Share your tips.
Coming from English World, it seems like I could learn a thing or two about this genre of saddle care.
For example, y’all use Blackrock (good stuff) and English World doesn’t. Any thing else I’m missing?
What about tooling? Is this just a Time And Toothbrush issue? Or is there a better way?
Best way to clean the gunk off the silver (stainless steel?) lacing on the cantle of my Classic '80s saddle?
And you guys never seem to give saddle a deep, neatsfoot oiling… or do you?
I clean my silver with Tarn-X, which works great. For leather I use the Bic4 products. I just have basketweaving on mine, so I don’t have to worry too much about detailing it. Most of it comes up with just the regular cleaning.
I can’t see oiling a western saddle. Of course, I don’t oil my English saddles either. Just a good cleaning and conditioning.
I oil my western saddles more often than dressage. They get dirtier and sweatier. Neatsfoot will darken, but works good. I have even used olive oil. Mink oil gets rancid even though it is water proofing and my saddle guy says mink oil rots stitching.
I like Lexol products for a quick clean and conditioning. I use the conditioner after oiling to shine and remove excess.
Good old soap and water and then a good oiling is the best for really dirty tack.
If its really dirty I like to use the Fiebings Saddle Soap- then I follow up with Skidmores conditioner.
On the polo tack we use the Horseman’s One Step- and it works really really well- keeps everything nice and soft as well as clean, and it doesn’t give you that tacky feeling you get with some of the other products.
I use an air compressor to blow the dust and dirt out of my heavily tooled saddle. Works great. Get the nozzle attachment, btw. I keep it in a quilted bag, out of the sun, don’t want it to darken.
I live in a dry climate and oil the back side of my western saddle leather. I don’t care if it darkens as I hate light leather and do not show in classes where leather shade matters. I once looked at a saddle Bob Loomis had for sale at Congress, and it was as soft and pliable as English tack. Made a big impression on me.
While not detailing, it’s probably a similar maintenance idea: I cornstarch up under/between the fenders/stirrup leather to minimize the squeaks of leather against leather.
Not having to hear that sound is one of the more blissful things about riding in an English saddle… 
[QUOTE=Plumcreek;7142244]
I live in a dry climate and oil the back side of my western saddle leather. I don’t care if it darkens as I hate light leather and do not show in classes where leather shade matters. I once looked at a saddle Bob Loomis had for sale at Congress, and it was as soft and pliable as English tack. Made a big impression on me.[/QUOTE]
My 1980 tooled-to-high-heaven MacPherson has been cared for as I do English tack. It has darkened from its medium oil (OK with me), due to neatsfoot oiling. It is dang soft and no cracking leather anywhere.
Recently, I was accused of over-oiling it by a local (western) saddle repair person. I will admit that after I clean, oil and then seal it with something like Blackrock, the saddle seems a tad sticky. But if I let it sit for a couple of days, I can do this once a year and the saddle stays just about as soft as my English tack.
Her favorite is to put Feibing’s Tan-Kote on western saddles once they have been cleaned. No ingredients on the label, so I can’t tell what it is. I get the sense that it’s an alcohol-based shellac kind of thing. It makes them shiney.
I can’t believe that’s the plan-- never send oil to the inside of the leather and seal it out. I don’t see how leather can last if you do that. Isn’t one consigning it to a thirsty death?
[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;7142591]
While not detailing, it’s probably a similar maintenance idea: I cornstarch up under/between the fenders/stirrup leather to minimize the squeaks of leather against leather.
Not having to hear that sound is one of the more blissful things about riding in an English saddle… :D[/QUOTE]
See, I think the corn starch thing represents a big fork in the road.
Dry leather scraping around is what creates the squeak. That’s true for Western or English saddles.
You can lubricate those dry piece of leather with corn starch, or you can undry the leather. Other than the western folks trying to keep their light oil saddles light (and what will happen to them in 30 years?), I don’t see why someone wouldn’t instead un-dry-out the leather with the oil feeding it desires.
I find it very difficult to get oil up into those places without making an absolute mess. The stirrup leather is a good 1/4th inch thick on my Tex Tan, so a double thickness of that plus the fender in a very, very small gap between the jockey and housing/skirt makes trouble for my fat fingers. It would probably be easier if the stirrup leathers were designed to be easily removed like they are on English saddles.
I find it easier to take the stirrups off in order to separate the layers, flip the saddle on its side, take an old salt shaker loaded with cornstarch, and wiggle the bits that come in contact with one another while I corn starch them.
There’s a lot more room to maneuver in, around, and under the skirt/flaps on an English saddle so you can oil up and wipe down without too much mess, especially around where the stirrup bar attaches to the tree.
How are you managing to oil your bits under your Western skirts?
:winkgrin:
[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;7142836]
How are you managing to oil your bits under your Western skirts?
:winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
I acknowledge and accept the problem you describe.
I too have fat fingers (I’d be a bad cat spayer; I’m a good cat petter). But I seem to get the job done with all kinds of saddles.
I accept, too, that I’ll make a mess. I do oil bare-handed as I think that wastes the least oil. Also, it’s easier on your hands which, you should know, can be worn out by a lifetime of tack cleaning.
I like your idea of turning the saddle upside down, the way we would an English one.
Patience. If you get in your zen space and give yourself time to really enjoy caring for your pretty tack (and maybe put in a movie), you’ll be fine.
Get some time, embrace the mess and marvel at a beautiful, functional saddle that will out-perform an English saddle.
Rubbing oil in by hand reminds me of a Julia Child quote: “I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it – and, more important, I like to give it.”
You realize I’m now going to have to try it that way.
Passier Lederbalsam and Passier saddle soap on both my ranch saddle and my fiance’s dressage saddle. Easy peasy.
On tack that I’ve made myself I do an initial oiling with neatsfoot, then the above thereafter. The oldest tack I have that I’ve made myself is getting on two years, and haven’t needed to oil again with the Lederbalsam treatment.
[QUOTE=mvp;7142756]
I can’t believe that’s the plan-- never send oil to the inside of the leather and seal it out. I don’t see how leather can last if you do that. Isn’t one consigning it to a thirsty death?[/QUOTE
About the time your unoiled saddle cracks to death, the style has changed.
[QUOTE=VaqueroToro;7142920]
Rubbing oil in by hand reminds me of a Julia Child quote: “I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it – and, more important, I like to give it.”
You realize I’m now going to have to try it that way.
:D[/QUOTE]
Yes, you must do this.
For “newborn” tack, the naked oiling is a crucial bonding ritual. If you feed and care for you tack well during its infancy, it will take lots of abuse later. Neatsfoot oil is like colostrum.
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