saddle maintenance questions

horselovinguy said:

WELCOME to the Forum....

With all the oiling you've done my thought would be greasy feeling and soaked leather is what you have....

Do you have a saddleshop nearby that does repairs?
Or a older cobbler, aka shoemaker shop where you could take the saddle for evaluation of what you are doing to the leather thinking you are scrubbing dirt gone...
Now saying colors are changing and you think its the tanning process....quality saddles do not lose their tanning easily makes me say slow down and get some true help from those who know leather, leather quality and how tanning is done and by what method.
To dye a saddle, many make a comment like its real easy....
Ever do leather dyeing before?
Are you sure you want to be the one to dye the saddle so it looks uniform everywhere or are you figuring to "spot" dye and think it will match???
Saddleshop or a cobbler who has been around cause they also often see horse tack and have worked on it would be where I would go before anymore cleaning takes place...
Those professionals can also advise you on what products to use specifically since different products indeed interact differently with different tanning processes and so do dyes...

Saddles need sparse oiling....aka not often
They need to be wiped off of dirt and filth with a soft cloth more than anything.
A cleaning only as needed with saddle soap or what that saddle tanning process reacts best with sparingly and no soaking of leather with oils or anything else...not the way you mean it or make it sound.
Leather is a breathing product and coating it in layers of oil and solvents ruins it and shortens its life and safety for us using it....yes, you can rot leather. And although harder today because thread is polyester or nylon twisted and cotton...to wet/greasy does have a adverse effect on that too...
Its not a simple answer to what do you do...
If me, with what you are describing I would be off to a professional and after a evaluation make some changes or indeed let the professional clean and save my saddle, even dye it so it has a sameness you have stolen in appearance.
I wish you good luck.
🐴.... jmo...

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sydniejo__ said:

what do people mean when they say “soak” a piece of leather in neatsfoot or other oils? do they mean to just apply a generous amount and let it set? would i go back and wipe the remaining excess off?

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tinyliny said:

First of all, it's a good idea to let folks know that it is a Western type saddle. I don't know the name of saddle you mentioned. Could you post a photo of it?

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Amyrides said:

I clean English saddles for my job, so my information might not be helpful.
what I do Is use a damp sponge with glycerin soap and scrub the saddle down. Then I go back with a knife and scrape the grayish gunk off, running the knife parallel to the saddle as not the scratch it. This does leave a lighter area, but when I’m done getting gunk off I soap it again, then oil it. Neatsfoot compound is a darkening oil that i use most often. I sometimes don’t oil though, and if you’re saddle is over oilEd, you shouldn’t oil it for a little while. With English saddles, they get soft and scratch easily.
last, and most important in my opinion, I use a conditioner and go over the saddle with that. That helps waterproof the saddle, maintain color, and prevent cracking. It’s very important.
now, like I said, I clean English saddles. But I do think you should soap and condition the saddle, and maybe hold off on the oiling. And always do it in that order. Soap, oil, condition. You can oil the seat of most saddles if the seat is leather.
you can also Use a scrubby sponge or toothbrush to remove gunk easier.
hope this helps!

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sydniejo__ said:

this is so so helpful thank you so much! so how do you tell if a saddle is over oiled in your experience?

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