Afternoon Cleaning Tack.

 The downside of riding Sam, or Oslo, or Mike, or Peaches is the dirt. The little buggers are covered with it. They are groomed, of course, but in the winter it makes less difference as their shaggy coats hide bunches of dust. Just when you think they look all polished and shiny, your hand automatically does a "good job" pat, and....leaves a hand print and a big poof of dust. It's inevitable. And, then, when you ride, this dirt is transferred over to your tack. It doesn't help that in the awful footing, we are mostly riding in indoor arenas (thankful for those) but, arenas are dusty places too. The result being your tack gets dirty. So? Isn't it supposed to get dirty? Like a stall, or a boot? Yes, indeed, but dirt that stays on tack rots it. This is bad for two reasons.
One: It's expensive! I hate replacing something because it is worn out, even when I've taken care of it. Having to replace it because I didn't care for it atall would make me crazy.
Two: Rotted leather breaks. Imagine galloping along, thinking about your next fence on cross country, when the saddle billets part company with the girth holding said saddle to said galloping horse. Unsaid? Your bucket is in the saddle, well, hopefully if you're between fences, you're in two point, with your actual behind not in the saddle, but the effect will be the same. Saddle and horse will part ways, you you aren't staying with the horse. Or, imagine the havoc that occurs when the bridle giving you contact with the front part of the beast is no longer useful because the bit has fallen out of the said beast's mouth, or you only have one rein because the other has split along the stitching and your new nickname is "Lefty". Or, I suppose, "Righty" depending on the broken rein. You're unidirectional until the ride stops.

So, I'm cleaning tack. This is something I was taught a long time ago, way back in Pony Club as a 9 or 10 year old. This factoid is important, because I clean tack, old school. The equivalent is a maroon rotary phone attached to the kitchen wall. ( For you younger readers, this is a type of phone you may have never seen unless you watch "The Cosby Show" or maybe "What's Happenin'".) There have been innovations in tack cleaning, I'm sure, just as I now have a smartphone, which I could probably use to google the modern principles of tack cleaning. But, I haven't. So, I still use warm water and dove soap to get off the dirt(the trick here is to not get the leather very wet)  then, I get rid of all the soap and dirt and wipe everything off. This step follows the dissembly step where I take everything apart that is meant to come apart. You can wipe a bridle that is still assembled, but you can't clean a bridle that way.

This step causes a bucket of really dirty water to be created. This is the bucket after cleaning Mike's bridle. Now, you might think (if you were me) "Why would you clean your daughter's horse's bridle? Shouldn't she do that?" And, the answer would be "Yes, she should, but since she got a bridle for Mike for Christmas, I am taking that bridle for Samantha, and since I want my tack to be clean, survivalist and economist, Me, (see "One" and "Two" above) thinks it would be wise to do it myself." After dissembling and soaping, the tack is clean, a bit moist and is ready to soak up some oil. This keeps the leather supple and keeps it from cracking. I oil all the tack, let the oil soak in, and then wipe off any that didn't soak into the leather. For this, I useNeatsfoot Oil. Last step? Glycerin to protect the leather, and seal in the oil. Again, not messy here. Cleaning tack is an exercise in austerity, not excess. A tooth brush gets the dust out of all the nooks and crannies of the saddle, metal polish makes all the bits and pieces of silver and brass shine.

And, I then have a clean dressage saddle, and two clean bridles. One for Sam and one for Oslo. Until I ride again. And the jumping saddles aren't clean. Nor the girths that correspond. Best set aside another afternoon for Cleaning Tack.