My Western style endurance saddle has one. Is there a trick, besides scrubbing it under lukewarm water in the sink? Thanks!
I soak it with lukewarm water and cheap shampoo in a basin and then rinse in the sink. Repeat as needed. Just like my good wool and cashmere sweaters. Squeeze and then shape to dry flat, then hang it when it’s merely damp to finish drying.
I find a good long siak, like a couple of hours, is good to get anything caked on to loosen up, either that’s food on my sweaters or grunge on my girth.
I try to do it before it gets too disgusting.
I am afraid putting it in the washing machine might felt it. Even in a laundry bag
I have an endurance style mohair girth on my dressage saddle and maresy is much happier with that than anything else I’ve tried!
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I do the same. I also add a little Leather Therapy Laundry Rinse and Dressing to keep any of the leather parts from getting dried out. I hang to dry in the laundry room.
My girth has neoprene under the buckles. No actual leather!
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Thanks, guys! I really like the cinch and if my horse develops enough to fit my dressage saddle I will use it there, too.
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If it’s true mohair or alpaca I use Wool-ite to soak and wash with the method already described.
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Yes, mohair is wool and regular detergents, especially those especially formulated to remove grease, like dish liquid, will really take out the natural lanolin, leaving the wool stuff and scratchy, albeit clean.
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It’s very easy to hose and hang them after every use.
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It took a week to dry! So I either need to have five, or not wash it with every use.
Why would you wash it after every use?
Because it’s dirty?
That’s very climate dependent. If you live in the desert and you ride in the morning you might be able to get it dry in the afternoon for use tomorrow.
Where I live it’s several days to dry in summer and probably a week in winter. Even inside.
I find the mohair brushes off and doesn’t need wash every time.
I’m not attacking. I genuinely want to know as I have never heard of any one washing a mohair after every ride.
Working for trainers, specifically cutting and reined cow horse, using mohair cinches on horses that basically crawl on their bellies in the dirt, we didn’t wash everyday let alone wait until they were dry to saddle the next horse.
Cowboying, my cinches might not be dry the next morning. Regardless of the job, we only washed them when they got crusty, that’s when you run into chances of galling.
The horse hair that gets matted in the bars and the diamonds (or if custom made with a design) smoothes those areas. I don’t pull that hair out.
Thanks. I’m not familiar with Western sports. We always at least rag off our tack after every ride. Good to know that mohair’s more forgiving than leather.
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I get it, you’re used to doing it! Like I’m used to not…lol. They are hardy and forgiving. I think you’ll like how little maintenance they require.
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