I hate how loose rings collect gunk, and even through my bits are cleaned regularly, when I take my bridle apart they do get the special treatment. I put my bits in a bucket, and add baking soda and vinegar. Someone meantioned the carbination in pop helping the cleaning process, so true.
[QUOTE=ACMEeventing;7717758]
I officially just became the most lame “tack parent” ever.
I never should have read the responses …[/QUOTE]
I think we have a little response bias going on in the replies 
Signed, another lame tack parent
Now that I keep HS in my tack box, I tend to give it a swipe after every ride unless I am in a hurry. More effort when I have a clinic or show, but I don’t take it all the way apart - I will undo a buckle here and there and take off the reins, but not deconstruct the entire thing.
The bit usually just gets elbow grease and hot water but I like some of these ideas.
I have been religious about wiping down my new dressage saddle with HS after every ride and it still looks BRAND new after several months…
My bit gets cleaned whenever the bridle gets cleaned. When I clean my bridle, it’s the full job–take everything apart and clean it piece by piece.
[QUOTE=ACMEeventing;7717758]
I officially just became the most lame “tack parent” ever.
I never should have read the responses …[/QUOTE]
:no: Nope, we’re tied for Champion.
I do wash off bits after every ride because both of mine are goomouths.
(and cuz many years ago a trainer said to me “How’d you like to put that in your mouth?”)
But take a bridle apart & actually get rid of all the dirt jockeys?
Uh, yeah…I’m sure I did that several years ago…
Every few weeks I take the bit off the bridle and throw it in a water bucket! 10-20 min later I pull the bit out of the bucket and wipe it down. Nice and clean 
I try to dunk just the mouthpiece in the water bucket after every ride to get the crud off. Way easier right after it’s come out of the horse’s mouth than the next day when everything is cemented on.
ETA my horse throws half his grain in his water bucket anyway, so I don’t think he minds too much 
I live in super HOT and very dry So Cal. I clean my bridles weekly and this includes taking them completely apart for a thorough cleaning including the bit. I normally soak my bits in a small bucket of super hot water with a few drops of dawn dish soap. I clean all my tack using the Higher Standards products. I bring my saddles home a couple of times per month for the same cleaning. We have a large sink in our garage which is perfect for cleaning tack and equipment.
I wipe down bit and bridle each time, and break down completely every 2 - 6 weeks depending on the season. They seem to get dirty quicker in the spring with shedding and dust bowl rolling.
Now my saddle… I only take that home for the super clean about every three months. Again… my horse has a dust halo around him March-June which gets on everything.
you’re supposed to clean bits?
Best barn addon sink with 4 gallon water heater (cl find) bit rinsed after each use bridle wipeoff with warm damp rag ok daughter pony club grad!
I rinse my bits off after every ride, so gunk doesn’t have a chance to build up.
I really only clean bridles when the dried sweat builds up to an overwhelming level, which this time of year is about once a week! I take a bridle apart when I want to oil it (3-4x a year maybe, more for a new bridle), and while they’re off the bridle my Sprenger bits get a polish with the HS Diamond Paste, which works wonderfully to bring the shine back.
Bits are rinsed after use, before everything dries on to it. Less effort to get it before it becomes dried gunk.
As to anything else, it depends on the bridle. Some of my best bridles are sewn, so the bits don’t come off. In that case I clean them thoroughly in situ with a cloth and warm water. If the bits come of they go to soak in a bucket of warm water while the bridles are cleaned. I may or may not use Spenger diamond paste on them, depending.
Bits get dunked/rinsed and wiped off after every ride, no matter how short on time I am. Because I try to ride in the mornings during the week, the most any of my leather gets is a quick swipe with a damp rag if we were especially foamy-sweaty or it was muddy out. I just don’t have time for a proper cleaning most mornings (I can only get up so early!). Everything gets a proper cleaning with HS at least once during the weekend or if I have to ride in the evening, including my boots and half chaps. And since I am not using all my tack right now (jump bridle needs new reins. Don’t need martingales), I clean that stuff off every few weeks so it doesn’t get dry and/or moldy.
But it I almost never take bridles apart completely. Is that wrong?
I dunk my bits in the horse’s water bucket after every ride to prevent build-up. I take my bits off and throw them in the dishwasher about 1x a month. They look brand new when they come out (no scrubbing/soaking…just toss them in).
As far as the bridle goes… I do a quick wipe-down of the bridle daily. I undo ALL the buckles about 1x a week and clean all the dirt out of all the pieces. My show bridle gets the buckles un-done and cleaned after every use now.
The only parts of the bridle I don’t clean on a daily/weekly basis are the bit hooks because I hate them and they are a pain in the butt. Those get cleaned only when I take the bits off. Which is still probably not as often as I should :no:
I have LOTS of bridles, several always have the same bit, because I clean my tack after every ride or every two rides, and I take the entire bridle apart to clean, each and every time. I know I am fanatical but I can’t stand that when I try to wipe it down I can’t really get into those little crevices as well as I can if it is all broken down. If I do wait until the second ride then of course the bit gets wiped off immediately.
Well, my current daily use bridle is my endurance bridle. Its blue Biothane so I just dunk it in a bucket periodically when it gets dirty. In the summer when I hose my horse off after a ride, I either leave the bridle on and hose it in the process of hosing him off or hang it in the wash rack and hose it separately. Bit gets the worst of the gunk wiped off of it, dunked in a bucket if necessary.
When I used my not as nice leather bridle every day, I wiped the sweat off with a damp rag in the warmer months anytime I used the bridle. In colder months, I wiped it down a couple times a month. I take it apart and do a thorough cleaning a few times a year. The bit gets wiped off as necessary.
My flat hunt bridle is my best bridle. That one gets wiped down every time its used and taken completely apart about once a month when its getting used (used for shows and foxhunting). It lives in a bridle bag and is always cleaned before its put away. Bit is always kept clean.
