Cleaning and Taking Care of your Saddle

If you take good care of your saddle it should stay in good condition for many years. The most important thing is to keep your saddle clean and oiled properly. Get into the habit of wiping down your saddle with a soft cloth every time you use it, if it's very dirty you should use a bristle brush to scrub it well, a toothbrush is very handy to clean difficult to get to places like seams or tooling. At regular intervals (a minimum of four times a year) clean your saddle thoroughly with soapy water (saddleries sell glycerine soap specially for saddle cleaning) and let it dry properly, on a warm day you can hang it outside to dry. When it's throughly dry, go over your saddle carefully with a light oil applied with a cloth or soft brush (baby oil or olive oil are good choices). Afterwards use a leather conditioner to seal and protect the leather. Make sure you don't apply an excessive amount of oil to the saddle or the leather will feel sticky and you'll clog the pores.

Saddles should be thoroughly checked regularly for unacceptable wear, loose stitches or broken straps and these should be repaired without delay when found.

When you are not using your saddle store it carefully on a proper saddle rack, and cover it with a cover or cloth for protection from dust and dirt.

More articles from Used Saddles and Bridles:

The Different Saddle Types

The Parts of a Bridle

Types of Horse Bits

The Parts of a English Saddle

The Parts of a Western Saddle

Western Saddles and Bridles |

Australian Saddles |

English Saddles and Bridles |

Endurance and Trail Saddles |

Halters & Leads |