Tack Cleaning Guide: How to Clean your Horse's Tack | Help & Advice | Houghton Country

Taking good care of your leather or synthetic tack helps to ensure safety, longevity and keeps you and your horse looking smart. Leather is a natural material which without care will become very dry, increasing the risk of snapping, compromising safety and ending up brittle to handle. Regularly cleaning and conditioning your leatherwork gives you a good opportunity to check for any wear and tear including loose or rotted stitching, cracking, or mould spores. We stock a wide range of leather care products to build a tack cleaning kit to clean and condition everything in your tack room, and hope these tack cleaning tips will have you enjoying looking after your leatherwork in no time! These products are designed for use with smooth leather, and separate products would need to be used on suede and nubuck.

Brand new leather tack will need a coating of leather oil before use – it is advisable to try your new tack on your clean horse before oiling, as once oil has been applied the item will no longer be returnable as it is no longer new. An unused hoof oil brush can be handy for applying the oil, and you should aim to apply an even coating with no excess.

Once you have oiled your new tack, it will be well-moisturised and ready to use. Once in regular use, your tack will inevitably pick up dirt and grease. Before conditioning leather, it is important to make sure it is clean. The most thorough way of removing all dirt and grease is to undo all buckles and fastenings and work with each piece separately so you have access to every side of the leather. Remember which hole your buckles were fastened to so as not to accidentally alter the fit of your bridle or stirrup leathers! 

Warm water and a sponge or cloth can get most dirt, grease and sweat off, but a cleaning spray for use on leather will save time and ensure no residue is left, helping to thoroughly lift dirt, grease and sweat. Some cleaning sprays contain an anti-fungal agent to remove and prevent the growth of mould. Disposable tack cleaning wipes are quick and convenient for tack cleaning at competitions or at home with no water needed. 

Your stirrups, bit and any other metal accessories should be cleaned separately, and, like leather, keeping metalwork clean is important to check for signs of wear and ensure its longevity. Remember that the bit goes in your horse’s mouth, so it is important to keep a separate bucket of water and cloth for the bit to ensure dirt and grease residue do not end up on it. It is advisable to remove the bit from the bridle and soak it in plain warm water before using a clean cloth to clean it. Leather cleaning sprays cannot be used on your metalware. A toothbrush is helpful for cleaning the nooks and crannies of the bit. Remember sweet iron bits are supposed to rust and this rusting process is what encourages acceptance, so don’t panic if you find some rust on your sweet iron bit! Arena surface and dried mud can be brushed off the treads of your stirrups with a hard-bristled brush before using a damp cloth to remove any remaining dirt.  

Once your tack is clean, you will want to condition and polish it. There are products designed to add sparkle to your metalwork, while there are lots of leather conditioning products that will not only restore dry leather tack, keeping it supple and healthy, but add shine. Traditional saddle soap has stood the test of time and will condition and protect smooth leather. Balsams and creams can be easier to apply and spread evenly. Leather conditioning sprays are easier again to rub in. Whether using soap, cream, balsam or a spray, we would recommend using a damp, clean cloth to rub the conditioning product in circular motions into the leather. Once dry, a dry cloth can be used to buff the leather for the perfect finish.

If your leather is to be stored unused for a long period of time, a layer of a leather dressing applied after cleaning will help stop tack going mouldy.

Synthetic, leather-look tack can be cleaned with a damp cloth, and there is no need to condition it as it will not dry out like leather.

How often should I be cleaning my tack? The best way of keeping your tack supple, clean and smart is to clean your saddle and bridle after every use – even a quick wipe over with a 2-in-1 cleaning and conditioning treatment will help keep your leather in good condition, and a more thorough two-step clean and condition can be saved for weekends.

Cleaning tack is no one's favourite job, but is important to ensure your tack lasts and is safe to use! Snapped reins while showjumping or a snapped stirrup leather while going cross-country is every rider's worst nightmare, and staying on top of cleaning and conditioning your leather tack not only reduces this risk, but keeps your tack looking smart too.