A well-kept saddle lasts for decades, and a checked bridle is a safe bridle. Leather asks for little, but in the right order: clean, feed, protect, and store it in good conditions.
Leather that works with the horse
Leather is no longer a living material, but it reacts to what it goes through: it takes up moisture from the air and the horse’s sweat, then hardens as it dries. Daily use is what makes it supple and long-lasting, provided it is cared for. According to the IFCE saddlery trainers, care has another, equally important purpose: checking the stitching and buckles to prevent accidents.
Recognising good-quality leather
In saddlery, leather preferably comes from cattle hides. When buying, be wary of very shiny new leather: good leather is rather matt, and you can make out the grain, the lines left by the veins and folds of the skin. Good-quality new leather has body and stays slightly stiff; it takes its creases with use.
Tanning matters too. Vegetable tanning, with bark, roots and leaves, gives leather that develops a fine patina and lasts a long time; it is recognisable by its grey, undyed edge. Mineral tanning, with chromium salts, is quicker and gives a hard-wearing leather that needs less care, but does not patinate as well. As for buckles and fittings, they should be stainless steel or nickel-plated brass: untreated steel eventually rusts and damages the leather.
1. Clean
Sweat, dust and sebum build up at every session and dull the leather. First remove mud with a soft brush, then use a damp, well-wrung sponge with glycerine soap; clean the stitching with a soft brush. Avoid abrasive sponges, which scratch. Our Glycerine Soap needs no rinsing: just let it dry.
How often: a wipe with the sponge after every ride on the parts in contact with sweat, and a full clean, bridle taken apart, every week for tack used daily. Never dry leather on a strong heat source, such as a radiator, or in full sun.
2. Feed
Soap cleans but adds no fat. Once the leather has air-dried, feed it if it is dry; for tack used every day, the IFCE puts greasing at around three times a year. Two textures complement each other:
- Neatsfoot-type Oil, a fluid oil, penetrates to the heart of the fibre: it suits dry or hardened leather; on very dry leather, two light coats twenty-four hours apart are better than one thick coat;
- Leather Grease, thicker, gives more protection on the surface: it suits routine care of leather that is already supple, especially tack exposed to rain.
On a badly damaged piece, oil first, then grease. Always test on a hidden area: any fat darkens leather slightly. No oil on suede or nubuck. The IFCE also advises against greasing the girth straps on the saddle or the seat, which tend to stretch when greased. Good-quality new leather comes ready to use: over-greasing it would make it lose its shape.
3. Protect
For tack and equipment exposed to the weather, leather and textiles alike, the 2-in-1 Stain-Resistant Waterproofer makes the surface water-repellent and limits stains. On a clean, dry item, first tested on a hidden area, spray from about twenty centimetres, then let it dry completely before use. Never on the horse, and always in a ventilated room.
Check at every clean
- The stitching and the leather in friction areas and at the turnbacks, where the leather folds round a buckle: headcollars, stirrup leathers, reins, girths.
- Buckles: the tongues should go in without forcing, the keepers should slide on with two fingers, the rollers should turn freely.
- Bits: a worn bit develops play and can hurt the corners of the mouth.
A cracked safety part or stitching that is giving way goes to the saddler: no grease restores a broken fibre.
Rescuing hardened leather
Tack left unused for a long time can harden. Above all, do not force the buckles: wait until the leather is supple again before undoing them. The IFCE suggests soaking it completely in soapy water, with glycerine soap or Marseille soap, then brushing it and working it with glycerine soap, alternating with drying, until it regains its suppleness, if it can be saved. Then feed it before it hardens again.
Storing it well
A ventilated room at a moderate temperature, never a cellar. Bridles on rounded racks, the saddle on a saddle rack covered with a cloth; saddle pads and girths dry next to the saddle, not on it. Fresh mould comes off with a dry cloth: it is a sign that the room is too enclosed. For tack used rarely, the IFCE recommends a room at about 20 °C and 50% humidity, away from any heat source, and leather fed regularly; before using it again, have it checked by a saddler.
Key points
- Clean often, feed rarely: around three greasings a year for tack used every day.
- Never grease damp leather, never dry it on a radiator.
- Oil for dry leather, grease for routine care and rainy days.
- Every clean is also a safety check.
Sources: IFCE équipédia (in French), “Comment entretenir le matériel de sellerie ?” (R. Rivard, P. Doligez, 2014); directions for use of Gamme du Maréchal leather care products.
Gamme du Maréchal
