Caring for saddles requires storing it in a covered area with a saddle cover, cleansing them with Murphy's Oil Soap and keep the surface of the saddle dust-free. Extend the lifetime of a saddle through proper maintenance with advice from a riding instructor in this video on equestrian living.
To ensure the long life of your Western Saddle you want to take into consideration those things that are going to enhance not only the performance and keep it safe, but keep the leather soft. I find the biggest things that I have to guard or protect them against would be our own elements the sun is extremely detrimental you want to do your best to keep your saddle out of direct sunlight as well as the dirts and dust. So if you have a way to keep your saddle in a covered area maybe perhaps even with a saddle cover on; you're going to ensure the long life of your saddle even without doing anything further. However there are some very simple ways that we can maintain and clean our saddles without going to a huge amount of expense. When we have a lot of saddles and we need to keep them in good working order we might consider some of the shortcuts that I have found to be just fine and suitable. I like to go to the store and buy plain old Murphy's Oil Soap, get a sponge or a cloth, get it foamy with a little bit of water, go over and clean all the dirt and debris off of the saddle before I do any further. It doesn't really harm the saddle it can get it a little bit wet; that's not a problem, but it will soften and keep that leather in good order. You may have to brush off any of the excessive dirt and debris if you've been out in a dusty environment; using a soft horse brush even is a good way to do that. After we've cleaned it with a brush, perhaps use some oil soap on it. One of my favorite uses for cleaning would be Basic Neatsfoot Oil. It's called Neatsfoot Oil, and this can provide that final coat of a softening topical kind of product that you can buy cheaply and it will go a long way; a small bottle like that would clean a many of saddles. However, if you're looking for that one step does all; there are many products like this that you can just simply spray on, sponge off, or dry off with a towel. And that will also keep an adequate supply of cleaning available to you at anytime. Besides that making sure that we put it up correctly; both cinches so they're not dragging, checking for the safety features of your equipment making sure it's not rubbing to a point where it may break or snap. Checking for safety, keeping it well oiled, that'll enhance the life of your saddle for a long time.
