Wet, humid conditions can lead to a tack room full of moldy saddles and bridles, not to mention saddle pads, blankets and wraps, as well.
Moldy tack is not only an unsightly nuisance; because mold is a living organism, it can actually eat away at the stitching and leather of your saddle or bridle, leading to possible equipment failures that could endanger both you and your horse.
While it might seem counterintuitive, moldy tack doesn’t mean you don’t care for it. In fact, it often means the exact opposite: You’re taking care of your leather goods and keeping them oiled. Mold can’t grow on tack that is dry rotted—there’s nothing for it to eat.
Sparing the microbiology lesson, to put it very simply, molds and mildews are fungus. Common in poorly ventilated areas, the spores of these can “infect” other pieces of tack by carrying through the air and settling on new pieces of leather.
As leather is made from cowhide, it was once living tissue, with layers and pores. Mold spores can get into these pores and reproduce, creating a green or white powdery substance on the leather surface. Mold grows best on leather that has sweat, dirt or manure on it.
In order to get rid of the mildew that’s on your tack, you will need to:
To prevent mold from recurring, wipe the dirt and sweat from your tack after each ride. This will reduce the amount of moisture mold needs to survive.
If you notice small, black spots on your saddle pads, blankets or girths, mold has infected these items as well. Clean these items with hot, soapy water (read manufacturer’s instructions first to be sure that washing will not harm the item.) Add bleach to the wash cycle if the items are colorfast. Place the wet items in the sun until they are completely dry—sunshine has wonderful mildew killing properties.
To prevent mold from forming on both your leather goods and other equine goods, you can:
Sarah Coleman has a soft spot for chestnuts with chrome, including her off-the-track Thoroughbred that she competes in the hunters. Based in Lexington, Ky., she is the Director of Education and Development for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.
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I have a problem with mold on my tack which is very annoying. This is very helpful information. Thank you so much, will be cleaning my tack this way.
Getting the saddles out of the tack room and grabbing my water based soap, some vinager, and old throw away rags! Thanks for the info!
After you have done the initial cleaning the smaller pieces of tack ie: stirrups, headstalls etc can be put into an oven on low heat(200)for an hour. This will kill any mold spores left behind.
Thanks so much! I'm new to horses & appreciate the advice!
A very timely article. Trying to clean the tack room and with this humidity running so high.
great info
Ultraviolet light also left on in your tack room will prevent mold.
Good article but #4 is in question it reads as follows... doesn't make sense. Why would a person want to wash with a soap that INVITES mold
#4 Clean your tack well with a water-based cleaner; glycerin-based soap keeps leather moist and invites mold growth.
Nice. But it would be better if you gave an example of "water base cleaner". All you need to say is "water base cleaner like xxxx. Otherwise the article is 50% of informing one on how to clean leather.