Taking care of your horse saddle is critical. The leather and metallic parts can quickly deteriorate if not properly maintained. Saddles are a pretty expensive purchase, so in order to protect your investment you want to care for your saddle properly on a regular basis.

A good cleaning every thirty days or so should e adequate. This will be enough to stop build up of dirt and rust on the components of your saddle. If you use your saddle more frequently you may also want to increase the frequency of your cleaning regiment to err on the safe side.

Horse saddles should last for decades. Unless they are not properly cared for. Then they can go to waste quite rapidly. Cleaning the horse saddle is important, but you will also need to apply a leather protector regularly to lock in the finish.

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.

You do want to take your saddle apart to clean those hard-to-reach places. Crud can collect in cracks and areas between saddle parts. You do not want your saddle to become a petri dish of funk that can make you sick, your horse sick or just plain reek a foul odor. Be diligent with the sanitation of your saddle and you will save yourself the grief of a nasty fungus ruining your riding time.

Before you begin working on the leather of your horse saddle, put the metal parts to soak in water. When you are done scrubbing the leather, you can finish cleaning these components. Remember never to soak the leather and don’t forget about the metal parts left in the water when you are done cleaning the rest of the saddle.

Don’t skip cleaning underneath the saddle where moisture builds up between the tree and the horse’s back. Also clean any separated parts of the saddle that are leather including straps and stirrups. If you do not let the metal parts dry, before storage or use, they could rust and ruin the saddle.

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.

Once you have oiled your saddle and thoroughly dried off all of the leather and metallic parts, it is time to reassemble your saddle, Hopefully, you have kept careful track of all the parts that you detached. Do not leave any parts out when putting it back together or the saddle may fall apart or fail during use.

Routine upkeep of your saddle will ensure that it lasts you for many, many years. Saddle maintenance has both a visual and a practical purpose. Decay can come in the form of rust or bacteria which can ruin your saddle, your health or your horse’s health. The more you care for your horse saddle, the less problems you may have while riding in the future and the longer it will last.

Tags: Horses