Cleaning horse tack: How often should it be done?

Do you know how often you should be cleaning horse tack? Probably more often than you think! This post will give you a good idea of how often to clean. 

Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing tack that was once nice laying in a dirty heap on the bottom of the tack room floor. Or piled high with dust. Or bits caked with dried hay and spit. So, to avoid those disastrous scenes, how often should you cleaning horse tack?

Every time you use it, or close to that often. And no, I’m not joking. This piece of information seems to either make complete sense to people or it seems to blow their minds and they tell me I’m crazy.

If you are in the “Alli is bat-shiz crazy” camp, let me ask you a few questions.

1. Do you wash your dishes every time you use them?
2. Do you enjoy eating off of a dirty fork?
3. Does putting on dirty panties make your heart sing with joy?
4. How would you like to go for a run in a mud caked jacket?
5. And last, but not least, tell me the last time you waited 2 years to wash your clothes…

Is this starting to make sense? I hope so. Your horse does work for you. You should be doing everything you can to make that work comfortable. Let’s run through how I take care of my tack and riding gear so you can get some ideas to implement in your own tack room. And this should be obvious, but just in case, this totally applies to any kind of tack – western, english, driving, etc.

Cleaning horse tack supplies 

I use a small bucket {an old mint container works well!}, a soft cloth {an old dish rag works great}, and some saddle soap. When conditioning, use your favorite leather conditioner and rub it in well with a soft cloth or your fingers. I also like to have a toothbrush and a toothpick handy to get in those hard to reach places. My basic, everyday kit is pictured below. I like saddle soap, this saddle conditioner, and these tack sponges.

Cleaning horse tack: The Bit

Wipe down with a damp cloth after every ride, making sure to scrape off any bits of feed. If you haven’t wiped it down in a while let it soak for 15-30 minutes in very hot water, it should wipe clean pretty easily after that. It’s best not to use any soaps or products on your bit if you can help it. If you bit has rust on it, polish it away with a steel-wool pad – making sure to rinse it very well afterwards. Pro-tip: When it’s freezing outside, put your bit in some hot water {leaving it attached to your bridle} while you catch, groom, and saddle your horse. Their mouth will thank you!

Cleaning horse tack: The Bridle

Wipe down with a damp cloth and saddle soap after every ride paying particular attention to buckle pieces and areas that accumulate dirt.

I like to partially unbuckle any straps to make sure I get in all the cracks.

After I am finished cleaning, I always store my bridles “folded” up nicely. I’ll demo two ways this is done. First, the figure-8. First, loop your reins through the throat latch…

…and secure by sliding the strap through the keepers, not by buckling. I actually fold the buckles back over themselves a little bit when I do this.

Next, wrap your noseband around and secure through keepers as well.

And then if you have a flash, wrap both pieces around the back of the reins, cross them, and bring them back around to the front, securing with the keepers.

Then, you’re done!

Second, the classic fold. Start by bringing each rein up over the brow band to the opposite side. Then, wrap the noseband around the reins and headstall.

Bring the flash up around the back of the noseband and secure through the keepers.

And you’re done! Now your bridle is clean AND tidy.

I like to completely disassemble my bridle about once a month and give it a really thorough deep clean and conditioning. How often I disassemble and condition depends on how often it’s being used, but you should definitely do this on a semi-regular basis, and before storing a bridle {or any piece of tack} for a long time.

Cleaning horse tack: The Saddle

Wipe down with a damp cloth and saddle soap after every ride being sure to lift up all the flaps and get in all the crevices. I also deep clean my saddles on the same schedule as my bridles. If I’m tight on time, the bridle takes priority but it’s just as important for your saddle.

Tiny little dots of dirt can build up under the flaps on your saddle you’ll want to scrape those off if you have any. They should stay away with regular cleaning.

I also take some time to polish any metal that way be on my saddle. If you have a fancy western saddle, chances are you already do this but it’s just as important for small areas as well. There are a lot of products out there that work really well, find what you like best. I always use Brasso, an 8 oz container will last you quite a while.

Cleaning horse tack: Saddle Pads

I like to wash my saddle pads every couple of months. Obviously this depends on how often you are riding and especially on how dirty your horse is. If your saddle pad has caked on dirt and hair you can’t get off – it’s been WAY too long! If there is a lot of hair on your pad {like during shedding season}, I like to gently run a metal curry down the pad to get off as much as possible before running it through the wash. If you have the advantage of having an extra washing machine and plumbing for it, dedicate one to your animals and all the dirty work clothes you need to wash. That way you don’t have to worry about cleaning it before you wash your regular clothes again! After they are washed, I like to take a little bit of time to make sure there aren’t any small holes that need repairing or loose threads hanging around.

Cleaning horse tack: Horse Boots & Wraps

After every ride I brush off my horse’s boots with a stiff bristled brush {just like the same brush you groom your horse with}. I pay particular attention to any velcro or buckles and try to keep those as clear as possible. I wash my horse boots about as often as my saddle pads, again keeping in mind this may vary depending on the cleanliness of your horse and the weather. I usually don’t just put them in my washing machine though – that can be a little rough on them. When I’m washing saddle pads or something else like that, I let the water and soap fill a little bit in my washingmachine and than swish the boots around in there and rinse in the water that’s coming out to fill the machine. Obviously this method only works if you have a top loading washer but you could do the same thing in a bucket or sink. After that I just let them air dry. You can do this with any boot type except leather. Leather boots I care for the same way I care for my bridle. If they are fleece lined, I am careful to clean them very well after each ride. If they are lined on the inside with any other type of material, usually it is really easy to just wipe down. When caring for polo wraps or any type of bandage wrap, I do just throw these in the washing machine. To make it stay a little more ordered and not create one giant mess, I like to separate the wraps into groups of 2-3 and put them into their own mesh laundry bags {sometimes called lingerie washing bags – don’t feel awkward about that}. It’s easier than a big hot velcro mess – I promise!

Tell me what you do to keep your tack clean! I love learning new tips and tricks!