LEATHER CARE

LEATHER CARE FOR YOUR OLD SADDLE, scroll down

LEATHER CARE FOR YOUR MOULDY SADDLE, scroll down

LEATHER CARE FOR YOUR NEW SADDLE

Congratulations on the purchase of your quality leather saddle from NAREE WOOD SADDLE FITTING SERVICES.

Care & maintenance of your new saddle is easy. Quality leather is ‘pre softened’, so be careful not to use intensive conditioning products on it too often. Leather that is too soft, will stretch & warp out of shape, especially the girth straps.

I recommend, and personally use, Kieffer leather care products.

‘For leather products which are exposed to constant use, proper care of the leather is essential to preserve longevity and an ‘as-new’ appearance.

 Saddles and tack are in regular contact with sweat, moisture, rain, and dirt. These weaken the natural, protective fat layer of the leather and may even destroy it completely without proper care. Therefore it is important to treat the leather with moisturizing and softening leather care products as part of a regular routine.

 Our simple guide to cleaning and caring for your leather products will help to keep your products soft and supple for years to come.

Our care products are created with special ingredients to complement the leather used for our saddles and tack.

We recommend regular cleaning and care of your Kieffer leather products to keep them beautiful, soft and supple for you and your horse to enjoy.’

Kieffer

Before your new saddle’s first use:

  1. Clean off any ‘white dust’ from the production process with kieffer glycerine saddle soap (directions below)
  2. Apply 1 coat of Kieffer Leather Care Cream to all parts of the saddle (directions below)
  3. Allow to soak into the leather overnight

Daily maintenance:

  1. After each use, wipe off dust & dry excess moisture with a damp cloth
  2. Apply Kieffer Universal Leather Fluid sparingly (directions below). Particularly clean the panel area which rests directly on the horse´s back as it is very important this area remains soft and supple for the benefit of your horse.

After a very sweaty or dirty ride, a ride at the beach, or for use on old, dry, hard leather:

  1. Wipe off dust & dry excess moisture with a damp cloth
  2. Apply Kieffer Glycerine Saddle Soap (directions below)
  3. Apply vinegar mix (directions below)
  4. Apply Kieffer Leather Care Cream (directions below)

KIEFFER LEATHER PRODUCT DETAILS

Universal leather fluid               $20              

Daily cleaner & conditioner in one fluid.

Goes deeply into the pores of the leather, without being greasy

Contains – water, glycols, surfactants, alcohol, moisturisers, perfumes

Removes salt crystals from sweat & water

Leather remains soft & supple

Application

  1. Wipe tack with soft damp cloth using just water
  2. Apply universal fluid sparingly using soft clean cloth
  3. Repeat if necessary
  4. Allow to take effect
  5. Polish with soft clean dry cloth 

Glycerine Saddle Soap              $15

Best for occasional, intensive, deep cleaning of saddles, bridles, riding boots

Contains – tallow, coconut oil, water, soda, alcohol, glycerine, perfume

Does not contain phosphates

Cleans quickly, gently and thoroughly

Biodegradable

Application

  1. Massage soap into the leather with a damp sponge using gentle circular movements, creating suds, being careful not to over wet the leather
  2. Use different clean damp cloth to wipe off excess water, soap & dirt
  3. Allow the saddle to dry at room temperature in a well ventilated area, away from direct sunlight
  1. After drying, apply sparingly with a soft cloth, a mixture of distilled water and white vinegar, mixed in a ratio of 1:50, to restore the natural ph value inside the leather.
  2. Allow the saddle to dry again
  3. Must then treat with ‘LEATHER CARE CREAM’ as Glycerine Saddle Soap removes the fat from the leather & makes it dry & brittle

Leather Care Cream – beeswax                   $25

Contains – genuine beeswax, white oil, derminol oil, petrolatum, paraffin, turpentine oil, perfume

Best for occasional conditioning, but not recommended for daily use

Best product to use on a new saddle or bridle, or on old tack after a thorough clean

Maximum in-depth treatment

The beeswax softens and preserves the leather and does not deteriorate stitching

Contains cleansing and lubricating components that penetrate deep into the hard leather, making it more supple, hard-wearing and creates a long lasting protective coating that makes it more tear resistant

presented as a crème for easy application

Safe to use on Kieffer ‘smooth’ leather

Application

  1. Clean with Glycerine Saddle Soap
  2. Reapply several times if required
  3. Apply vinegar mix as detailed above, sparingly with soft, clean, dry cloth
  4. Allow mix to penetrate the leather
  5. Polish with a clean soft cloth

** NOTE **

Do not use any of the above products on any synthetic parts of your saddle.

Some Kieffer saddles have girth leathers made from synthetic ‘secu’. Do not use anything other than a damp sponge on these.

LEATHER CARE FOR YOUR OLDER SADDLE

This depends on the quality of leather used in the saddle.

Most older, & some new Indian leathers, will not soften, no matter how much of any product you use. A lot of saddles you think are made in Australia, with Australian or English leather, sadly, are not.

I would recommend trying a quality product, like the Kieffer leather care system, and if no results are achieved after one application, then there is probably no point continuing with further treatment.

LEATHER CARE FOR YOUR MOULDY SADDLE

‘Effax’ Mildew-Free for Leather seems to assist to reduce mould, but it certainly does not prevent it.

Prevention required keeping your leather very clean & away from moisture & humidity.

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