I’ll use Kirk’s Castile to clean if the leather is dirty. Then, if the leather is dry, I use pure neatsfoot oil and allow it to sink in. As a final step, I use a slick of glycerine bar (love Belvoir) off a minimally damp sponge. Presto, clean, soft and glowing tack.
Castile to clean. Damp sponge to get the castile and dirt off. Oil if tack is dry. Seal with glycerine on a barely damp sponge. Then every day after you ride take a fairly damp sponge and wipe everything down. This will remove the dirt, sweat and some of yesterday’s glycerine. Then ring out the sponge and put a new layer of glycerine on.
I am also the type that cycles with tack cleaning. I’ll be really good about it for a month or so, and then benign neglect for a few months until I have a day to spend time at the barn or an event coming up such as a clinic or show.
I have found a few products I really like for tack, and some that I will never touch again! To clean, I am currently using Higher Standards (which I LOVE!), with the method that others have described, wet sponge wrung out as much as I can, with a bit of the soap and rubbed on, if there are any suds, I wipe off with the other (clean) side of the sponge. Other products I have liked for cleaning are the Antares glycerin based soap, the Carr Day & Martin leather cleaner spray and the Equipe Soft Clean.
Once in a while, if I have the time, I will condition tack, currently using Higher Standards for that too, which I really like. Also liked the Amerigo balm. The Carr Day & Martin balm was okay too, but smelled yucky. I also use the Equipe Soft Oil on my saddle if it’s looking parched.
I will be the outcast and say that I generally HATE glycerin on tack. Most people use way too much water, and way too much soap that they leave on the leather and it gets all tacky and gunky and YUCK. Same goes for Murphy’s soap, that was a staple during my early pony club years. For that reason, I also HATE Horseman’s one step, yucky gunky tacky leather.
Where can you buy higher standards tack cleaner? I have never seen it but would like to give. It a try.
[QUOTE=Prime Time Rider;8012315]
Where can you buy higher standards tack cleaner? I have never seen it but would like to give. It a try.[/QUOTE]
You can buy it here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/HigherStandardsFarm
Great stuff!
I am a dedicated tack cleaner, and take pride in my tack looking great. But my routine is stunningly simple, particularly in winter when the sweat isn’t so ubiquitous. My usual winter routine:
Take apart bridle/martingale while cleaning. Use very warm to hot water (typically I go for hot) and wring out very well. Important to use terry cloth! This slight but soft roughness helps to remove the ick easily. Give fastidious wiping to all parts ensuring to scrub where necessary. Revisit with new hot water when cloth cools or gets grimy.
About 90% of the time that’s really all it takes - but that is every day and takes about 10 mins to do carefully. The rest of the time I go by feel of the leather. I do pay extra attention to the parts that tend to get really gross - like the flash, which gets a light conditioning with something like Higher Standards, linseed oil soap, or Horseman’s one step just about every time. But the rest? If it’s drying out too much, I’ll oil it using olive oil (usually 1-2x a year, pre- and post-show season, if that) but more often revolve between Butet Akene soap and/or conditioner, Horseman’s One Step (I do love it, but it needs to be used judiciously!) or Higher Standards every week or every other week, going by the feel of the leather.
I take it home and do the Kirk’s or ammonia deep clean in the spring, oil it with warm olive oil, then seal it in with a couple coats of glycerine (literally the only time I will ever use straight glycerine, and IMO one of the only correct uses for it, but we are all different!)
I have a separate show bridle that I keep in the closet at home and will pull out and oil every few months. Before I use it it will get “sealed” again! But for now it lives in a bag. When showing and in summer, tack has a tougher life so the routine changes somewhat.
[QUOTE=jvk8;8005574]
First you’ll need to clean the heavy gunk off of your tack using ammonia/hot water, castile soap, or some other leather cleaning product – I like Belvoir Step 1 Tack Cleaner Spray because it is kind to the leather & your skin, yet gets gunk off.
snip [/QUOTE]
The bold part 1000 x
That stuff is amazing for removing “jockeys”.
(I think that’s what Pony Club calls that sticky gunk?)
Deep cleaning 4 times a year:
Belvoir Step 1
Glycerin soap
Pharmaka Beeswax Oil
After every ride:
Spray and wipe w/a solution like Farnam’s Leather New
or Fiebing’s Liquid Glycerine Soap.
I’ve been doing the same routine for over 2 decades and I have tack that’s lasted that long (some of it was bought used!)
When tack is new, gently work it between the fingers with diluted ammonia/water and a rag to remove any waxy film. Heat up Walsh’s Blue Ribbon Oil or Hydrophane (depending on whether I want to darken the leather a little or not). Dip the pieces of tack in the oil and wipe off the excess. Gently roll/work each piece between the fingers until the oil is absorbed. Use the tack for a week. Take it home and repeat the hot oiling. Use the tack for a week. Give it a thorough cleaning per the below and then oil one more time if needed. Then it’s broken in. Sometimes I don’t even need to do this 3x but usually I need to do it more than once. Depends on the leather.
Every ride, unbuckle all the buckles and wipe down with diluted ammonia/water solution. It’s probably 1/15th ammonia or less. For really grungy tack I dilute with less wather. Wipe clean well with a rag. As someone else mentioned, a really nubby rag is best. Hot water is super but I don’t always have that available.
A couple of times a month I take apart the bridle entirely and clean it with soap, ammonia water, and a toothbrush. Castille soap is good. I like the Higher Standards or similar products as well. Wipe clean well with a rag.
I will then sometimes condition with a light (LIGHT, barely on the sponge) swipe of Lexol conditioner or higher standards conditioner. I really like the HS condition-- I like it more than the HS soap and I think it’s superior to the Lexol-- but I will use the Lexol as a second choice. Often once it’s broken in the tack doesn’t need conditioning with every deep cleaning session. After the first couple months, I’d say I condition once every couple of months. During the first few months, I might condition every other time I clean the tack.
That’s it. Once my tack is broken in I don’t use oil on it.
I typically wipe my tack down with a damp rag after each ride.
Once a month or so, I will use Kirk’s Castille Soap to clean/condition the leather. I will oil my tack as needed, usually 4 times a year or so. If the leather is especially dirty, I’ll use a capful of ammonia mixed with a bucket of warm water to get the grime off, but if you are consistent with keeping your tack wiped down after each ride, you should not need to use ammonia very often.
If I use Kirk’s to clean, and then the Passier Lederbalsam to condition, do I also need to use glycerin as a final step?
If you like. I prefer the shiny, slightly tacky finish glycerin saddle soap imparts, but it’s not absolutely necessary.
I’m bumping my own thread back up again with another question.
I used the Castile soap to deep clean (because my tack was disgusting :lol:)
When everything was clean and dry, I rubbed on the Passier Lederbalsam and let sit overnight. The pieces that were dry I reapplied the Passier Lederbalsam. The next day, buffed the leather with a towel to get any residual Lederbalsam off.
I’m still not 100% sure where exactly my glycerin bar would come in…
Some people are saying to use glycerine before a conditioner (I thought the Lederbalsam was a conditioner, no?)
and others are saying to clean, condition, and then use the glycerine and a very slightly damp sponge to wipe tack down after each ride.
So, which is the order of things?
My plan was to clean with Castile, then condition with Passier Lederbalsam, and then keep clean over the summer use with a wiping down of glycerine after each ride. Is this logical?
I think your plan is good.
I was like you. I’m trying to be like the new you! :lol:
I used to only clean my tack once or twice a year. But I bought a brand new ($$$) bridle. The suggestion I got from two trainers (at separate barns) at a show in November was to keep it nice with a wipe down after every ride. One trainer said just water. The other said a VERY small amount of glycerin soap. Because I don’t have the soap, I just use water. Because I was fairly sure I could keep that routine up. So far, so good. And the bridle still looks great.
I’m going to try and get on a regular cleaning schedule with it though. I am very grateful for all the info in this post. I have Lexol products and they’re not close to empty. So I think that will be my product until they run out. Why go buy something else when you have something that works. I think it’s just a matter of actually doing the damn cleaning. Good luck!
