Have you ever deeply appreciated the beautiful smell of real leather? To the horse lover, the smell of leather is as fragrant as the last rose of summer. Working in a tack store as I do, and having owned horses for most of my life, I have been privileged to get my hot little hands on probably most brands of saddle made in the US and Europe, but it never fails to give me a thrill to watch a used saddle, bridle, breast plate or leather girth literally come to life in my hands with an hour or so’s tender loving care.
From the sensual feel of the soft buttery leather of the French Devoucoux, to the exquisite tooling and workmanship of the Western saddle made by the old school McLelland, it is quite humbling to realise that many a cow, buffalo, pig, deer and even elephant has surrendered its life to give us the best leather with which to cover our horses’ backs in order that we can ride longer, jump higher, train harder and race faster on our beloved horses. Not to mention the fact that probably at least 20-50 people were directly involved in creating our saddle or piece of horse tack. By the way, did you know that one of the most effective tanning processes used to produce a soft, supple leather is to use emulsified oils, such as animals’ brains? This is actually called ‘brain tanned’ leather. Fascinating!
So then I wonder, why oh why don’t people clean their freakin’ tack?? (I LOL quite loud at this point! ). I wonder if those same people are happy to wear the same underwear without washing it for months on end, or drive around in a dirty, sweaty vehicle until the dirt is the only thing keeping the dang thing from falling apart! Somehow, I think not, but they are apparently happy to ride their horses in grungy tack, which is as stiff and dirty as a poker and twice as nasty. I regard this as the ultimate gesture of disrespect to the noble horse.
I could sometimes cry for the sometimes parched, sad, maimed and abused saddles and tack which are offered for equine consignment. But, we just bring out our trusty resuscitation trolley and gently and lovingly breathe new life into them until they are fed, oiled, cleaned and rehabilitated. One can almost hear the thirsty gulps squeaking from that sorry leather. But oh, the joy of watching it come to life again .. And then we lovingly say goodbye to it as it sails off into the sunset with its proud new owner. 🙂
Of course, I am not generalising here. Thankfully, most of our saddles and horse tack comes into the store clean, well nourished and cared for, but in fairness, the Floridian climate doesn’t do good leather any favors and it dries out quicker than a turtle can cross the road! You have probably gathered that by now, we love our work and I wanted to share with you the deep satisfaction gained from such a simple, rewarding task of cleaning horse tack.
Coming soon, so watch this space:
Our new ebook: Tips On How To Clean Your Horse Tack … and What Your Trainer Didn’t Tell You!