moldy saddle trauma

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travelmad

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i treated all my tack and put everything away for winter but at weekend I was checking the shed for my feed stockpile and... there is mold on 2 saddles :( Now i am clearly stupid for having left the saddles in shed, but I didnt realise it would be damp in there (not normally this blond!)

Any ideas for treating it? Just regular saddle soap and then lots of oil?

Thanks
 
I left my saddle in the boot of my car for a month.... ooops.

It was extremely hairy when I brought it out :o I just wiped it with white vinegar (not much) and then gave it a good clean and treated it with a good leather conditioner and it's back to being fantastic and mould free :P
 
eep, thanks all. stupid mold spores.

hubbie was giving out about smell of saddles in house, but they cannot go back to shed now! :)
 
You can't kill all the spores sadly, they will have worked their way into every nook and cranny. Leather Therapy Cleanser is the best stuff, contains phenol which is an anti fungal, apply and use a toothbrush to get to the hidden away stuff. Wipe off all residue and then condition, their conditioner also contains phenol so will help with prevention.
 
travelmad said:
i treated all my tack and put everything away for winter but at weekend I was checking the shed for my feed stockpile and... there is mold on 2 saddles :( Now i am clearly stupid for having left the saddles in shed, but I didnt realise it would be damp in there (not normally this blond!)

Any ideas for treating it? Just regular saddle soap and then lots of oil?

Thanks
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Do not just wipe it off and clean as usual. You MUST kill and remove the mildew.

I renovate old side saddles and these sometimes come to me white with mildew. I use a very old method of dealing with this and it really does work.

Buy some pine oil (find it in the health food shop with the essential oils). Mix 1 teaspoon of oil to 1 pint of comfortably warm water (ie 5ml oil to 1/2 a litre of warm water). Use a sponge squeezed out in this solution and use to remove the mildew/mould. When the nasties are removed wipe over with a clean damp cloth. When the leather is perfectly dry oil with a leather lubricator (I use Flexalan) and allow it to soak in well. Repeat if necessary but don't let the leather get slimey and sodden with oil.

Be careful in handling the oil as pine oil is a very strong disinfectant and can cause skin irritation and is poisonous if swallowed.

Having given the above advice for dealing with mildew let me give you advice on keeping it at bay in the future. When routinely cleaning your tack spit in the saddle soap to damp it rather than using water. This sounds crazy and disgusting but saliva has an enzyme in it which deters mildew. Generations of horsemen and grooms have done this and I promise you it DOES work!
 
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Mould lives on the glycerine in saddle soap, just don't use it! I have no idea about pine oil, but I'd not recommend using a leather oil/dressing like Flexalan. Very old leather might take it, but modern leather does not need, and does not benefit from the use of, oil. A good conditioner is much better for it, apply several light coats over time if you need to get back suppleness (though using it also supples it up) - oil simply stretches the fibres in the leather and weakens it.

I don't mean to dismiss your experience but science is against the use of saddle soap and oil.
 
sbloom said:
Mould lives on the glycerine in saddle soap, just don't use it! I have no idea about pine oil, but I'd not recommend using a leather oil/dressing like Flexalan. Very old leather might take it, but modern leather does not need, and does not benefit from the use of, oil. A good conditioner is much better for it, apply several light coats over time if you need to get back suppleness (though using it also supples it up) - oil simply stretches the fibres in the leather and weakens it.

I don't mean to dismiss your experience but science is against the use of saddle soap and oil.
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I did say that oil should not be over applied!

I don't advocate oiling leather very often but in the case of removing mildew the leather needs some "feeding" (for want of a better word) after treatment as most treatments tend to dry the leather. In fact, most, if not all, "reconditioners" are based on oils and your "several light coats" backs up what I stated.

As for mould/mildew growing on glycerine soap is concerned - that's why using the enzyme in saliva is such a good idea. It stops the mould/mildew growing.

As a matter of interest, what do you use on your leather tack if you don't use saddle soap?
 
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Saddle soap is the wrong ph for leather - it was used as a default from the tanning industry and process, NOT because it's the best way to care for leather on an ongoing basis. Old leather was such good quality it survived. And of course why feed the mould?!

As a cleanser it's not that effective but must be washed off. There are much better cleansers out there (Effex Ledercombi, Leather Therapy Cleanser) but they too must be washed off. I actually usually use just an old fashioned woven dishcloth, gives your elbow grease a bit of bite without scratching or otherwise damaging the leather. I'd only use a cleanser on filthy tack, even a lot of mud only needs water.

Conditioners need to be chosen carefully as many have ingredients like petrochemicals in them (and no ingredients on the tin, ever) but you need possibly a tiny bit of oil, then necessary ingredients like lanolin and waxes. This is what feeds and protects leather. I like Effax Ledebalsam, Stubben Hamanol, Leather Therapy Conditioner and Oakwood Conditioner. There may be other good ones but those ones I know the ingredients are good.
 
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Thank you for that
sbloom said:
Saddle soap is the wrong ph for leather - it was used as a default from the tanning industry and process, NOT because it's the best way to care for leather on an ongoing basis. Old leather was such good quality it survived. And of course why feed the mould?!

As a cleanser it's not that effective but must be washed off. There are much better cleansers out there (Effex Ledercombi, Leather Therapy Cleanser) but they too must be washed off. I actually usually use just an old fashioned woven dishcloth, gives your elbow grease a bit of bite without scratching or otherwise damaging the leather. I'd only use a cleanser on filthy tack, even a lot of mud only needs water.

Conditioners need to be chosen carefully as many have ingredients like petrochemicals in them (and no ingredients on the tin, ever) but you need possibly a tiny bit of oil, then necessary ingredients like lanolin and waxes. This is what feeds and protects leather. I like Effax Ledebalsam, Stubben Hamanol, Leather Therapy Conditioner and Oakwood Conditioner. There may be other good ones but those ones I know the ingredients are good.
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Thank you for your reply.
 
This happened to my tack as well due to not being used as horse and me have been ill. So you recommend washing with water as normal and then applying a conditioner? Is the black effax leather grease ok? :)
 
ldlp111 said:
This happened to my tack as well due to not being used as horse and me have been ill. So you recommend washing with water as normal and then applying a conditioner? Is the black effax leather grease ok? :)
Click to expand...

You need an anti fungal, hence me mentioning the Leather Therapy Cleanser with phenol, no idea about the IV horse one but if it has soap in it then I'd personally avoid it, just like using soap on our faces isn't the best idea.
 
Ok that's great, you're in my area do you know which shops stock it? :) thanks :)
Oh I also have some stubben hamanol (sp?) is that any good? :) Sory editied to say I see you've already mentioned this one will that kill the mould etc :)
 
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Thanks for info :) just had a look but can't see the cleanser on there, they do have a restorer and conditioner which says it eradicates mould and mildew so assume that will do the job :)
 
I had a similar problem with my side saddle a while ago and more recently with my double bridle. The side saddle ladies on facebook who have seen this before advised me to:
- wipe mildew off surface and toothbrush out of holes etc
- clean with white vinegar
(then I used a clean slightly damp cloth to get any excess vinegar off)
- oil lightly if wished (but the oil can rot stitching, so it's down to personal choice)
- feed with a leather conditioner (not just saddle soap, I use Effax leather balsam as you've stripped the leather's natural oils with the vinegar and need to replace them)
- feed again with leather conditioner a few days later
 
sbloom said:
You can't kill all the spores sadly, they will have worked their way into every nook and cranny. Leather Therapy Cleanser is the best stuff, contains phenol which is an anti fungal, apply and use a toothbrush to get to the hidden away stuff. Wipe off all residue and then condition, their conditioner also contains phenol so will help with prevention.
Click to expand...

Where do you get this stuff from?
 
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