As well as looking after your saddle, it’s important to look after your tack both for safety and fit. Here’s our quick guide to getting it right!
Clean
You should wipe your tack once a week with the leather dressing that was recommended by your saddle retailer – this is generally a type of balm. A word of warning that oil shouldn’t be used on modern leather (the way it is tanned makes it more pliable), so do not use this unless you’ve been advised to do so.
Check
Look at the stitching. Many saddles are “laced together” which is how the seat and the tree is attached to the panel. In older saddles, this may come undone (not very often) so it’s important that if you see stitching you aren’t sure of to send your saddle fitter a picture of it as a starting point.
Also check the stitching on the girth straps – does it all look sound? Are there any holes in the girth straps or have they pulled through and elongated? If in doubt, again contact your saddle fitter.
Also check for cracks and brittleness on your girth straps – whether they are leather or synthetic. Cracks along the edge can cause pinching. Also check the elastic ends. Have they ‘given’ and look loose and overstretched. Bother of these can cause your horse major discomfort.
Finally on the girths, check that they are soft and are giving a large bearing surface to disperse pressure.
With stirrup leathers, again check the stitching – are there any missing? Has one stretched longer than the other? This can be a major cause of rider discomfort and backache. It can also flag that a horse isn’t carrying their rider in a level position and therefore the rider is constantly having to weight the saddle in that stirrup to bring it back to being central. This can generally be corrected by your saddle fitter.
Leather repairs and alterations
If your tack needs any adjustments or repairs, please get in touch with us to find out more. You can call us on 01392 877896 or fill in our contact form and we’ll be in touch.
