Generally speaking, the saddle on a horse is one of the most important equine things you own besides the horse itself. Due to this, it is important that you keep the saddle in great condition and that you preserve its current state. Saddles are generally made of leather and leather is made of skin or hide. As leather has been extracted from once a living being, we must be careful to treat the leather, like you would take care of your own skin.
Saddles are usually made in a shop or in a leather worker’s shop. They usually have it conditioned so that there is minimal work involved before actually riding it for yourself. Saddles are all highly variable from one another, and unless you buy a saddle made from a factory, there likely isn’t one that is exactly like it. When you buy a saddle, the saddle makers generally enclose information about how to care for saddles to ensure that you take care of them by following the instructions. These instructions are so important that we actually recommend that you go ahead and check out the manufacturer’s website or give them a call from time to time. If you own a horse and you want to provide it with the best equipment, then we highly recommend that you look into saddle pads for horses. They have some of the best equine equipment out there and you will not regret purchasing from them.
So how do you take care of a saddle? One of the best ways is to actually clean in moderation. This isn’t a material that takes well to excessive and over liberal use of conditioning product. Most of the time you can get away with a quick dusting of the saddle. However, there comes a time when you need to give it more than just a quick dusting, and though you may be tempted to wash it down with shower gel and shampoos, now is neither the time nor the place. Simply dust it off well and you should be good to go for a few weeks.
However, if you really want to get down and dirty, go ahead and remove the cinches so that you can remove the saddle completely. You can then flip the saddle upside down and vacuum the sheepskin that it is resting on. This ensures that you get all of the dust off. Afterwards you can use a small brush to remove the dust that had gotten stuck near the skirt and then clean the leather completely with a sponge that has been dipped in water. (Take care not to leave the leather wet, instead dry it off with a dry cloth once you’re done with the cleanup). Afterwards, you will want to use some good quality saddle soap and tack cleaner. But be warned only to use a little, otherwise, the leather will become unbearably slimy and sticky and will likely stain your pants the color of your saddle.
