November 19, 2006

By: Sandra Geldart
Website: http://www.happy-horse-saddles.com

Saddle soap's dirty little secret

Did you know that saddle soap was never designed to clean leather? Leather tanners in the 1800's would soak the leather in oils and rub the skins to make them more pliable and soft. Tanners were using something very much like today’s saddle soap to soften the hides, not to clean them!

As it has always been with consumers, the belief is if the experts use it, it must work great. The fact is that leather smiths long ago abandoned saddle soap in favor of the more advanced emulsions that have been developed to soften and moisturize leather.

The thing about saddle soap is that it doesn’t really work! It can streak and leaves leather sticky, it requires rinsing and it doesn’t even clean well. In actuality, because it must first dissolve it’s own oils before it can even start dissolving dirt in the leather, it is a very poor cleaner.

What you need to clean your saddle is a product like Leather Therapy Restorer and Conditioner that is ph neutral and will lubricate and soften the leather while it is cleaning it. There are many leather conditioners that will do a great job, just stay away from saddle soap!

About The Author:

Sandra Geldart is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.happy-horse-saddles.com.  With a degree in Equine Science Technology, Sandra brings you 27 years experience working with horses including showing horses and barrel racing.