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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

Cleaning Leather

2/25/2014

 
One of the things that I really enjoyed about endurance riding was the fact that I could clean nearly all of my tack by dropping it in a bucket of water. I realize now that it wasn't because I didn't like to clean leather, because I actually do. It was because endurance tack gets really dirty after every single ride. Depending on the distance and the soil, your tack could end up being encrusted with salt, mud, clay, sweat, and foam. It was hard to keep clean.

Now that my tack doesn't get that kind of dirty, I have discovered that I actually enjoy cleaning my bridles each afternoon. It could also be that I have finally discovered a system that works for me. Let me introduce you to Effax's Leather Cream Soap. This stuff has become my absolute favorite leather cleaner and light conditioner.
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I buy mine from Dover.
I can't claim to be a leather snob because I simply don't yet appreciate the highest quality leather. I like mine soft, but I am not willing to pay $350 for a bridle to get that buttery soft leather. And, I am far more interested in function which means that the styles I prefer (currently the Micklem bridles) don't come in that super soft leather anyway. Even so, I try my best to keep my leather as soft and healthy as possible.

Here's the system that I've been using for the last several months.
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A bottle of Effax Leather Cream Soap, a bucket of clean water, a tack sponge, a small nail brush, and a clean towel (not pictured)
1. As I fill my feed buckets with beet pulp and top them off with water to soak, I also fill my little red bucket.
2. When I am finished with my ride, I grab the soap and brush, which are hanging from my bridle rack, and the sponge which stays in the bucket.
3. I swish my bit around in the bucket to knock off all of the foam and slobber and then give it a quick scrub with the sponge.
4. I use the brush to clean the buckle of the flash. Sydney's gets really crusty from cookie slobber.
Picture
Not crusty yet, but it will be.
5. Once the sponge is damp, I squirt a generous portion of the soap onto the sponge and quickly wipe it all over the headstall, rinsing the sponge and reapplying soap as needed.
6. Once I've gone over the headstall, I quickly wipe down the reins with soap as well.
7. I use the towel at the very end to remove any last traces of dirt or excess soap. Since this soap is like a lotion (no suds), it's not necessary to wash it off with water.

And that's it: my five minute system for keeping my tack super clean and soft. When I am finished, my leather feels clean and soft with no sticky residue. Once I got in the habit of doing it after every ride, it was sort of self-perpetuating. I love coming out to the barn the next day knowing that my bridle is glowing with good health and ready to use.

And seriously. It takes me five minutes to get my bridle clean and conditioned. Every month or so I like to take it apart and do a more thorough job, but even that has become super quick since my bridles are always so clean and conditioned already.

I am always looking for quick and easy tack cleaning products. What do you use?
Tracy link
2/24/2014 10:50:52 pm

I have also come to really like clean tack for every ride. I didn't know Effax had a cream, and I recently discovered the Prestige Leather Balm (which is a cream) and I'm in love!!

Bakersfield Dressage link
2/27/2014 11:49:16 pm

I like it, and I also use their actual leather cleaner if stuff needs a really good scrubbing.

lytha
2/24/2014 11:33:22 pm

you're very german. wait, do you do the bit each ride? : ) the germans do.

i was pleased when my breastcollar was filthy this week and it came out pristine after a run with the dishes through the dishwasher.

sadly, i don't ride hard enough to deserve that kind of expediency. *sob*

Bakersfield Dressage link
2/27/2014 11:41:45 pm

I DO clean my bit after each ride. :0)

I truly miss the days of dunking everything in a bucket of water, but I also enjoy handling my tack so intimately each day. It has seemed to take on a personality rather than being such inanimate objects. :0)

Amanda link
2/24/2014 11:38:31 pm

I use this same stuff after every ride. Currently without water, though, which has led to some build up but as soon as water is available again it will be better.

Bakersfield Dressage link
2/27/2014 11:42:42 pm

That's why I thin it down with a damp sponge and rinsing of the sponge. It's so DRY hear that it's actually hard to over condition anything!

Hillary link
2/24/2014 11:51:01 pm

I love the higher standards leather care soaps. They smell delicious and cut right through the dirt. For conditioner I am loving the Devoucoux balsm that came with my saddle. I also like effax and the higher standards. Though the higherstandards is still growing on me.

Bakersfield Dressage link
2/27/2014 11:43:32 pm

There has been so much blogger chatter about that product that I am going to have to give it a try!

Lauren link
2/25/2014 05:39:01 am

My favorite quick tack cleaner disappeared from my trunk... I may have to check this stuff out!

Bakersfield Dressage link
2/27/2014 11:44:17 pm

I certainly like it, but my climate seems well suited for it - hot and very dry. It's also quite reasonably priced.

Austen link
2/25/2014 05:42:37 am

I love that Effax stuff too, and use it almost daily in the summer to keep down the sweat buildup on my bridles and saddles. In the winter, though, a good wipe down will do daily. I try to deep clean my tack weekly. It's a good habit to get in into!

Bakersfield Dressage link
2/27/2014 11:46:22 pm

Since it is so warm and dry here in the winter, Sydney can still work up a good dirty sweat which is why I like to use it daily. We're also experiencing a severe drought here in central CA so all of my tack is fighting the dryness. This helps keep it moisturized.

Hannah link
2/25/2014 10:28:45 pm

Hmmmmm, you really don't find any build-up with that cream? I am constantly in despair re: my tack-cleaning laziness and would love to find something that will work for just a quick wipe-down (the cookie-slobber flash is killer), but everything I've seen/tried results in build-up...

Bakersfield Dressage link
2/27/2014 11:48:34 pm

SInce I use it with a damp sponge that I rinse in the water, I am only using a thin layer of the soap. It really feels like lotion, even on my own hands I like the feel. It is also very hot and dry here so I can use a lot of water without the fear of mold or cold weather cracking. But for me, there is no build up.


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    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
    ​Welcome to my dressage journey.
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    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
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    About Izzy

    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
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Among other things, Karen is a Wife, Friend, Reader, Writer, Rider, Traveler, and Dog Lover
Contact her at bakersfielddressage@gmail.com
  • Home
  • About
  • My Horses
    • Horses
    • Imperioso
    • G Ima Starr FA
    • Sunshine
    • Nakota and Gideon
    • Corky
    • Sassy
    • Montoya DSA
    • Mickey Dee
    • Sydney
  • Show Results
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    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
  • Dressage Organizations
    • Dressage Organizations
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    • 2019 Dressage Tests
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