Taking Care Of Your Horse Saddle
Upkeep on a horse saddle is very important. The leather and metal components can ruin easily if not properly cared for. More than likely, you have spent quite a bit of money on your horse saddle and it would be a shame to waste it with carelessness.
Cleaning your saddle on a monthly basis will help keep maintenance minimal and prevent the hefty job of undoing long term neglect. If you use your saddle on a more regular basis, you may need to tend to it more frequently.
Saddles have a long lifespan in general, but if they are not cared for they can rot and deteriorate rapidly. It is also always important to use some sort of leather oil when caring for your saddle once you have cleaned it. This will help to preserve the leather.
If you do not have a saddle stand to place your horse saddle on while cleaning it, you may drape it over a sturdy fence instead. Saddles can be cleaned with just soap and water. You do not want to get the saddle too wet and when scrubbing the leather you should not apply so much pressure that you stress the surface of the leather. Doing so could compromise the effectiveness of the leather protector you have already applied.
If you can dismantle the saddle to clean it, that would be ideal. Dirt and molds can build up in nooks and crannies. These can at the worst make you or your horse ill and at best cause quite a foul odor. It is always a good idea to do a thorough job of cleaning your horse’s saddle, rather than saving time by skipping the detail work.
Place all metal parts that can tolerate soaking into warm water before scrubbing the tree and other leather parts. The metal pieces will be ready for their turn, by the time you’ve finished with the rest of the saddle. Again, too much water will destroy the leather and also remember leaving the metal soaking for too long will cause it to corrode.
Remember that the horse is in contact with the underside of the saddle, so do not forget to clean this part as well. You will also need to clean all straps and harnesses and any metal pieces that are connected to the saddle core. Be sure these are allowed to dry before the saddle is stored to prevent rusting.
After cleaning the saddle with soap and water, apply a leather protector to the leather of the saddle and oil all of its metallic parts. Spread the oil well over the entire saddle and do not allow it to dry in drips. This will permanently discolor the saddle.
So once the parts have all completely dried and you have begun to put it back together, assuming you remembered everything and what goes where, do not leave any parts out. Or one day soon, you will regret it because your saddle is not operating properly.
Taking Care Of your horse saddle will prolong it’s usefulness. You are working to keep up it’s looks and it’s functionality. Rust and rot can break down a saddle and have a negative effect on you or your horse’s health. If you tend to your horse saddle on a regular basis, you should have no problems keeping it in great, usable riding condition.
