Taking Care Of Your Tack Doesn't Have To Be Tough

Top 8 Hazards To Your Tack

Neglect
“The worst thing you can do is not take care of your saddle. I’ve seen saddles that are two years old that have never been cleaned or conditioned and already have cracks in the seat,” said Kitt Hazelton.

Mold
“Once mold has colonized the leather, you will never completely get rid of it,” said Colleen Meyer. “You can suppress it, but you will never rid the saddle completely.”

Sunlight
“UV rays will degrade leather,” said Meyer. “People will set their saddle on the truck bed, and it sits there baking in the sun at horse shows. Put it in the shade or put a cover on it.”

Full chaps and jeans
“The seams on the inside of jeans will wear that stress point where the seat stitching is,” said Meyer.

Dogs
“You wouldn’t believe the number of saddles that end up with German Shepherd puppies having ripped the foam out of the seat,” said Meyer. “There is something irresistible about the seat of a saddle to a young dog.”

Cats
“They will use the flaps of the saddle as a scratching post,” said Meyer.

Stirrup leathers
“The old oakbark rough-cut leathers have an edge that causes a lot more friction against the flap of the saddle then the new wrapped leathers,” said Meyer.

Boot zippers
“I have seen some saddles chewed up by boot zippers. I think most bootmakers are being a little bit more careful now about the placement of their zippers, but I have seen flaps shredded by a badly placed zipper,” said Meyer. “I assume it would be more likely to happen when a boot is being retrofitted with a zipper.”

Sara Lieser