Tack care

So I had such a great response to the saddle pad query… let’s move on to leather.

I grew up in a backyard western barn so the idea of daily tack cleaning was foreign to me. Basically before shows only.

Lately I’ve adopted a habit of cleaning saddle, bridle and boots after each ride - just with Leather New spray and a soft rag. It leaves me feeling like I fully completed the task of riding. Like when you clean the kitchen sink at the end of the day.

I love it! I love putting on clean boots and a shiny bridle. I’ve had to set aside the idea that leather new might not be the best product.

What’s your routine?

Grew up in Pony Club - I clean tack in use once a quarter. Clean with Muphy’s Oil Soap then moisturize, product depends on the part of the country currently living in and the type of leather (bridle vs pack saddle strap goods, Kieffer vs McCall saddlery.) Stored tack inspected, cleaned and moisturized once a year.
Cleaning after each ride is wasted effort as there are fences and jumps to build/paint/fix not to mention maintaining the rest of the farm/ranch and my day job.
But I do love a pretty and clean kitchen sink at the end of the day!

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Mine routine depends on the climate. If I treated my tack in Virginia like I did in Montana, it would practically rot from over-conditioning.

In a dry climate, I’d use oil or conditioner far more frequently to keep the leather moisturized. Maybe once a week, depending on the need. A wipe down with a damp cloth to take care of dust and sweat per use, then a swipe on both sides with a solid glycerine soap like Stubben’s (my favorite). No suds! Suds strip the natural moisture out of leather. A light sprinkle of water on the surface of the soap, no more than that.

In a humid climate, mold is more of a threat than drying out. I seldom oil my tack here, and usually have a moisture-absorbing tub under my tack area. Again, a damp cloth for a general wipe down, then a light spritz on a sponge of something like Leather Therapy Wash or Effax Spray Leather Cleaner. I am sparing of those on black-dyed leather as both can strip some dyes. The only conditioning they get is the solid glycerine soap wipe down. Glycerine encourages leather to hold moisture, and I’ve found it’s too much for most leathers (especially boots!!) to overuse in a humid climate.

Boots and half chaps just get wiped down with a damp cloth, and I’ll go over them as needed with a cream polish like Urad for protection and shine.

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I have some Lexol spray that I use for wiping my boots down after most rides. I have some jumping boots that are cheaper leather, but fit perfectly and have a good zipper design, so I’m trying to help them last. They seem to be benefiting from the frequent conditioning. I use the same on my saddles and bridles on an as-needed basis. For the bridles, it’s mostly a matter of getting saliva blobs off the noseband, and then keeping the dust build up off the saddles between “real” cleaning and conditioning. I live in a dry environment (Idaho).

I wipe off my tack daily - bit gets rinsed, my boots get wiped. Deeper cleaning monthly with conditioner as needed.

Reminder: if you use soap of any kind, wipe your leather off with a clean damp rag after to remove the soap residue.

The 2-in-1 products aren’t good for leather - would you leave soap and lotion on your hands w/o rinsing?

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Love this thread, as I see many different good ways to clean tack and products to use at my boarding barn. I live on the No Coast (Midwest), which means I alternate between humid and dry environments, along with extreme heat and cold. I wipe down my bit and bridle with a damp cloth after each ride, then clean with goat’s milk soap and condition with Effax about once a week. Pretty much the same with my saddle. It keeps the leather soft and workable. I try to deep clean and oil my tack quarterly. I am lazy about my boots. They get a damp cloth after most rides to wipe off the dust and sweat/sebum mix. But I polish them only probably every couple weeks. I ride about 4x/week, 5 tops.

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I grew up Western so my current English tack cleaning routine is … Intermittent.

If I try cleaning after every use I quickly get gummy tack. I too am in a humid temperate climate and mold is the problem. Too much product will mold very quickly. I started using the tea tree oil infused leather conditioner, absolutely makes some difference. If I clean tack properly I need to take it home to dry out except in heat of summer.

I do wash my saddle pads frequently and also my mohair dressage girth.

I’m a tack n*zi :grimacing:

Everything (saddle, bridle, girth if leather) gets wiped down with a damp sponge (water only) after every ride. I also harp on my clients so they do the same. Any dirt build up is bad for the tack, so the goal is to remove all hair/dirt/sweat each ride. I’m in NorCal so we have some dust as well, and that gets wiped off. Leather gets conditioned with Belvoir (or client’s conditioner of choice - no soap) as needed, basically when it starts to feel dry.

I wish I was better about my boots but I’m not :cry: They get a damp sponge maybe every 2-3 days and polish maybe once a month or every 2 months.

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Damp water only rag to everything, every ride. Bits get rinsed. Short of a Hunter pace level sweat and dirt situation, I don’t use saddle soap. Damp wiped tack gets a light layer of conditioner as needed. Any excess is buffed out before the next ride.

My Ariat tall boots are 8 years old, bridle is 10 years old, etc. my leather tends to last a long time while remaining in very good condition. I hate gummy or dry leather.

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Ok ok ok… you might have convinced me to shelve the leather new occasionally :D. But even just three days of using it and all the tack feels so much better.

Still, I hate that feeling of gummy leathers. So I’ll maybe just do the damp cloth thing most days.

Historically I have not been one to take good care of my possessions. I’m sure that’s rooted in some childhood trauma or penance for past lives, but I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. Consistency in all things leading me to success in the show ring after a multi decade hiatus is my goal.

I use Leather Combi by Effax if things are truly disgusting and I need to cut through the crud. None of my horses are in leather girths at the moment, which I feel get most disgusting. Otherwise I just wipe down my bridles with a damp towel and apply Passier or Effax lederbalsam probably once per week. Saddle gets cleaned the same way but even more infrequently.

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I don’t do much for most of my tack on the regular. Effax Leder-combi once every few months, followed up with Carr Martin & Day Belvoir Leather Balsam (the smell is heavenly) until the leather stops soaking it up.

It’s quite dry here, and my leather would probably like to be oiled more frequently, but I also hate the buildup you get from conditioning when the leather isn’t perfectly clean, so I don’t do it unless I have the time to commit. I keep my saddle covered so it stays fairly clean anyways.

Let me preface by saying I love my beta/biothane harness SO MUCH.

But yeah, black tack… Sigh… It’s an artform. Like most everyone else, a damp rag is your friend. I generally only clean off the tack with product every few days, typically the effax cleaner with mildew resistance and for conditioning, Bee natural/Rudy’s because it also has mildew protection. I’m in the humid South AND my tack is in a tack room that is a glorified tedshed. Mildew is the default setting. Since I started using both, I’ve noticed that there is a lot less green going on, so yay for that.

Other products I use on tack as needed, all inspired by presentation harness preparation (the average driver is waaaay more obsessed with clean tack than the average rider).

Pledge on patent leather, but I’ll wipe it with food grade mineral oil if there are any scratches and then buff it down.

Feibings black saddle soap if leather gets a bit used or rough looking, but you need to let it cure a bit if you use it on the seat.

Black parade gloss boot polish. So far I haven’t used it on my boots, but I’m sure I will soon enough, I just hadn’t thought of it until now. I got it to use on the parts of my Euro collar (harness) that I want to have a more patent leather look and I started using it on the cantle of the saddle. This is pre competition only.

Clear polish quick application thingies. “Black dyed leather needs polish” is the mantra for harness and boots, so why not riding tack? But black polish can be a challenge to white breeches and dun fjords so I use the infused clear polish sponges to put a rich protective finish on the saddle and the entire “top” of the harness, usually once a monthish and/or pre competition

I avoid brass, but if you have it, Wizards metal polish cloth (wadding) is your only hope. A tiny bit torn off does all the brass on a harness so a box of washing goes a long way. But it’s insanely good for all metal so probably would do a great job on bits as well.

Ooh, did you know that shaving cream works great on patent leather? Just the regular cheap can. Wipe on and wipe off and it buffs up so nicely. That’s how I get my navy patent boots show-ready.

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If I’m ever out of pledge I’ll keep that in mind, but we use pledge on :100: of the painted and/or wood parts of a presentation carriage to get them ready for dressage, so suffice to say there’s always a can or 20 around at shows or home!

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You might just need to do a round of semi-heavy oiling and conditioning to get the leather feeling better overall. Then use just water to clean after riding and oil or condition occasionally (weekly or monthly).

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Wow I am a dirty mess compared to many of you :sweat_smile:

I grew up in a hunter show barn where tack was cleaned every ride, conditioned weekly. There was always a bucket of water with sponges and a hanging bar of glycerin soap near some saddle racks and bridle hooks to facilitate riders upholding the rules. At the right times of day, the water would be fresh and warm.

Now there is no tack cleaning area or warm water and I am extremely lazy about cleaning tack. I mostly just clean it when I need to be presentable for something (about quarterly) or if it starts feeling a bit dry in winter. I…have never cleaned my schooling tall boots. They are one with the dirt. It’s fine.

The exception is that I do frequently wipe the inside (part that touches horse) of my leather girth so he doesn’t get skin funk.

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Isn’t it so satisfying? I admit mine may have gone from fun ritual to less-fun compulsive habit ( :joy: ) but there’s nothing like putting a clean bridle on a clean horse.

I fill a fly spray bottle with water and one hearty glug of Ivory liquid soap. This is just enough soap for a slightly better clean than just a damp rag, without leaving any residue that damages leather. I dip the bit and honestly a big chunk of the bridle in the bit bucket by the door, wipe down, takes all of ~2m to do and my bridles always look great. I oil sparingly - the more product you put on your tack the gummier it gets and the more often you will need to CLEAN it for it to look clean.

Swap out your bridle[s] regularly, it gives you a chance to really inspect a bridle for any safety concerns, fully clean and condition, and if you are like me, gives you a chance to showcase the ~10 bridles you have for one horse. You also may find your horse has a preference for bridle type - mine sure does!

My saddle is wiped down after each ride with the above rag.

I like Belharra Leather balsam, but I made my own leather conditioner a while back and have been only using that. It’s a mix of (cow) tallow, lard, coconut oil and beeswax.

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One of the best purchases I made (because it makes tack cleaning actually enjoyable) is this gorgeous cleaning stand from McGuinn Farms. I was pretty good about cleaning tack before, but having the perfect spot to do it - on wheels so it can be inside the tack room or out - complete with a shelf for a bucket, a holder for the sponge, and plenty of bridle space, makes it a joy.

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The barn I spent my 20’s working at a barn that was full of polo ponies and had a couple of real old-timers who had worked there for more than 50 years. They would clean the tack after games or heavy workouts with stuff they concocted and proudly called “puke”. It resided in an ancient coffee can and when it started to run low, said can would go on the wood stove with Lexol and a bar of glycerin soap. It would be stirred until the soap melted, and once cool was ready to use.

It coated the tack completely, probably helped riders stay in the saddle because it was slightly tacky and collected jockeys like you wouldn’t believe. But all of the tack was supple even though some of the saddles and bridles were over 50 years old.

I’m not recommending it!

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