Cleaning your tack

Cleaning your tack

If you clean your tack regularly it will not only last longer but it will be softer for your pony and is safer than dried out dirty tack.

What you need:

  • Saddle Soap
  • Leather Oil & Brush
  • Metal Polish
  • Sponges
  • Rags
  • Bucket for warm water

If you have very dirty and very dry tack:

  • Wet a sponge and rub on the soap. Rub in small circles on tack until it lathers (do not get sponge too wet though). Continue rinsing sponge in clean water, and rubbing leather until clean. You may have to get clean water several times.
  • Take a clean sponge and water and wipe off all soap residue (soap residue will dry out the tack). Continue rinsing the sponge until you have wiped the entire piece of tack down (remember to wring most of the water off of your sponge, you don’t want it sopping wet)
  • Next you will oil your tack. Take a small amount of oil, and dip your brush in it. Oil the underside of your tack in thin layers. If the topside of your tack needs to be oiled, use an even smaller amount, or else you will end up with oil stains on your clothing.
  • If your tack is very dry and needs to be oiled several times, wait at least 3-4 hours between oilings, preferably overnight.
  • After you have finished oiling your tack, and have let it sit, wipe the excess oil off.
  • Then wet a sponge, and rub it on your saddle soap bar, and then rub it on your saddle. Do NOT get your sponge wet enough to lather it, only enough so you can apply it to your tack. You can tell when you have put enough on, if it leaves a fingerprint when you touch it.
  • Then take a dry cloth and rub it, so your tack looks nice (note: you don’t have to do this, but it gives your tack an extra sheen, which is nice for the all important Pony Club testings and for rallies)

Day to Day cleaning:

After you get done riding you should wipe your tack down with either just plain water, or a little saddle soap. Wipe down with water first if your tack is particularly sweaty/salty. Then wipe it down with a sponge with soap on it.

If your tack is somewhat dirty, use castile soap (or the like) to wipe it down. Remember you have to clean the soap off too. If the tack is dirty enough to warrant soap, it will need to be conditioned. To condition the leather, take a little bit of the oil on a rag and rub it in.