Saddle Care Secrets: Keep Your Saddle Like New!

Leather Saddle Care Secrets: Keep Your Saddle Like New!

As an equestrian rider, we understand the importance of maintaining your saddle, whether your trail ride, train, or compete.  It’s not just a piece of equipment, it’s an investment in your riding experience.  Today, we will share some insider tips and tricks to keep your saddle looking brand new, featuring highly rated leather care products and care tips from top brands like Farnam, Mallet, Bickmore, Fiebings, Lexol, and Effax.

Understanding Your Saddle’s Needs:

Before diving into care routines, it’s crucial to understand your saddle’s material and design.  Whether it is a classic leather western saddle by Martin Saddlery, an NRS Competitor’s Series, or an elegant English saddle by Ovation, each saddle requires specific attention.

Daily Maintenance:

To improve the longevity of your saddle, it can be as simple as cleaning it daily with Farnam’s Leather New Total Care 2 in 1.  Before applying the saddle soap to your saddle, make sure to use a damp, soft cloth to remove any dust build up or sweat from your western fenders or English stirrup leathers.

On the Go Care:

If you are headed out for a trail ride, off to a horse show, or racing to get to that rodeo, don’t forget to bring along some Lexol Leather Quick Wipes.  These leather quick wipes come in both a cleaner and conditioner so you can clean your tack on the go.

Monthly Deep Cleaning Ritual:

Choosing the right cleaner for your monthly deep cleaning is essential to maintaining the life of the leather and your saddle. Fiebing’s Liquid Glycerin Saddle Soap is a popular choice among equine owners.  It has an easy spray and wipe off application and buffs out to a smooth, satin finish.  Tack Trick: For saddles that have deep leather tooling patterns, you can apply a small amount of saddle soap to a tooth brush to clean detailed leather stamping or hard to clean spots like behind the cantle.

Conditioning Your Saddle:

After allowing your saddle to dry after a deep clean, it is important to condition and reseal the leather with products such as Farnam’s Leather New Deep Conditioner & Restore.   If you are looking for a heavier oil conditioning, you might consider using a quart size container of Bickmore Neatsfoot Oil. For larger or multiple saddles, we would recommend the quart or gallon size bottle of Mallet Oil as a preferred choice by saddle makers. 

Humidity and Moisture Control:

Depending on your region, many equestrian riders face an issue with humidity and moisture control which can lead to mildew and leather rot.  To protect your saddle against the effects of humidity, Effax Leather Combi Spray is uniquely developed and naturally formulated to clean and prevent leather from being attacked by mildew and fungi.  Trainer Tip: For extra protection against moisture around your tack rooms or tack trunks, you can also look into incorporating Damp Rid into your saddle and tack care routine.

Winter and Outdoor Care:

When your saddle is exposed to outdoor elements such as a cold winter or hot summer, weather conditions can have a damaging and drying effect on your leather.  After you have taken proper steps to clean and condition your saddle, it is best to store your saddle in a temperature-controlled tack room to prevent cracking and stiffening.

Saving Space with Saddle Racks:

After investing in your saddle’s care, it is important to have a proper storage in your trailer or tack room.  Saddle racks come in wide variety of designs such as wall mounted, hanging, or floor stands.  For a compact and lightweight solution, the compact and lightweight Tough1 Single Collapsible Saddle Racks are perfect for traveling or showing.  If you are looking to organize your tack room, wall mounted saddle racks are easy to install while providing ample and open floor space.  As one of the other most popular saddle racks on the market, a floor standing saddle rack such as the Newport Blacksmith Shop Saddle Stand, can provide portable and sturdy solutions to storing your saddles anywhere!

Storage Solutions:

To protect your saddle from rubbing against other saddles, collecting dust, or being exposed to weather elements, don’t forget to cover your saddle with the highly sought-after Tough1 Heavy Duty Cordura Saddle Cover.