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How often do you clean your tack?

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  • #41
    Originally posted by sar2008 View Post
    ....Everything gets cleaned/wiped down. Used pads/boots/girths (if they are fleece lined-which all of my boots and girths are) get thrown in the laundry hamper and washed after each use.
    What if it's leather fleece lined? I could never own a fleece lined girth- I'd freak out about the fleece not being clean. How are you supposed to clean those?

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    • #42
      Well...since I have the brand new CWD, it gets wiped down and conditioned after every ride. The bit/bridle get cleaned after every ride, girth gets a wipe down, and we use a clean baby pad every time (barn has a monster stack of baby pads, so that is easy).

      Once the saddle is broken in, I will go back to wipe down after every ride and major clean every Sunday
      "Look, I'm trying not to test the durability of the arena with my face!" (Because only GM can do that.)

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      • #43
        Originally posted by equidae View Post
        What if it's leather fleece lined? I could never own a fleece lined girth- I'd freak out about the fleece not being clean. How are you supposed to clean those?
        I have a crap ton of them and I just wash them and dry them with the rest of my horse laundry. Girths I use maybe 2 or 3 times before washing them, sometimes more, usually less.

        Originally posted by SkipChange View Post
        For those that say after every ride I'm curious, how many horses are you riding a day?

        I wish I cleaned my tack everyday like I used to...maybe I'll try to start cleaning more this summer.
        I ride 2-6 a day, work, keep my horses at 2 different barns, and commute a total of 4 hours round trip to do so. Now granted, I use the same schooling bridle/saddle/breastplate/girth for three of my horses, so just a super quick wipe in between and then a thorough cleaning after I'm done riding makes my life a little easier. It's been a part of my routine for as long as I've been able to clean my own tack and I take pride in how clean and well-kept my equipment is
        Nine out of ten times, you'll get it wrong...but it's that tenth time that you get it right that makes all the difference.

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        • #44
          I would NEVER clean my tack after every ride. IMO, that's like... abuse on the leather.

          It needs to breatthhheee. Cleaning every day, especially if you're using soaps and conditioners, can be harmful to the leather and cause it to break down sooner.

          Don't get me wrong, I am all for tack maintenance and responsibility, but I just believe that cleaning every day is excessive and counter productive.

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          • #45
            We soap clean our tack (saddle/bridle/martingale, etc) at the end of every riding day (so that may be after using it on 1 horse or 4 horses), and bits get scrubbed clean. Every horse gets a clean baby pad, every ride. We have a horse-clothes-only washer and dryer in the barn, so when it comes off the horse, it goes directly in the washer unless it is so soaked with sweat it needs to dry a bit outside on the line before going in the washer (so we don't get the tack room musty from the wetness if it is sitting for a bit 'til we have a full load). We use the fleecy girths for schooling, so those get thrown into the washer too, and then air dried.

            The tack gets a heavy-duty cleaning probably once per month, and gets oiled on an as-needed basis.
            Cherry Blossom Farm - Show & Field Hunters, Side Saddles

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            • #46
              Originally posted by Punkie View Post
              I flat out refuse to use a saddle pad twice. I'm also one of those people that won't wear the same piece of clothing twice, no matter how short a period of time I was in it. .
              Hey what size clothes are you? I can use some barely used breeches and some polo's too!

              I like your way! You are right horses should be treated the same.

              hummm, tack cleaning though. I clean my saddle every other day. I wash my bits after every ride. Bridle itself 1X per week - bad I know. But, saddle pads... I have a ton of them and will use a different pad everyday. Every 2 weeks I will clean all that I have used in the 2 week time and wash em', start over again.

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              • #47
                I rinse the bit after every use and wipe the saddle down if it's dusty, but generally my tack doesn't get sweaty or dirty enough that it needs daily cleaning (I'm a low level dressage rider). If it is sweaty, I will clean it.

                Once a week, I give it a really thorough cleaning.

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                • #48
                  Originally posted by equidae View Post
                  What if it's leather fleece lined? I could never own a fleece lined girth- I'd freak out about the fleece not being clean. How are you supposed to clean those?
                  My schooling girths are nylon and fleece lined, so I am able to just toss them in the washer. My show one is leather/fleece, but it's the velcro fleece, so I can just strip it off and wash it separate!!

                  Can't help ya with the ones that don't come off....that would gross me out too

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                  • #49
                    Originally posted by sar2008 View Post
                    Can't help ya with the ones that don't come off....that would gross me out too
                    To deal with leather/sheepskin girths that do not have removable fleece, you let them dry thoroughly (and of course never use them if it is raining/muddy), then shake baby powder on to the fleece, and brush it in, then off, with a dandy brush. It will clean it right up.
                    Cherry Blossom Farm - Show & Field Hunters, Side Saddles

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                    • #50
                      I do a thorough clean about once a month. Twice a week I will wipe down everything with my saddle soap spray (which I really don't consider "cleaning") and I always rinse my bit after every ride.
                      My treasures do not clink together or glitter, they gleam in the sun and neigh in the night.

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                      • #51
                        I am completely OCD and couldn't make the drive home if I hadn't cleaned all of my tack, every time. I live in fear that someone might see my bridle or girth hanging in the closet, unclean.

                        There - I said it. Acceptance is the first step to recovery?

                        Dappled Grey
                        www.dappledgrey.com

                        When you count your blessings, count your horse twice.

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                        • #52
                          Once a week, my saddle, bridle and martingale get a quick but good cleaning and conditioned. I usually do my bits each time I take them off my bridle.. so they probably get done twice a week each (I have two, one for flat and one for jumping).

                          I do a thorough, check-every-inch-of-the-saddle, take the bridle apart, etc, cleaning probably once a month. Bad, I know, but it takes so much time and is such a pain to do in the cold winter. It does get done more often in the summer, but thats just on average.

                          I oil it all about four times a year... I find if I over-oil it causes more harm than good.

                          I change my saddle pad after about 5-7 rides... it depends on the level of work we were doing, how clean my horse is and the weather (I find humid weather makes it grungy and extremely dry, dust weather just as bad). The washing machine at the barn tends to eat things so I try and take them home with me to wash, but it they don't always get done as often as I'd like.

                          My show halter and lead get done before every show when I am doing my pre-show clean... probably twice a month for May-October.

                          All that being said, this thread has motivated me to go clean my tack right now, and every single day.

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                          • #53
                            after riding in a show barn when I was a junior and being expected to have all tack cleaned after each ride, as well as paddock boots cleaned and polished before every ride...I feel odd if I don't clean my tack, like I did something wrong...so I clean it every time

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