Caring for your saddle

Maintaining Your Saddle

Congratulations! You’ve done all the research, tossed up between this and that and made the decision – you have a new saddle! What now? We spend so much time making sure we make the correct purchase but what to do after? How do we make sure to keep our gear in the best possible condition? Well here is your handy guide, a few tips and tricks to keep your gear in pristine condition.

In the perfect world we would all keep our gear in perfectly temperature controlled tack rooms with no chance of dust or damp but its just not in the cards for a lot of us. So read below for a few tips on the best way to look after your gear.

Storing Your Saddle

The best place for your saddle to live is in a spot out of direct sunlight, for some that is a tack room/shed, others their float, others prefer to keep their gear at home with them and some even use the back of their car. Extended sun exposure can cause fading and damage to your saddle, so it is important that you don’t have your saddle sitting in the direct sunlight for long periods. It also worth noting that leather can attract rodents when they are hungry, so keep your saddle out of reach of rats to avoid any nibble marks or damage. We always recommend using a saddle cover, these (usually fleece) covers keep the dust from accumulating and protect the saddle from the suns rays.

Depending on which type of saddle you have, something like this usually does the trick

It’s also worth thinking about the humidity in the place where you keep your saddle. A damp environment is the perfect breeding ground for mould to develop on your leather gear. Using a dehumidifier in your tack room can negate that or even just taking your gear into the house when experiencing prolonged rainy weather.

Cleaning Your Saddle

There are a couple of steps involved in keeping your saddle in the best condition possible. For synthetic saddles we recommend wiping free from dust before every ride, this can be as simple as using a microfibre cloth and just running over the whole saddle, this is a good time to check all parts of the saddle are in working order. If your saddle has become wet or you think it needs little help we suggest using this

If you have some really stuck on grime you can use some warm water and gentle soap to help shift dirt with the help of a soft brush. Once removed make sure to rinse thoroughly and allow to dry fully in the sun.

For leather saddles there is a bit more that goes into keeping them in the best condition. Like synthetic saddles its good practice to wipe over your saddle with a microfibre cloth before your ride in the order to get rid of dust but also check the saddles points.

How often you “deep clean” your saddle will depend how much you use it, we have customers that clean their gear after every ride, or faithfully every Sunday, and some a little less so and some just before a show. A good general rule is to “deep clean” your saddle once a week. To prepare for a deep clean remove your stirrups/stirrup leathers, girth and any breastplates etc. Using a soft cloth (micro fibre/chux wipe) remove any obvious dust, dirt or hair that you can see. This helps the products penetrate the leather itself and not just the grime on top.

Once you’ve done that you can move on to cleaning the saddle. Using a slightly damp sponge or soft cloth with a saddle cleaner such as this,  this or this

Using a circular motion you will only need a thin layer to apply over the whole saddle, including points and both sides of the flaps (including underside of the panel). Take into account any places where sweat can gather and thoroughly clean. Avoid the product on any suede or synthetic parts of the saddle. This will clean the saddle and seal the pores in the leather. If you notice your sponge/cloth getting dirty just give it a quick rinse and continue until the whole saddle is clean. You may need to do this a few times depending on how dirty the saddle is.

Once clean its important to let it soak into the leather for a few minutes before continuing onto the next step. If you notice a build up of product just use a cloth to remove the excess.

After cleaning the saddle it is important to then condition it to replenish the moisture in the leather and keep it strong. Products like this or this

Will keep your saddle strong. It’s important to remember that over conditioning can cause stretching, so avoid using product on the girth straps. Use a damp sponge or cloth again to apply the conditioner, it’s always worth reading the labels to ensure you are complying with the manufacturer recommendations.

If your saddle has been sitting around for a while or is looking really dry it may be time to give it an extra hand with an oil treatment using this or this

You can use a paint brush to apply a thin layer of oil over the saddle, allow to soak for approx. 30mins and reapply as necessary. Once looking less dry its worth giving it a deep clean with your cleaner and then conditioner to ensure it is no longer brittle.

Once the leather is taken care of just make sure to wipe any extra product off the metal fixtures on the saddle eg D Rings, stirrup bars etc.

Quick Tips

• We need to remember that “dehydrated” leather = weak leather so therefore if our gear is not conditioned appropriately it is not as strong as it can be. When purchasing a saddle new, some will come pre oiled, this means it is ready to be ridden in. There will be others that will need to be oiled/conditioned before they are used in order to put the ‘strength’ back into the leather.
• Try and avoid getting your saddle wet, if it does happen take care to give it a good clean and conditioner and then dry fully in order to avoid mould growing
• Cleaning your saddle is a great time to inspect the stitching and state of the leather on your saddle

How to Maintain Flocked Saddles

Reflocking your saddles on a semi-regular basis will extend the useful life of the saddles while also ensuring that both the rider and their horse are comfortable. A thorough reflock enables the fully qualified Saddle Fitter to create perfect and comfortable saddle balance. This balance occurs when the tree and panel design, as well as the seat and blocks, fully complement both the horse and the rider.

A saddle that has been correctly flocked will have even stuffing throughout, which will eliminate pressure spots and protect the horse’s musculoskeletal system from injury. Flocking protects the rider’s back from discomfort and adds balance to the seat, which helps the rider’s weight to be distributed more evenly over the saddle. This is accomplished by maintaining contact with the horse during the ride.

Reflocking isn’t only about the panel and the wool; it’s also a moment for you to verify the soundness and symmetry of the tree, stirrup bars, girthing, and panel to ensure that neither your comfort nor your safety will be compromised.

A saddle maker or fitter can asses and reflock your saddle usually on the spot depending on how much you need added or if the saddle is aged, it may need to be completely emptied out and rebalanced. Depending on how much riding you have done, age, panel type reflocking can be needed anywhere from 6months of age of the saddle.