[Friesiangirl]

Isn't that weird, i never see anyone cleaning tack, i just got addicted to it lol, now i want all my gorgeous cheap tack clean and healthy! LOL But seriously, do western saddles not need to be cleaned? When my dressage saddle gets here, i'm going to clean it *lightly* after every ride lol

What happens when you don't clean your tack?

~and~

How much is too much cleaning?

[CJ]

Dirty/ negelected tack dries out.
Neglected western saddle/s squeak.
Proper cleaning is probably ok frequently. Extreme/ unbalanced cleaning could disturb the finish or moisture content of the leather. That would probably also lead to drying out (if its cleaned a lot but not oiled properly.)

[Lindsayanne]

maybe they take it home to clean it? I usualy just toss my tack in my SUV once a month or so and take it home over a weekend to clean it.

[codyntampa]

I take my tack home once a month to clean it..one boarder at my barn cleans her tack religously, and I see no major difference between the quality of her tack and mine...some people dont clean it at all and their stuff tends to dry out, crack, or get moldy.

[saylesgirl]

Cleaning tack too frequent results in removal of the oils in the leather and will eventually lead to cracking/spliting/etc. Make sure you apply a leather conditioner after cleaning.

[Friesiangirl]

so if i clean and condition once a week, and oil every four months i'm doing good?

[POA]

If you dont clean a western saddle that has silver on it then it gets really nasty. The silver gets all green and it will sometimes spread onto the leather and turn that green wich is extermly hard to get off. Plus the leather will dry out, become brittle, break easier, and just plain look bad.

[Friesiangirl]

ewww...it can spread to the saddle....eww

[giddybiddy]

same here!!! everyone has these gorgeous expensive tack and i'm like AHH DO YOU WANT IT TO CRACK AND DIE?!?! well i dont actually SAY that, but i think it. i dont clean mine because i need to, i do itbecause i'm weird and i think it's really fun! a lot of people i know only clean their tack before shows, which is ok during hte show season, but in the winter ans such, it gets gross. so i do mine about twice a month with a deep conditioner and saddle soap. and i usually do a light coat of oil before shows, if it's looking particularly dry.

[giddybiddy]

yeah there's a woman at our barn who is drop dead RICH and owns all Hermes saddles (3 of them :O!!!) and she cleans and conditions them after EVERY time she rides. she does the same with all her bridlework. you have to wear gloves otherwise your hands literally slip off them. its so greasy! once, my friend was riding one of this woman's horses, in one of the saddles, and the stirrup leather just slid right out, easily! i mean, the littl bar should have been up, but i mean it just SLID out! so doing it too much just makes it greasy and not that useful.