Friday, June 28, 2013

The Best Manner To Clean And Store Horses Saddlery

By Steven James


Proper maintenance and storage of saddlery and equipment will go a long way in ensuring that horses are well taken care of. When these items are kept in an optimum condition, they are able to last long and provide a person with good ride quality. This implies that they are the key to riding your animal comfortably.

One of the factors that determine whether your equipment will last or not is the atmosphere of the storage area. One should know that damp areas cause mold to grow and therefore causes damage to the equipment. A hot and dry atmosphere on the other hand will contribute to the leather being brittle and therefore prone to cracking. The best condition to store these items is one which is warm and dry.

Before storing the saddlery, one should perform a routine inspection and carry out any repairs where necessary. Precaution should also be taken to ensure that rugs and other materials are carefully tucked away in their respective trunks. In addition, some moth balls are to be put together with the rugs inside the trunks to prevent moths from damaging them.

Horse rugs should always be taken outdoors frequently so as to aerate them and check whether any rodents or moths have damaged them in any way. The best way to aerate them is to shake them vigorously. Any buckles on these rugs should be lubricated with Vaseline in order to prevent tarnishing.

Those equipment that will not be used urgently should be taken apart. This is due to the reason that the buckles holding the equipment together tend to stiffen when not in use for a long period. It is imperative that one cleans and thoroughly oils any leather-work before storage.

Proper cleaning and storage of horse saddlery is vital for durability and great service. One should ensure that they wash all tack in warm water by either using a sponge or a piece of cloth. The correct saddle soap should be applied in this cleaning operation.

In order to clean the metallic equipment of your horses, a piece of cloth or a metal polish should be used. Any leather that has grease stains should first be soaped in warm water before being washed. This is so as to prevent the formation of "jockeys."

At times, one may find that the saddlery is quite dirty. In such cases, soda crystals are to be diluted in warm water and then used on the equipment. When a contagious infection occurs on a farm, it is imperative that the equipment used on the affected horses be isolated and properly cleaned by sterilizing it in soda water.




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