How To Revitalise Dry Tack

When buying new leatherwork, it is best (having first satisfied yourself that it all fits and you are not going to want to return it) to treat it with a good leather dressing advises Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter Kay Hastilow.

We do not recommend using oil now- neatsfoot was the favourite when I was younger, followed rapidly by Mars oil, but many of the dressings available now are far superior . I use Oakwood leather dressing on my own tack. Rapide is another good one, but there are many more on the market, most of which do a good job.

Take the leatherwork apart if it is a bridle or accessories and go over all of the leather with a LIGHT covering of dressing. Leave to soak in, preferably over- night, then put the items back together. Saddles, likewise give a light covering, and don’t forget to treat up under the skirts of the saddle (the flaps of leather that cover the stirrup bars) and get the dressing into all nooks and crevices. BE CAREFUL if the seat and knee pads are of suede or nubuck. You do not want to get leather dressing onto these.

Remember, a LIGHT covering, don’t smother the leather as the dressing will not soak in and the leather will become sticky and dull. A little two or three times over the space of a couple of weeks is  better than three times as much in one go.

Sometimes, your tack may have become very hard and dry. What to do?

First of all, some leather used is of very poor quality. This tends to be hard and inflexible when you buy it and stays that way no matter what you treat it with. It can be rather brittle and can break in use. Best get rid of it before you or your horse gets injured by it.

Sometimes, leatherwork of a good quality may go hard or brittle in use. This can be due to neglect- leather needs a bit of help to stay supple and if you don’t treat it occasionally with a good leather dressing it will become very hard. That means taking bridles apart, cleaning the leather thoroughly with a damp cloth or sponge and allowing to dry afterwards (best left overnight in somewhere warm, not somewhere cold and damp) and then making sure the dressing gets into all the turns, under keepers and the like. The turn on the body of a martingale for instance (the bit that the girth goes through) gets very wet and muddy, plus sweat from the horse gets into the leather here. Make sure that the dressing gets to the inside edge of all the leather, as well as the outside. 

Another reason for hard leatherwork can be if it has been soaked, say a day out in heavy rain, and then dried too rapidly, possibly with heat being used to help dry it out. NEVER USE HEAT TO DRY TACK. It will go very brittle and could be dangerous. Keep the leatherwork in a warm room until it is dry, then put on a light covering of leather dressing. Do not put dressing on until the leather is totally dry, as that would seal any remaining damp into the leather.

The best way to care for your tack is to treat it with a good leather dressing when you first get it, wipe the leatherwork with a damp cloth or sponge after use and add more dressing when it starts to look a little dry. Rarely more than once a month once the leather is worn in, unless it has been soaked or heavily used (think endurance). I still use glycerine saddle soap to ‘finish’ a bridle when we are going somewhere. It gives a nice finish if used sparingly, but apparently this is no longer considered the right thing to do. Hey Ho. Some of my bridles are over 30 years old, so perhaps it’s not too bad!

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