What do you use to clean your saddle?

[Breagha]

As title says really, there are sooooo many cleaning products out now and just wondering what people swear by these days?

 

[Mr Punch]

I still just use a bar of saddle soap for general cleaning and every so often give it a soaking of neatsfoot oil. My tack is in lovely condition.

Sure there are loads of fab products but these work for me and most cost effective.

 

[Breagha]

I still just use a bar of saddle soap for general cleaning and every so often give it a soaking of neatsfoot oil. My tack is in lovely condition.

Sure there are loads of fab products but these work for me and most cost effective.

I am normally the same. saddle soap and oil when needed. My other half is mad for buying different cleaning products.

 

[cobgoblin]

Saddle soap and leather food.

 

[Embo]

Horseman's one step

 

[Antw23uk]

Cant remember ... its in a tin, orangy redy coloured? I can visualise it at the back of the top shelf in the tackroom covered in dust .......

 

[madamebonnie]

Wipe off any mud with damp sponge. Then thick layer of Jeffries leather care rubbed in well. Leave for a bit (or do other tack and come back to it) Then polish off. Any really greasy stuck on bit I use warm water and the leather care left on for longer, then all you need is elbow grease!

 

[MouseInLux]

I use the Sübben liquid soap that I was given when I bought it. I also use the leather conditioner that I was also given

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

My A*se

But on the other bits of the saddle, I use Wilf White's (I think it's called).

 

[cremedemonthe]

OP I have sent you an article on how to look after your saddle, it includes details of how to make your own leather conditioner too
Oz

 

[tallyho!]

My A*se

Dammit you beat me to it

 

[sbloom]

Right, anecdotal "it works for me" is very different to science.

Science says:

Soap is the wrong pH for leather, it dries it out.

Glycerine is a humectant not a true moisturiser - it attracts water vapour making tack sticky, it causes grease jockeys if you don't clean your tack every day or nearly as often.

Oil stretches the fibres in leather and ultimately harms it. Use with great care, I think Oz uses a little of a certain oil to finish his tack but most oils are best avoided full stop. Can be useful used judiciously on VERY old dry tack.

Leather needs feeding and protecting - animal fats such as tallow and lanoline feed it, waxes protect it.

So, clean with something simple like a cotton dishcloth (a nice texture for removing dirt) and while still damp use a good quality conditioner, Oz makes an excellent one, Sedgwick is good, too many contain baddies like solvents but list only the good ingredients. if in doubt ask the company for a complete list.

And never use anything that is one step - remove dirt then condition.

Leather has changed - we got away with terrible leather care in the past, but since BSE and with Euro rules banning toxic tanning ingredients it needs TLC, and from new, don't use new leather without conditioning unless the manufacturer states otherwise.

 

[FDLady]

I went through a box of water damaged bottles (just the labels peeling off etc...) at an old jumble sale once like the cheapskate that i am and found what vaguely resembles a few old bottles of Red Rum leather care 2 in 1. Its been brilliant. Once every couple years though i just give everything a good oiling alongside the (attempt) at cleaning.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Horseman's one step

I am a recent convert to this after years of saddle soap-wipe with a cloth and water and then put this on.

 

[sbloom]

Horseman's, and plenty of others, are not good products. Anything 2 in 1 should be avoided, even if you don't use it that way.
By all means ignore Oz and I if you like, but as I say, science is on our side. Too much clever marketing around.

 

[milliepops]

I clean them with slightly warm water and a sponge, and then apply Stubben Hamanol to my saddles. I like effax leather balsam on my bridles as it's slightly waterproofing but it tends to make saddles squeaky

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Horseman's, and plenty of others, are not good products. Anything 2 in 1 should be avoided, even if you don't use it that way.
By all means ignore Oz and I if you like, but as I say, science is on our side. Too much clever marketing around.

I'm not disagreeing with you but seeing as I dont have access to Oz's and have never heard of Sedgwick then I use whats on the shelf at the tack shop.

 

[Annagain]

A tack cleaning service

 

[acw295]

Rain!
I did promise to do better when I got my new saddle but it still rarely gets cleaned. I've been advised to use Oz's Saddlers Old Blend or Sedgwick though.
I also don't mind the Effax Lederbalsam

 

[FemelleReynard]

Cant remember ... its in a tin, orangy redy coloured? I can visualise it at the back of the top shelf in the tackroom covered in dust .......

Ko Cho Line? Sticky stuff but does a brilliant job.

 

[Breagha]

Does anyone use the Naf Leather food?

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I'd be interested in Oz's legendary saddle conditioner but I've never had tack break or stretch in 40 odd years of horse owning and I've usually oiled about once a year however I think I'll stop now I use Horsemans one-step to clean and Effax Lederbalsam as an extra conditioner. I only clean about once a month as horse is not sweaty or greasy.

Some peoples idea of cleaning seems to be adding layers and layers of yucky sticky soap. Some people on my yard clean with washing up liquid! I think a habit from when they were on an eventing yard and had lots of muddy, sweaty, greasy tack to clean. Not sure it's a good idea though?

 

[Cahill]

Ko Cho Line? Sticky stuff but does a brilliant job.

i thought this was for using when putting away for storage ?

i favour effax lederbalsm

 

[cremedemonthe]

Everyone has their favourite/s for all sorts of reasons, if anyone is interested in reading an article on leathercare (within the article are instructions on how to make your own natural leather conditioner) then PM me and I will bounce it on.
Oz

 

[Pinkvboots]

I have a hydrophane leather conditioner which is good for frequent use and I have a lederbalsam feed in a tub that is for every now and then as it's quite greasy, and I just use warm water to remove mud, dirt and grease.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

My everyday work saddle is synthetic It does have leather girth straps which rarely get cleaned or conditioned and have lasted 9 years of abuse without stretching or tearing so far!

 

[KittenInTheTree]

I have a big tub of foul smelling neatsfoot based gel for cleaning, and then a tiny little tub of German made lanoline based stuff that smells like honey for conditioning. The latter was a gift from my HHO Secret Santa last year

 

[spotty_pony]

Wipe over with a damp sponge and then I use Jeffries Leather Cream.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I clean with washing up liquid ( a few drops) in warm water, then saddlesoap rubbed in after as a conditioner, or neatsfoot oil instead if the leather is particularly dry. Except my best bridle, which has boot polish put on the smooth side after cleaning and the grain side fed with a very thin layer of neatsfoot oil.

I don't understand people who rub saddlesoap or some other conditioner over dirty tack with a cloth and say they've "cleaned" it, where do they think the dirt has gone?

 

[Cowpony]

I use plain water to clean and then Renapur, which is lanolin and beeswax. Keeps my saddle (and my boots) waterproof but doesn't make it super shiny unfortunately.