Long term saddle storage

[ThoroughbredFancy]

I sold my horse a little over 2 years ago and decided to keep the saddle. I have been keeping it in an enclosed saddle bag for the past year and it has rested on the ground or shelf leaning on the pommel area. I don’t doubt that the wool may have shifted from sitting like that for so long but it will be looked at before it sits on a horse again anyway. I recently purchased an actual portable saddle stand and I figure that will help me properly store it. My question is, where do I store it? Do I keep a cover over it?

SO told me to just put it in the garage or basement as there really isn’t any room in the house even though I am really just leaning toward putting it in the office. I mean, it could just be a piece of equestrian art to look at, right?

Is it okay in a basement if I just keep an eye on it for molding? Should I be cleaning it regularly while in storage? Should I just lean it and put it in a container of some sort?

The saddle is still in fantastic condition and I would like to keep it that way as I don’t see myself using it for a few years.

[RolyPolyPony]

I kept mine in the house on a stand (in my living room, actually, after I got married!), in a not-fully-closed saddle bag.I’m not entirely sure WHY I left the bag slightly open, but I did I would not keep it in the garage or basement - basement is too damp, garage the temp changes are pretty extreme if it’s closed up most of the time.

I cleaned(though it didn’t need it) and conditioned mine 2-3x a year, and when I finally started using it after almost 10 years of that, it was in perfect shape! It’s now 20 years old and you’d never know.

[red_squirrel_ridge]

I am happy to see this thread as I’ve pondered this too!

I sold my full sized horse something like four years ago. My saddle (a wade tree western saddle) has been residing in a saddle bag (the padded luggage kind from BMB ) on a saddle rack in my horse trailer ever since.

I’ve debated whether or not to move it to the basement. The temp changes that it is subjected to now worried me, but the basement has a tendency to be damp… so for now it stays in the trailer.

I’ve debated selling it for fear of a great saddle just wasting away. However I hope to find another riding horse someday and the chances that I could afford another saddle of that quality is slim ( I bought that saddle before I was married, and rode for a living and could justify the cost).

Last summer I had the opportunity to go riding with friends and use my saddle- it was soooo nice to ride in it again! I pulled it out and cleaned it up before hand and it absolutely did not appear to be any the worse for being in “storage”.

[SuckerForHorses]

The best place for it is in a climate controlled area (i.e. the house). If your basement is finished and the climate is the same as the other living area, the basement should be fine. HOWEVER, if it is not, you could easily end up with mold. I would not leave it in the garage either, because of the temperature fluctuations. It can dry out the leather. I keep mine in the house in the winter.

[Graymaresrule]

[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;6363803]
The best place for it is in a climate controlled area (i.e. the house). If your basement is finished and the climate is the same as the other living area, the basement should be fine. HOWEVER, if it is not, you could easily end up with mold. I would not leave it in the garage either, because of the temperature fluctuations. It can dry out the leather. I keep mine in the house in the winter.[/QUOTE]

Yup

[markgrogan]

I think the stand for long term storage seems like the best bet. But I guess it depends on the material your saddle is made of too? If it’s got leather bits at all, then you’re going to want to make sure that you properly oil and look at it once in a while to make sure that the material doesn’t go all hard and cracked, and of course if you can bring the saddle out from its storage place once in a while to use it would definitely help!

[SmartAlex]

Our basement gets moderate heat from the furnace being there and we run a dehumidifier. I prefer to winter my saddle down there on a stand as opposed to the first floor because I find the first floor humidity level dries leather (particularly strap goods).

Check now and then for condition. In the long run, a little mold/mildew is better for leather than drying and cracking.

[red_mares]

My mother’s saddle has been in long term storage on & off for the last 30 years.

It has been in the attic, the garage, and is now sitting on a quilt rack in her bedroom. Some years it got moved from the freezing attic to the not quite freezing garage. Occasionally, it got cleaned. I did use it for 2-3 years when I got my horse, before I bought my saddle.

If it fit me, I would have no problems using it after slathering on some Passier type stuff. I would consider getting the billets replaced mainly because they are 50+ years old. It’s a little creaky, but otherwise sound & safe.