it enough to make it softer and then apply. Use a rag or your hands, rub it in carefully and buff any excess with a clean rag. It's easy to tell a saddle that is "thirsty" and needs some conditioning. The leather will have a stiff appearance and feel and look dull. Disuse is also hard on a saddle. Dust, dry or damp air and time take their toll. Any saddle that has been left idle for a period of years is probably going to need a thorough cleaning and conditioned as well. A saddle left for too long without being cared for will eventually crack and break down the leather. Once that happens, it cannot be brought back to it's original condition. If you use Neatsfoot oil to condition your saddle, make sure you use pure Neatsfoot and not a compound. The pure Neatsfoot is an animal based product while the compound is petroleum based. Petroleum based products are not kind to leather, and will rot the stitching. As a rule, Neatsfoot is something that should be used only occasionally. Rub it in gently and give it time to soak in. Apply more than one coat to very dry saddles, and always buff with a clean rag after. Again, over oiling with any product does the leather no good. Here are a few good suggestions to making saddle cleaning quicker and easier: Clean or wipe down that tack after every ride. Simply have a clean rag handy to wipe down that saddle and bridle after every use. Even just a quick swipe to get rid of dust and road grime is better than nothing. If the rag is slightly damp, even better. If you have the time, use some saddle soap too. Remember, sweat is leather's worst enemy. Plan to do a thorough tack cleaning tack periodically. Once a week, once a month, once a year, depending on how heavily you use your tack. When doing a thorough cleaning, a quick way to do bridles is to fill your bucket ¼ full of warm water, add a cup of liquid saddle soap and drop your disassembled bridle in. Use a rag or sponge to wipe off the grime, then condition before it dries. This saves an immense amount of time. Also take apart the breast collar and flank cinch and clean every part carefully. A toothbrush can clean deep into the cracks, crevices and tooling. You can use a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean the silver on your saddle too (no word on whether tartar control or regular works best). Tack cleaning is a time to check for worn parts and loose screws. Look for torn leather, rub spots, and damaged hardware. Cheap hardware will rust and in the process damage the leather. Your tack is only as safe as it's weakest piece, and hardware is usually it. Make sure your buckles are clean and free of rust. Replace any buckles or leather parts that are worn or damaged and tighten Chicago screws carefully. A drop of super-glue or fingernail polish in each screw will help keep them safely tight. New saddles tend to squeak, and an old remedy for that was to dump the entire saddle in the water trough. While the merits of this practice are questionable, the results are fact. Water isn't bad for leather, but letting a wet saddle dry without conditioning it is a sure way to ruin good leather fast. Whether you get caught in a rainstorm or attempt to rid yourself of an irritating squeak, use that conditioner before the leather dries. The pores are open then and will absorb that conditioner easily. A good way to get rid of those annoying new saddle squeaks is to turn your saddle upside down and sprinkle unscented talcum powder between all the layers of leather. This works wonders at reducing noise. With proper care, a good saddle will last a lifetime. Frequent cleaning will keep that investment in good shape, and regular inspections for wear and tear will keep both you and your horse safe as well. |