Caring for Your Leather Horse Saddle

Whilst it can be tempting to leave cleaning your saddle to the day before a show or competition, regular cleaning of your saddle should be an essential part of your routine. Correct care of horse saddles helps to extend their useable life, which will help you to save money in the long run. It also allows you to closely inspect your saddle for any faults in the leather or stitching, which can help to avoid an accident or injury when you are in the saddle.

Leather horse saddles which are not cleaned regularly will suffer from a build up of dirt and sweat, particularly on the underside of the saddle which can result in discomfort to the horse and damage the leather. Use of a numnah or saddlecloth between the horse and the saddle can help to reduce this; however this area of the saddle will still need regular cleaning. 

Leather Horse Saddle

How often you will need to clean your saddle will depend on how often you use it. Ideally a quick wipe over with a damp sponge or cloth should be performed after every ride and a more thorough cleaning should be completed every week to ensure perfect care.

To clean the saddle, place it in an area which makes it easy for you to access all areas of the saddle. A moveable saddle stand is ideal for this.

Firstly 'strip the saddle' by removing the saddlecloth, girth and stirrup leathers. Then wipe the saddle down with a damp (not wet) cloth or sponge to remove any surface dust. Dampen the sponge and wring it out (it must not be dripping wet), and apply some saddle soap to it. Rub the saddle soap into the saddle by working in small circles across the full saddle, including the topside, underneath the saddle and between the flaps. Finally remove any residual saddle soap with a damp cloth to prevent this from damaging the leather.

Following cleaning you may wish to apply a leather conditioner to feed the leather; neatsfoot oil is most commonly used. Ensure that you apply the oil very sparingly to prevent it from damaging the saddle or attracting dirt. Whichever conditioner you use do a tester patch, for example underneath the saddle flap, to check for any change in colour of the leather.

If your saddle features suede knee pads or seat, then make sure that you do not put any soap or conditioner on this area.

Finally separate the stirrup treads from the stirrup irons and soak both in water with washing up liquid. Then clean them using a toothbrush to get into difficult to reach areas, before rinsing them.

To protect your saddle from the elements and dirt after cleaning it is advisable to keep it undercover and away from any extremes of temperature. There are many saddle covers available on the market which can help to protect your saddle.

One of the most important factors in caring for horse saddles is the environment in which you store them. Try to prevent keeping any leatherwork in a humid environment as this may cause mildew to grow on the saddle. Equally a particularly dry environment will require you to condition the saddle more often. If your saddle gets wet, ensure that you allow it to dry naturally, away from any artificial heat supply.