what makes rubber reins melt?

[Wicky]

This summer I had to replace my rubber reins as they started to get tacky in places. That was OK, they were old. I put them in a bag with other bits and pieces of bridles, and today took all of my tack (so much it is embarrassing) out for the annual cleaning and conditioning. I have stuff from my hunter jumper days including 20 year old gorgeous hunter bridles and martingales that I will never use again, but I keep in case maybe a granddaughter will… but that is beside the point. The reins had melted into tarry gunk, ruining the random pieces they had been stored with (thank goodness it wasn’t the good stuff!) I had to use nail polish remover to get it off my hands and the floor, and I am just chucking the leather bits.

I cannot imagine what did this to them. They were stored at the barn, hanging except for when the groom would take the bridles to her home to take apart and clean. I will ask her if she ever got nail polish remover on them, but can you think of anything else that would do this?

[hoopoe]

insecticides will do this to plastics and rubber, particularly DEET. Either from you or our horses fly spray

[Lady_Eboshi]

Horseman’s One Step and certain other cleaning products melt them as well. Clean with soap and water only!

[ReSomething]

Yep, things you don’t even think of as solvents will do a number on rubber reins and all things of that type. UV gets them.
They have a half life and it isn’t long. My DH worked with plastics and he says that the oldest types tend to degrade the least and the slowest, but the manufacturers responded to concerns over landfills and disposal by changing the formulation so now your buckets HAVE to be stored in the shade and can’t be outdoors for more than a few years before they go bad. So if you complain that your new bucket isn’t as good as the ancient one that has lasted forever, well it is true.

[mroades]

?time and or fly spray

[chicamux]

Oil breaks down rubber. There is various types of oil is so many things. Leather gets treated with oil, or products that have some type of oil in it.

[Magicboy]

I’ve had the problem with fly spray melting reins like this.

[Amwrider]

fly sprays, sweat and heat…

[Velvet]

Sweat and heat have never melted my rubber reins. They only melt from certain oils. If you clean your bridle and oil from vegetables, and the rubber touches it (or your hands transfer it) you can melt the rubber. If you use anything on the horse with essential oils, other vegetable oils, you run the risk of melting them. If you use something like Neatsfoot Oil on your bridle, you do not run that same risk. It is animal based oil and does not degrade rubber.

[FLeventer]

I just wash my reins with water. I have two pairs of rubber reins that are seven years old. No gummy or tacky parts on my reins.

Keep them out of extreme heat. Dont use fly spray on them. Dont use oil. No other cleaning solutions that would break down the rubber.

I store all my rubber reins away from my other tack. I had gummy rein gunk all over my bridle that was stored with it. Lesson learned and thats when I stopped storing my reins without newspaper over the rubber.

[caryledee]

Fly spray is what did mine in! They held up great for 3 years until I accidently sprayed the horse (and reins) with Pyranha fly spray. Within a day of this I felt that tacky feeling…

[ASB_Stars]

ANY kind of petroleum product with melt any reins which have rubber on them, through them, or around them.

My bridle reins generally have web with rubber threads through them, attached to leather. I am VERY careful to keep oil away from any part of the rein that has the rubber in it.

[NancyM]

The rubber can be replaced, if you are in love with the reins. You do not HAVE to throw them away.

[beowulf]

the short and sweet - latherin & oil both.

I am terrified to clean or condition my rubber reins, like, ever. So they are rarely used (shows only) and if they get dirty they are wiped down with a damp rag, no soap or oil.