Ways to Take Care of Your Tack

Living the horse life means keeping track of the numerous things required to care for your equine. You have the barn, the pens, the feed, the buckets, the brushes, and so much more. You could fill several sheets of paper with all of the individual items you regularly use with your horse.

One big section of that list would be your tack. The term tack encompasses items like saddles, bridles, reins, bits, girths or cinches, halters, breast collars, etc.

Most of these tack items will be comprised of leather. Each piece of your tack will need routine maintenance if they are to last as long as possible. To begin caring for your tack, remember these steps: Clean, Condition, Tighten, Replace.

First, it’s best to invest in quality cleaners. Soaps and sponges that are designed for leather material will ensure that you are removing dust, dirt, and dried sweat, while also preserving the quality of the leather.

Leather conditioner and leather oil are also extremely important. Leather must remain conditioned and supple to avoid the damage of drying out. If leather dries out, it will begin to crack and tear with use. Torn leather is compromised and can never fully be repaired, only replaced. Ultimately, it will fail during use. This presents a serious safety risk to you and your horse.

Another risk is that liquid leather cleaners and oils have a tendency to rot or damage the stitching in tack. It’s best to utilize a cream based cleaner instead to prevent this.

Each moving piece of your tack must also be inspected to ensure that each screw, buckle, and strap are not wearing out or breaking. Replacing busted pieces of hardware and ripped leather, and tightening loose fasteners will keep your tack performing like new while also giving you peace of mind.

Correct storage of your tack allows the steps above to pay off. Covering and storing your tack on special racks, stands, or hangers is key to preventing scratching, bending, deformation, and damage from barn pests. Storing tack in area that’s as dust free as possible and less humid will also keep you from having to clean it more often.

While clean tack is especially satisfying, the best part to all of this elbow grease is knowing that not only will tack last longer but it will also function better with proper care.