Right...have Neatsfoot oil, have new leather, now what?!

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bex1984

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Having just bought a new bridle and show-lead-chain-thingy, I thought I'd be virtuous and consider actually cleaning and looking after my tack properly.

So I bought some neatsfoot oil.

Now...what do i actually do with it?!
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I want to make the new leather all nice and soft. I also have saddle soap. And two sponges.

I looked up Neatsfoot all on wikipedia and now wish I hadn't as I now know what it's made of.

Anywoo...what do I do?!
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I was told that with new leather you should oil it first and leave for 24 hrs to soak in, and then clean it with saddle soap afterwards.
 
Get a hoof brush and paint a thin coat of oil on both sides and leave to soak in. If necessary repeat.

I oil my heavy horse bridle which is very old leather three times a year with neatsfoot to stop it going brittle.
 
I get a whole tin of hydrophane's leather dressing, pour it in a bowl, soak the whole bridle overnight and then hang it up over the bowl the next day. It works really well, doesn't go spongy if it's good quality leather.
 
FWIW, my saddler told me not to use neatsfood cos it digests & weakens the leather. Apparently she only found that out recently on a course. She said to use the jeffries semi solid leather balm, so that's what I've done ever since.

Could be completely wrong tho - I'm totally the wrong person to ask about tack cleaning cos my idea of cleaning is a quick spray of that leather cleaner stff followed by the jeffries balm...
 
DO NOT USE NEATSFOOT ON YOUR BRIDLE _ it is only suitable for really nasty leather. It will soak into the fibres and allow the leather to stretch which in turn weakens the leather.

What you need to do to make it really supple is take it all apart and then roll each piece between thumb and finger. This will supple it in a really short time.

If you have seriously nasty leather - ie indian then by all means use neatsfoot as it needs everything possible to try and make it supple and it is never going to last that long.

If you simply roll your bridle in your hands it will soften up beautifully and last for years. If you neatsfoot it it will reduce its lifespan
 
Nooooooo, throw the neatsfoot away!!! You will ruin the new leather.

Quality modern leather DOES NOT need this oiling before use. It will soften slowly on its own or you can gently play it in your fingers and soften it that way.
 
THROW THE OIL AWAY!!!!!

Get something like Effax Leather Balsam and just clean it with that.
 
yes do please throw the oil away. ITS AWFUL STUFF.
IF YOU MUST OIL THE BRIDLE USE HYDROPHANE LEATHER DRESING AND USE SPARINGLY. OTHERWISE USE A LEATHER BALM . OOPS...................... CAPS LOCK, SORRY.
 
MY saddler told me NEVER to oil leather, as leather needs to breath & oil suffocates it. A good saddle soap & leather feed is what i do!
 
You should only put neatsfoot on the grainside of the leather, but i put it on both sides with no probs, just sponge a bit on and leave to soak in, dont worry about stitching as it wont rot it, its always been good on my leather, definately not cheap or nasty but suppose it depends how u use it tho i guess
 
Thanks everyone - mine is a very cheapo bridle - it's just for ocassional show use. The oil bottle says to put it on the back so maybe I'll just try that
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...and if it all goes wrong you all do have my permission to say I told you so!!
 
If you insist on oiling it, make sure you keep an eye on the stitching in due course, as this is what the oil rots.
 
I have to say fair enough to the people who say don't - knowledge is always moving on isn't it. However I can't help remembering that 10 years ago when I worked at a riding school we were merrily oiling tack with neetsfoot oil like it was the best thing in the world - and the tack always "felt good" after it. In-use tack got done occasionally, so did the spare tack draw, and I can't remember a single thing ever breaking or rotting, apart from my own reins (typical!) - I have a feeling that was because my mum had skimped and told me to do my "new" second hand tack in vegetable oil!!!!! I SOAKED it!!!
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As I say, fair play to everyone for the warnings and spreading more recent knowledge, but I can't help but feeling its a bit OTT. We had a LOT of tack that got "treated" to neetsfoot oil.
 
I think tanning and treating of leathers has come on a bit since then. Most riding school tack is as old as the hills anyway (certainly was when i was young) and tends to get a hammering.

I can remember putting hunt stuff in a tray of neatsfoot after drying it out after a soaking day out. Would get shot for it now Im sure!
 
Really? I have used neatsfoot for over 20 years and none of my tack has broken, although it is all ancient I suppose!

Someone at the yard said to use olive oil I have not tested that one yet though!
 
Our harness maker told us that it depends on what the leather is to how you treat it, like you guys were saying. I'm glad the other driver on here said about effax! We use that in the summer mostly, hydrophane when the leather is really bad so mostly in winter. However we had a few sets of new pair horse reins that kept cracking at the billet ends and john mcdonold told us it was because rein leather has the top layer of skin left on to give it some extra strength and the hydrophane was getting into the lower layer and expanding it while the top layer couldnt stretch! It took us 3 pairs of reins to figure this out.... stupid new processes
 
I HATE neatsfoot with a passion.

If you're going to use it whatever you do, DON'T put it on the 'good' side as it leaves an awful glittery residue which you will have problems getting rid of.

I use flexilan, a bit more expensive, but it works a treat on both expensive and cheap tack. I oil my tack liberally as I like it to be very soft (and am happy to replace anything that rots, though nothing ever has). New tack shouldnt need oiling though, a quick clean and some leather balm would do the trick
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Ok, since you say it's a cheapo bridle I'd oil it on the back (don't go crazy!
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) put in a plastic bag over night then wipe down. That's all it should need unless it's really stiff and horrible. A saddler I know recommended warming the oil a bit to help it seep in, but considering the same man put BROWN dressage girth straps on a BLACK saddle, I wouldn't take his word as gospel!!
 
If you are using 100% PURE Neatsfoot Oil, then it is totally harmless to your leather. It will not rot the stitching and will not leave a white film on the leather; only the ghastly concoctions of neatsfoot with other inferior oils and chemicals can do this. (Be aware that the one in the orange can is a compound of ingredients and is NOT 100% pure neatsfoot.) 100% pure neatsfoot will not damage your leather or stitching, regardless of the grade or age of leather you are preserving. 100% pure neatsfoot oil is expensive but it is worth the extra cost.
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The first time you put neatsfoot on new leather, it should be painted on both sides of your bridle and then you should place it in a polythene bag, tie the bag and leave it in there for a couple of days. When you take it out, the leather will be lovely and soft.
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I am so pleased you said that - I have used pure neatsfoot for a long time doing as you do.

Mind you, Cairo's bridle was made over 70 years ago and the neatsfoot doesn't seem to have done it any harm.
 
That sounds like a compound of some sort PF. The 100% is almost clear with just a tiny hint of yellow in it. It looks a bit like very wishy-washy sunflower oil. A better clue as to how pure it is, is probably the price. 100% is more expensive, for a small bottle, than the cost of the other balsams and potions of similar quantities, that others are discussing on this thread. The 100% here is about double the price of Effax.
 
Oooooohhhhhhh........ I've just bought a new bridle, and oiled it twice with the Neatsfoot in the orange can before using it. I then used Colecraft on it which took all the shiny silvery stuff away.

Is Colecraft ok, and should I use it instead of oil?
 
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