Five Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Horse Tack
Taking the
time out to
properly
care for
your tack
can greatly
increase its
life and
usefulness.
The cost of tack and equipment oen has a massive impact on
a horse owner’s budget, with improperly maintained equipment
oen making the hobby prohibively expensive. With proper
care, your tack won’t just last longer, but will also go a long way
in prevenng accidents and injuries to both the horse and its
rider. To that end, here are five ways in which you can maximise
the life of your tack and equipment.
1. Clean the Tack Room Regularly: This should go without saying.
You can’t keep your tack clean if the storage room is dirty.
An ideal tack room should be clean, cool, and as dry as you can
keep it. A humid storage area increases the possibility for mold
to grow, and it greatly reduces the life of leather. Keeping the
moisture levels low can be parcularly challenging in the summer,
so it really requires utmost aenon and care. You should
also dust the tack room weekly to prevent excessive build-up,
and check for mold and vermin. It’s beer to do this frequently,
since the longer you put it off, the more tedious a job it’ll be
when you actually do it.
2. Tighten Up: You should put aside one day each month to do
a thorough check of your equipment, to make sure all the belts,
buckles, and screws are ght and secure. In addion to this,
always give your equipment a quick check before you saddle
up to make sure everything is where it should be. This seems
minor but if there’s a screw or two loose, you’ll want to find out
while both your feet are sll on the ground.
3. Sanise: It’s not uncommon for owners of mulple horses to
share grooming supplies between them. This isn’t a problem in
and of itself, but you will definitely want to minimise the number
of germs that are shared along with the supplies. A quick
dash of disinfectant spray on brushes and supplies between use
should kill most bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew. Of course,
you could avoid this whole thing by keeping separate brushes
and saddle pads for each horse.
4. Condion the Leather: A coarse and dry saddle isn’t just
uncomfortable to ride on; it’s also an eyesore. It is important
to rounely condion your saddle. You will want to try mul-
ple products to figure out which one works for you and your
saddle. It’s also advisable to test your condioning products at
home first, to make sure your condioned saddle feels right.
Some condioners can leave the saddle scky and may even
leave a residue which can be a nightmare if your riding ouit is
a light colour.
5. Dry Cleaning: About twice a year, it’s advisable to give your
equipment a dry cleaning. Wash all of your horse blankets, saddle
pads, polo wraps, and grooming supplies regardless of how
recently they’ve been used. Aer a deep cleaning, be mindful
of the storage methods menoned above to ensure you store
your equipment in a clean room. You can store your clean, dry
blankets and sheets in plasc containers when they aren’t being
used. Always label your containers with their contents so you
can find what you need in a pinch. If you find that some of your
equipment is going too long without seeing any use, you can
always sell or donate it.
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