I have an Edgewood bridle that is probably 20-25 years old now. It was mostly used for shows so the leather is still in great condition. Is there anything I can do to give it a refresh? I held it up next to a new Ovation bridle the other day and realized how tired the Edgewood looks even though it is a much higher quality than the Ovation. It feels sad to relegate it to a schooling bridle.
Depends on what youāre currently using on it, but I have one thatās at least 15 years old and nothing works quite like a light round of oil and then an oil-based (as opposed to cream based) conditioner when itās done soaking that up. Personally I use a Fiebings saddle oil and then CWD conditioner.
Thanks! I have used plain glycerin soap to clean and usually Effax lederbalsam for conditioning, which is I am pretty sure is oil-based. It still just looks dull
You want patina, or do you want gloss/shine?
For the former, try Belharra. It is expensive but it works - and one tub will last you years. Iām on my last bit of Belharra conditioning soap and Iāve had it for over five years. I havenāt quite found anything that gives my brown leather such a good patina, and Iāve resuscitated some very old quality tack with it.
If it is gloss and shine that you think your bridle is missin, take your bridle apart completely and use your favorite conditioner on it. Allow it to dry out a few days, and then put some Fiebings Resolene on it. Just do one layer at a time, and light applications. A little goes a long way.
The Resolene is a sealant; it will seal in the āconditioner glowā.
Definitely donāt want a high shine but I do think the dullness is what is making it look so tired. I have Bee Natural Leather Finish, which I think is like Resolene (??) from another project so I may try that on the bottom of the martingale that you donāt see (between the legs) to see how that turns out.
I stopped using glycerine because it leaves a residue, maybe that is the cause of the dullness. If so, I would give it a thorough cleaning either with Castile soap or a solution of ammonia and water to get rid of any buildup. And I use liquid cleansers now (Effax Leder Combi and Belvoir Step #1 are my favorites), they do a good job of cleaning and donāt seem to leave the residue that creams and polishes do. Castile can be drying though so you definitely need to use a good cleanser and conditioner afterwards, same with ammonia which is too harsh for my taste, the fumes almost knock me over and Iām not about to put my hands into it without gloves.
Good thought. I really hate the glycerin grime feeling - I feel like one of my schooling bridles got really gross when a teenager was riding my horse 2 years ago and must have just glopped it with glycerin every time she used the bridle. I have castille - so maybe Iāll try a good cleaning with the castille, then condition and see what I have - if it still looks meh, then Iāll do a patch test/sample the leather finish effect on the bottom fo the martingale to see how it looks.
I worked for an old school h/j rider who was extremely particular about leather quality, cleanliness, and care. One thing she stressed was to use as little water as possible with saddle soap. I use the Anatres glycerine soap (I donāt remember what this person used) and never wet the sponge. Instead, try dipping the soap/soap contained into water as needed (literally as little as needed to get the soap to apply). With the soap ādryerā it buffs in really nicely, and I found this made a huge difference with not leaving a sticky residue.
It leaves my tack looking and feeling great, but didnāt leave behind the residue that I now associate with mixing too much water with glycerine soap and getting tack almost sudsy.
I like the Leder Combi a lot too, especially for a deep clean, but it doesnāt leave my tack looking as nice.