Strange times indeed and for many if not most riders, riding
activities and hence the use of tack have been much reduced recently. At the
same time, more than a few of us have been doing a little online shopping, so
we may just have one or two item of lovely new tack too! So how should you care
for your leather tack during lockdown? Master Saddler and Master Saddle
Fitter Kay Hastilow advises …
For all new leatherwork, it is best (having first satisfied
yourself that it fits correctly and you are not going to want to return it) that
you treat it with a good leather dressing. 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 today are far superior. I personally 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 overnight, then put the items back together. Although you won’t
have been able to get a qualified saddle fitter to visit and fit a new saddle due
to the current Covid-19 restrictions, the same would apply - 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 however 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 that three
times as much in one go.
Sometimes if stored for a period, as is likely to be the
case currently, your tack may have become very hard and dry. What to do?
First of all, some leather used for the tack 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 though, leatherwork of a good quality may go hard
or brittle. This can be due to neglect – or storage, as 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!
LEARNING IN LOCKDOWN
Increasing your own knowledge will help you work more
closely with your saddle fitter and your horse will benefit and most of us
do have time for once to take advantage of the opportunity to add meaningfully to
our equine knowledge and expertise.
Take a look at Kay’s two unrivalled and informative videos
at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow
Kay says; "Knowing when you need to book your saddle
fitter is an important aspect of managing all ridden equines. Having spent more
than 50 years working with saddles and fitting them to horses and ponies, I
have retired from actively fitting saddles and I am now focused on sharing what
I’ve learnt to help develop knowledge and understanding of what goes into
achieving a correct saddle fit. I feel that video enables me to do that much
more effectively than would be possible in a book. I enjoyed the project
immensely and am delighted with feedback from those who have already bought my
two videos, which are specifically to help Riders and their Trainers understand
a little more about saddle fitting and why it is so important for every ridden
horse and pony.”
Saddle Fitting Know How - For Riders and Trainers
is available as two videos for unlimited download or streaming from Kay’s own
Vimeo On Demand page for a one-off charge of just £35 per video – less than the
cost of a good quality saddlecloth or a lesson from a trainer!
The first video looks at Conformation and Movement of the
Horse, Types of Tree and their Influence, Different Panels and the Position of
Girth Straps.
The second video explains How to Assess a Saddle for
Soundness, Straightness and Safety, Recognising a Good Fit, the Balance of a
Saddle, When Saddles Move and finally, Rider Influences.
Together these two videos contain a huge amount of
information and provide over an hour of expert Saddle Fitting Know How. Certain
to become a ‘go-to’ resource, one that you’ll view again and again, Saddle
Fitting Know How – For Riders and Trainers uses clever graphics alongside clear
explanations and insight into many different aspects of achieving and
maintaining a correctly fitting saddle.
Find out more and get access to these unrivalled and
informative videos at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow
Your horse will thank you in more ways than one - and your performance will benefit too!
