Long term storage for tack

[kmwines]

So I recently lost my horse and am trying to figure out the best way to store all my tack. No plans in the near future for leasing or buying a new one as I am also newly pregnant, due the end of October and potential move once my husband finishes grad school in May. So riding will be out of the picture for at least a bit.

I have been storing my old show bridle in an upstairs bedroom closet but that will soon be transforming into a nursery. I have a total of 4 nice Edgewood bridles, an Edgewood leather girth, and my saddle in terms of leather items that will need to be stored. I had some mold issues with the bridles and my saddle that have been stored out at the barn so I’m hesitant to just put them in my trunk in our unfinished 3rd floor/attic.

Any suggestions for cleaning leather prior to storage that has had a mold issues? I’ve been cleaning it with a non-glycerin cleaner and tried a mold reducer and that helped (plus moving it to a better climate controlled tack room).

Would it be better to store them wrapped in the figure 8 method or just open? Flat storage or hanging?

[AdultAmmyJumper]

I store all my extra bridles and girths in my furnace room currently. My husband was nice enough to fasten some bridle hooks and a saddle rack to the wall so everything can be stored properly. Prior to being put in there, everything gets a good cleaning and I wrap up the bridles the same way I do at the barn. So far I haven’t had any issues with mold, but I also live in a relatively dry climate and the furnace room is really no different than the rest of the house, it’s just out of the way.

[PrincessPonies]

I highly suggest if there’s electric getting a dehumidifier. It will make all the difference in the world. I’ve used Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner that I got at Dover Sadderly, though you can get it at other places. I used it on my sisters saddle over a year ago and when I looked at it yesterday no mold. If you can’t have a dehumidifier I’d suggest putting everything in bridle and saddle bags and getting the little packets you get in shoes and hand bags, the ones that say do not eat I’ve gotten them off amazon. You might want to check more often but it should be fine.

[BAC]

If I am storing long term, I take the bridles apart, put the pieces in a pillow case after cleaning them well, and leave them on a shelf in my linen closet. I kept my saddle in a guest room when it wasn’t being used, although I have a dehumidifier in my basement and don’t generally have a mold problem with anything I have left down there. I also used, as suggested by PrincessPonies, those dessicant packets in my bridle bags at the barn.

[Dewey]

Back when I was a youngster in Pony Club, our bible, the Manual of Horsemanship (published by the British Horse Society and the Pony Club) recommended using petroleum jelly on tack that was to be in long-term storage.

I have to admit I never tried it, but I imagine it would keep mold away from the leather.

[BAC]

@Dewey

Back when I was a youngster in Pony Club, our bible, the Manual of Horsemanship (published by the British Horse Society and the Pony Club) recommended using petroleum jelly on tack that was to be in long-term storage.

I have to admit I never tried it, but I imagine it would keep mold away from the leather.

I know that was popular at one time and I’m sure the jelly helps discourage mold and I think it was also meant to maintain long-term conditioning and suppleness, preventing the leather from hardening and drying out. But petroleum products seem less popular for leather care than they were at one time, so I wasn’t sure about suggesting it.

[pattnic]

I have read/heard that Ko-Cho-Line leather dressing is good for long-term storage.