Does anyone still oil new tack??

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Sneedy

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I've just dismantled my new ish double bridle (amazing what a bit of snow get you doing eh??!), I've got a box of various cleaning and softening lotions and potions inc oil and don't know where to start.......maybe shouldn't have so much choice!

The bridle is a good quality one but is still quite rigid so would oil do the trick or I stick with the balm type stuff? Also got leather reins for the Weymouth, thoughts on oiling reins.......will they be too slippery?

Home made rock cakes in return for advice!!

Thank you :)
 
I use neatsfoot oil on new bridles. Once a new bridle has softened I mainly use the balm stuff, but still use neatsfoot oil occasionally.
 
I alway oil my leather tack, especially when new.

I wouldn't soak it in oil, but I always oil it by hand, I find it really satisfying softening the leather.

I don't know where the modern fear of oiling tack has come from, I have been doing it for donkeys years and have never had any problems with either the leather or stitching and some of my tack is rather ancient!
 
Thanks all! Bridle is now lovely and soft after a wee bit of oil then some Effax balm, house now smells of honey!!
 
Brand new tack, when the leather comes from a decent tannery, should be used for a while, before treatment. There's a good reason for that. New leather has a protective coating of tallow (candle wax, to you and I), that should be allowed to wear off before preservative treatment is administered.

Neats Foot Oil is excellent, there's no question of that, BUT, read the outside of the container, and if it says "Contains NFO", then it isn't the real stuff, sorry. Genuine NFO is incredibly thick, and needs to be warmed through, before use, so that it thins out, and though we don't get many sunny days at the moment, a few hours in the warm sun should do, that or stand the container in warm water, until the NFO thins out. That's the time to use it.

For head collars, girths and tack like that, NFO is wonderful, but for the bits that matter, bridles, saddle flaps and panels, there never has been anything quite like glycerine saddle soap. Tack cleaned with saddle soap, regularly, acquires the bloom of an untouched plum, and will give many years of service. I have a bridle here which I made 30 years ago, and it's as good as the day it was made, except that the rein rubbers are a bit tired!!

Alec.
 
I always use Neatsfoot Oil on new tack to make sure it's supple enough not to rub the horse. Effax and saddlesoap for general maintenance and Kocholine for anything that seems too dry or has been stored for a while.
 
I will give new tack a light oiling with neatsfoot always warm it well so you can apply lightly.
Hunting tack takes a lot of stick so now and again I give it a light oiling especially girths .
Mostly I use good old glycerine soap and elbow grease
 
I use neatsfoot oil first on new tack, then Horseman's Onestep after that, if its cheap then might need a couple of applications of oil, if its good quality you can really tell the difference, I'd just do it once
 
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