You spend hours caring for your horse, but it’s important that the leather saddle you ride on also gets the proper care it needs. Cleaning and caring for your saddle is a quick way to protect one of investments you’ve made in riding. Horse Saddle care is also key to horse care when you’re a regular rider, so be sure to clean and condition your leather saddle and horse tack regularly.
Weather you use a western saddle, a dressage saddle, or just a general purpose saddle, follow these steps to ensure your saddle is properly cared for.
Place your saddle on a saddle rack or sturdy fixture where it can rest properly without falling. Wipe the saddle off with a moist sponge or paper towel to remove any loose dirt or mud. Once the loose mud and debris is gone, you can start deep cleaning.
Don’t apply the saddle soap over the entire saddle and expect to wipe it all off properly before it dries. Dampen your sponge, but make sure it is not dripping wet. You don’t want to get any excess moisture on the leather. Dip your moist sponge in the soap and work into a lather on the saddle. Work in small circles, rinse, and re-lather the sponge frequently. Start with the top layer moving to the bottom. Do not apply the saddle soap to any suede parts, but make sure you get under the saddle flaps if there is leather surface there on your saddle. Take the extra time to apply to the stirrup leathers as well.
Wipe residual soap off with a damp towel, then again with a dry one to make sure all of the soap is removed from the leather, making sure to deeply clean all the crevices. A tooth brush works great to remove any dirt. You can also try using some cotton swabs to remove the soap from the folds after cleaning.
Next, you will want to condition your saddle to help soften, seal, and protect the leather. There are a few different leather conditioners out there to choose from. Lanolin oil is a great product to use when conditioning the leather. Neatsfoot oil can also be used to soften, preserve and waterproof smooth leather saddles. Either leather conditioner will help keep the saddle leather soft and prolong its useful life. Using a dry cloth, apply the oil to the saddle very sparingly, just enough to darken the leather. Too much oil may cause it to soak through the leather and damage the padding on the underside.
Next, clean off the silver or metal fittings if any soap got on them while you were cleaning the leather. Repeat the above process for cleaning the stirrups.
To complete the process, make sure you allow your leather saddle and any other leather tack you cleaned to air dry. You can use a fan to help speed the drying process, as long as you do it in an area without too much dust in the air.
Caring for your horseback riding equipment is just another part of your equestrian lifestyle. Whether you’re getting ready for the Midwest Horse Fair or simply riding on the farm, Blain’s Farm & Fleet has everything you need to care for your horses. From horse grooming supplies to horse tack to hoof care, you’ll be ready to ride. For more tips on riding equipment and horse care, visit our Hobby Farming blog.
