Saddle Care

To care for your leather and oiled nubuck saddles: I use a slightly damp papertowel or cloth to remove any dust or grunge, then use Rudy's Tack and Leather Conditioner from Bee Natural. Just rub it into the leather with a sponge or smooth textured cloth.

To care for your sheepskin pad: Use a wire cat brush or stiff horse brush after EVERY ride to remove any dried sweat or grunge. This will mean you don't have to do anything more stringent very often. If it's getting dirtier, you can dampen a stiff horse brush to get stubborn grunge. If you need to wash it, you can. I prefer a hose and bucket over a washer, but some people do use a washer. Keep in mind, this is a natural product and skin imperfections can't be seen, so a washing machine may allow those imperfections to crack when drying if overly manipulated. Remove the inserts before washing. After, squeeze out exess water, give the sheepskin fibers a quick brush to align the fibers and replace the inserts (even if you don't ride with them, it's best to use them to keep the sheepskin in a proper shape as it will wrinkle and shrink). Dry flat, out of direct sunlight. This site may help.

Suede can be cared for with suede shoe cleaning kits.

Lorica can be cleaned of shedding hair or dust with a vacuum or a rolled piece of packing tape to get in the crevices.

Synthetic materials can be cleaned with a damp cloth. See below for a discussion from the saddle maker for Lorica (microsuede) and micronappa.

Biothane:
Ghost uses biothane - a polyurethane coated nylon web - for billets and stirrup straps which claims heavy duty uses up to 1000# breaking strength but holes do affect this.
Cleaning Instructions:

∙ Wash in warm soapy water
∙ Rinse well
∙ Do not soak long term
∙ Use a non-abrasive scrub pad

General Information:
∙ A regular hole punch may be used
∙ Length may be cut with scissors

Due to the unpredictable nature of equines, biothane items, like all component of your tack, should be used at your own discretion and should be inspected at regular intervals!

Micronappa and Lorica (from the material supplier and our Ghost saddle maker)
If you own one of our vegan saddles in micronappa or microsuede (Lorica) , this post is for you. Cruelty-free saddles are more durable than their leather cousins, and here are some tips on how to best clean and store them.

Micronappa is a fine microfiber with an aesthetic effect similar to Nappa leather. Microsuede (Lorica) is visually very close to nubuck or suede. Both are high-tech products created from very fine polyester fibres. Ghost has chosen this breathable, durable, soft, easy to clean, and allergy-friendly material for the construction of saddles and accessories.

First, it's important to keep your saddle in a dry, well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. So if you live in a humid environment and have a tack room that is prone to condensation, check your saddle and consider a dehumidifier.

You can clean the saddle with a damp cloth. In the case of stubborn stains, you can scrub using a soft brush or a cloth soaked in curd soap (or another natural gentle soap). Then rinse, dab with a cloth moistened with water and let the saddle dry in a shady place.

If the mud has dried, first scrub with a brush and, if this is not enough, wipe with a cloth as previously described.

Like all saddles, vegan saddles can get dirty, but the good news is that micronappa can be cleaned quickly and easily, usually simply with a damp cloth or using natural products. For stubborn stains, wipe the upper with a cloth dampened with a 10:1 solution of warm water and apple or white wine vinegar. Among its many properties, vinegar has the ability to disinfect fabrics and remove stains.

Alternatively, you can use a 10:1 solution of warm water, lemon juice and a pinch of baking soda/sodium bicarbonate: Baking soda has the ability to remove incrustations and stains, as well as unpleasant odours, while the lemon exerts its antibacterial and disinfectant effects.

If the stains are particularly difficult to remove, take some curd soap (or another natural gentle soap) and rub it directly on the affected areas with some water. After an application time of about 20 minutes, rinse with a damp cloth and leave to dry in a shady place, not in the immediate vicinity of heat sources