Old leather saddles are beautiful in their own right, but they may look a little worse for wear if they haven’t gotten a lot of TLC recently. Restoring a leather saddle definitely requires some elbow grease, but it’s not as intimidating or confusing as you may think. This guide breaks down some common questions to help you return your old riding equipment back to its former glory.

Question 2 of 5:

How do you clean an old saddle?

  1. 1
    Wash it with traditional soap and saddle soap. Soak down the saddle with a hose and clean off the surface with a soft-bristled brush and bar soap. Rinse off the suds with water, and wait for your saddle to air-dry. Then, clean it off again with saddle soap and a toothbrush, so you can reach any tricky, difficult-to-clean spots.[2]
    • Murphy’s Saddle Soap and any other glycerin-based saddle soap work great for this.[3]
  2. 2
    Use leather detergent concentrate if regular soap doesn’t get the job done. Regular, glycerin-based soap might not clean your saddle if your equipment is really old and worn out—that’s okay! Dilute your leather detergent concentrate and scrub it onto the leather with a soft-bristled brush. Once you’ve cleaned off the entire surface, rinse it off with clean water.[4]
    • Follow the diluting instructions on your cleaning product. Some products recommend mixing 2 to 4  fl oz (59 to 118 mL) of leather detergent concentrate with 1 US gal (3.8 L) of cold water.[5]
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Question 3 of 5:

How do you restore hard or brittle leather?

  1. 1
    Treat the leather with oil. Heat up leather oil on your stovetop until it’s around 100 to 110 °F (38 to 43 °C). Spread the oil over the surface of the saddle and leave it be for several hours. If the leather still feels dry, apply a little more oil to the tack.[6]
    • Don’t apply too much oil at once! You can always use more later, if needed.
    • Double-check the instructions on your leather oil before using it to condition your tack.
  2. 2
    Use a leather rejuvenator. Some professionals like using leather rejuvenators to restore tough leather. Sponge down both sides of the leather with lukewarm water; then, cover the area in plastic wrap for 2-6 hours. Peel away the plastic and coat the leather with the rejuvenator. Re-cover the leather with plastic, and let it sit for 1 day. Afterwards, you can remove the plastic and let your saddle air-dry.[7]
    • Don’t apply leather rejuvenator to any metal parts of your saddle, or else they might get damaged.
    • Leather rejuvenator dries best in a 60 to 70 °F (16 to 21 °C) area with 40-60% humidity.
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Expert Q&A
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  • Question
    How do you use leather conditioner?
    Marc Sigal
    Marc Sigal
    Leather Care Specialist
    Marc Sigal is the Founder of ButlerBox, a dry cleaning and shoe care service based in Los Angeles, California. ButlerBox places custom-designed, wrinkle-resistant lockers in luxury apartment buildings, class A office buildings, shopping centers, and other convenient locations so you can pick up and drop off items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Marc has a BA in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
    Marc Sigal
    Leather Care Specialist
    Expert Answer

    Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

    Use a soft-bristled brush or a microfiber towel to apply the conditioner in a thin layer all over the leather. Wait a few minutes to let it dry, then brush off any excess conditioner.
  • Question
    Do you recommend dyeing leather saddles where the the color has faded or worn off?
    Equestriangoose
    Equestriangoose
    Top Answerer
    It depends on your personal preferences. You can re-dye it if you like, but you can always simply embrace the worn look. Somebody did a lot of riding to get there, and a lot of people are proud of the worn spots. To me it would be a shame to cover that up. It isn't hurting the horse, so "don't fix what ain't broke". It is really up to you, though.
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About This Article

Marc Sigal
Co-authored by:
Leather Care Specialist
This article was co-authored by Marc Sigal and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Marc Sigal is the Founder of ButlerBox, a dry cleaning and shoe care service based in Los Angeles, California. ButlerBox places custom-designed, wrinkle-resistant lockers in luxury apartment buildings, class A office buildings, shopping centers, and other convenient locations so you can pick up and drop off items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Marc has a BA in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. This article has been viewed 16,874 times.
4 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 6
Updated: February 5, 2023
Views: 16,874
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