Those cross country courses can be messy in the Spring, and that means a lot of wear and tear on your tack. We take tack care seriously here, ensuring that its safe and usable for a long time to come. Today we'll take a look at how we care for our tack, and share with you our tips and tricks to keep it looking good! Keep in mind every stable will have its own tack cleaning program based on their own desires and needs. One is not necessarily better than another. If you're trying to look for a plan to keep your tack looking good; research and choose what fits best for you!

At Little Pine Stables, we focus our daily cleaning on what gets most dirty. Bridles, bits and girths used daily should be wiped down and cleaned at the end of each day. This helps prevent hygiene/skin issues from developing on the horses as well as keeps the tack in good condition. (we'll talk about bell boots and splint boots in another conversation!) So at the end of each ride we have some quick care techniques that help keep our gear in shape.

First we keep a supply of clean towels and cloths. An inexpensive way to get some, is to go to your local thrift store and purchase them there. You can save a lot of money and cut them up into small hand towels, which are perfect for cleaning.

Next we use old toothbrushes. They're excellent for cleaning bits and areas of stitching on leather tack. Before you begin to use them on leather stitching, be sure to run them through a dishwasher or soak and rinse them thoroughly.

Okay so let's say we've just come in from a muddy spring workout. The girth is dirty with specs of mud and hair that is shedding furiously from your horse is embedded in the girth. First you want to take that old toothbrush and gently rub it along the stitching lines of the girth. Don't use much pressure. You'll see how easily it pulls the hair right out of the stitching. Below you'll see some photos of a student cleaning a girth and our preferred all purpose conditioner:

Next, grab one of those towels we spoke about (we use one per week for each item unless it becomes really dirty), also grab the oil used for conditioning and cleaning girths (we have specific oils for various pieces of tack). First, if the girth is really dirty, dampen part of the towel with water, and clean off the dirt and grime. Next, pour about 2 teaspoons of oil onto the girth, and using a clean part of the towel begin gently rubbing it into the leather. This is where you'll condition the leather and continue cleaning it as you rub the cloth. When you're done, place or hang the girth for storage. That's about 5 minutes of work!

Next we tackle the bridle. We use another hand towel for this. First we clean the bit, by dampening a towel and gently wiping the bit. If there is a lot of debris, and its a bit dried or crusted, add a bit more water to the towel, wrap and soak the bit for a minute or two. If the bit needs a better cleaning, we'll break out a toothbrush and toothpaste, add some toothpaste, and gently brush the bit in the same way you brush your teeth. It helps to clean the metal and keep it looking its best! Here's Nikita showing a quick cleaning on one of our bridles.

If your horse got sweaty during the workout, there is a good chance you'll have hair and dirt embedded in the bridle stitching too. Handle it the same way you did the girth. Be sure to be gentle with the toothbrush. It'll pick up the dirt and hair without a lot of pressure. Follow up with a quick wipe over with a clean cloth and a dab of oil. Hang it and its ready to go! Its really pretty easy to keep your tack at its best on a daily basis if you develop a good system!Monthly cleanings are more involved, being sure to check over the saddles for any damage that could impair safety, and being sure everything is cleaned and conditioned properly. But if you keep up on your daily cleaning, the monthly really isn't a big deal.

There are a variety of tack cleaners and conditioners out their on the market. Choose what fits best for you. Here are a few of the variety we use. You'll notice there is also a leather conditioner for light colored leathers. It s important to know, that if you have light colored leather, and don't want it darkened, using the wrong oil could have disastrous consequneces!

This combination cleaner and conditioner by Belvor is used for all our English bridles. It keeps them in great condition and always show ready.

This Neatsfoot oil is specifically designed for LIGHT colored leather. This does the best job WITHOUT darkening the leather.

So whatever you choose, make a system, and stick to it! You'll find it will keep your tack in great condition for years to come!