Custom Western Saddles

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Saddle Care

Always check your rigging for wear and tear as this is what keeps you safe.

Keep dirt off of your saddle, especially mud. As mud dries, it pulls the oil out of the leather.

Keep your stirrup leathers well oiled (with mink oil) to make them easy to adjust. Stay away from neatsfoot oil as it is made for harness leather and will come off on your clothes. 

I prefer to keep my saddles on a rack that keeps the skirts from folding under and I keep a 3 foot long oak stick through my stirrups when not in use to keep a natural twist in them. See the following section for details.

For cleaning, I prefer cleaning everything with a soft cloth and warm (not hot) water. Give the top leather a good wipe down with mink oil and air dry for at least thirty minutes. I suggest at least one a year that you have your saddles cleaned inside and out by a professional saddler.

How to Turn Stirrups

Here’s a helpful tip that will save you a lot of time, trouble and pain. This procedure will allow you to train your stirrups to stay turned in a comfortable position. In the picture, you are looking at the front view of a saddle on a saddle stand. 

1. Adjust your stirrups to the proper length for riding.
2. Take a five-gallon bucket of clean water and dip your stirrups into the water up to the bottom of the fenders. (Leave your stirrups on your saddle.) The water will not hurt the stirrups and they will return to their original color when they dry. Wait approximately five minutes until the water quits bubbling. When this happens you will know that the leather has absorbed all the water it can. 
3. Set your saddle on a stand. Turn your stirrups like they would be when you are riding. Now, insert a natural wood board or broomstick through the stirrups to hold them turned in place. Do not use a metal pipe as it will discolor the leather.
4. Allow to dry for roughly 24 hours. Repeat the process in about five days. 
5. Then for the next two months, keep the board or stick through your stirrups anytime you are not riding.

What you will achieve is that your stirrups will stay perfectly positioned all the time. Should your foot come out of the stirrup while riding, you simply push your foot forward and the stirrup will be there turned the right way. You will have the added benefit of no pain in the ankles or knees from stirrups that want to twist back to the outside.