Cherry Hill - Tack: Care and Cleaning

by Cherry Hill

There is a wide and ever-changing variety of tack and equipment on the market for horsemen. Since every horse activity requires its own specialized equipment, you must know exactly what you need before you buy. There are hundreds of different types and styles of bridles available for your purchase. A bridle for Western pleasure would be unsuitable for eventing. So, if you are not absolutely sure what you should buy, seek the help of a competent professional.

Always buy the very best quality tack and equipment that you can afford. As with other consumer goods, inspect an item and compare it with other similar items for quality of materials, quality of workmanship, and fit. Just because an item is made of leather does not ensure that it is a high-quality article. The various grades and finishing processes of leathers (as will be discussed later) greatly affect an articles serviceability, life, and appearance. And some items, such as halters, made out of synthetic materials, such as nylon, are preferred over their leather counterparts by many experienced horsemen. Quality of materials also refers to hardware as will be discussed later.

Quality of workmanship is evident in the straightness and evenness of stitching, the fitting of seams and parts, the finishing of edges, and the overall appearance of an item. If you are proficient in comparing workmanship of dresses or shirts, use the same sorts of criteria when selecting saddles, horse blankets, and bridles.

The quality of the fit or design of an item of tack can make it easy to use or a nightmare. Tested patterns from well-established companies usually prove satisfactory. Some fledgling companies may produce acceptable items but without the attention to detail. A top-notch horse blanket, for example, would be cut from a pattern with contours to fit a horses body; a lesser-quality blanket may have very straight seams resulting in a poorer fit.

As you are looking for tack, do not eliminate the possibility of buying used items. Sometimes, by looking on the bulletin board of your tack store or by searching the columns of your local horse news, you can find a used item that will save you a great deal of money. If you are not experienced enough to detect a fatigued saddle tree or a white elephant bridle, take a knowledgeable person along with you. No matter if you buy new or used tack or equipment, give it an initial safety check and cleaning before putting it into service. Then inspect it regularly for signs of stress and wear and replace worn portions or have the item repaired as needed.

A tidy, well-organized tack room will assist you in keeping your tack in tip-top shape. A tack room should be dirt and rodent free and be designed so that it consistently has a moderate temperature and humidity. It is best if your tack room is used exclusively for storing and cleaning tack. It is impossible to keep your tack clean if the room also serves as a feed room or tool room.

As you design your tack room, make a list of what you plan to keep there. Your list may include some of the following: everyday saddles, bridles, and blankets; show saddles and bridles; winter blankets, sheets, and coolers; grooming equipment, medical supplies, and records. It will be convenient if you make a space in the room for tack cleaning and small repairs as well.

Tack should not be stored in a feed room.

Take the time to design the room so that it will facilitate proper equipment storage and care. Using a piece of graph paper, draw a proposed floor plan to scale noting the placement of large items such as a desk, saddle racks, and tack trunks. Be sure there are adequate electrical outlets and overhead lights in your tack room.

A tack room should provide enough space for you to keep things in order. Rooms smaller than 8 by 10 feet (the size of a small box stall) get crowded as soon as a few saddle racks and tack trunks are moved in. It is much harder to keep things in good order when they are crowded. If you have from two to ten horses, figure between 100 and 200 square feet for a tack room.

Try to locate your tack room near your grooming and saddling area. Note which way the air flows between the grooming area and your tack room before you decide where to locate the door, or you may find that dirt, hair, and sweepings are blown and tracked into your tack room. The doorway between the grooming area and tack room should be at least 3 feet wide to easily accommodate you carrying a saddle.

Since leather goods are best kept at moderate temperatures and low humidity, the walls, ceiling, and floor of a tack room should be insulated. Even without a heater or air conditioner, insulation keeps the indoor environment more constant. In some climates, a dehumidifier may be required to keep leather from forming mildew during warm, humid weather. In the winter months, a small space heater may be necessary to prevent medicines from freezing.

Hang bridles, halters, and other tack neatly.

Although windows will allow fresh air to flow through a tack room, dirt, one of leathers greatest enemies, usually accompanies the breezes. The rays of the sun shining through window glass can also be a very destructive force to leather. If you want windows, outfit those in direct sunlight with shades, shutters, or awnings. Exterior windows, unless fortified with bars or a heavy screen, decrease the security of a tack room. Plan to fit every door and window with a strong, durable locking device to discourage theft and satisfy insurance requirements. Most tack rooms, however, function quite well without windows.

Tight doorways and precise wall-to-ceiling and wall-to-floor fit will prevent invasion by dirt, bugs, and rodents, all of which can be damaging to tack and equipment. Dirt floors are a constant source of dust, prevent tight wall-to-floor fit, and defeat the purpose of insulating the rest of the room. Cement floors, although easy to keep clean, are very cold and may crack with settling. An insulated wood floor is warmer and more flexible. The material for the flooring should be durable, water resistant, and easy to sweep. Wood floors should be treated with a sealer. Using a boot scraper or mat to remove mud and snow before entering the tack room will also help to preserve the floor and keep dust to a minimum.

Hanging bridles. A large amount of wall space is required for hanging and storing equipment, especially bridles and halters. Bridle holders with contoured head pieces that approximate the configuration and size of a horses poll area help to keep bridles in good shape. A half-circle of wood about 4 inches in diameter and about 2 inches thick works well. Having a -inch lip on the forward edge of the curved surface will keep the bridle from slipping off the bridle holder. However, solid wood will not allow a very sweaty bridle to dry out quickly. You may wish to consider using open-framework metal or plastic bridle holders (shaped like horseshoes). Mounting bridle holders 9 inches apart, center to center, provides ample room for convenient use.

Equipment other than bridles, such as halter and lead ropes, longe lines, running martingales, and extra nosebands can be hung on hooks. Figure how many hooks you think you will need, then double the number! If you are short on hooks, you will probably find yourself digging to the bottom of a tangled mass of equipment for the pair of reins you want. Outfit your tack room, grooming area, and barn aisles with plenty of safe hooks.