You should maintain your saddle properly to ensure good durability. Saddle leather or synthetic, wool or foam board panels, indoor or outdoor seat, whatever it is, it is the care you bring to it that determine aging. For it ages well, you have to be in regular maintenance and to check from time to time by professionals that all is well, and replace the defective parts. And so there is no used saddle.
1. Storage
A bad storage may deteriorate your saddle !
- Store your saddle on a suitable support. A bad seat post can damage padding.
- Cover your saddle, at least on the top, if not fully. It keeps away from light and dust.
- Reassemble the stirrups rather than cross on the seat, and you will keep the skirt, flat. For long term storage, remove stirrup leathers and tidy up the saddle in a complete cover.
- Keep your equipment in a dry, temperate place and protected from light if possible. No damp, leather may rot.
- Beware of mice, moths ... and horses ! a bite happen quickly and can cause heavy repairs, a horse stepping on a saddle can damage it irreparably (risk of breaking the tree)
2. Maintenance of materials
Ideally, at least wipe the seat with a damp cloth after each use. This allows detection of potential problems, such as a seam which dropped or against girth that labor. If the seat is dirty (dust, mud), first clean with a damp sponge, wipe with a cloth and allow to dry before applying any product. Once a month, remove all accessories and make cleaning glycerine soap. Once the saddle thoroughly cleaned, ironing a damp cloth to remove excess product.
3. Verification of safety and maintenance in the long term
The points to watch in particular are:
- The symmetry of the saddle
- The strength of fixing against girth and stirrup bars
- Symetry of the two stirrups
- The strength of the tree
- Texture panels
For fine used saddles, just apply these advices !
