# Restoring an old, dry, western saddle



## KoolSalem

Wish I had taken pictures, but I digress.... We found 3 old saddles on the farm that had been neglected and exposed to moisture, heat, dry and sunlight. The saddles are dirty, cobwebbed, dry and cracked. Is there any saving them?

If so, what are the steps to take to try to restore them? I think only 2 are worth saving but I'd like to at least try.

Thanks for any advice or help you can offer!


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## horselovinguy

Unless you are going to use those saddles for ornamentation _only_...there is no point.

Once leather has cracks it is doomed to garbage classification for the safety of rider and horse... 
There is no "saving" cracked leather.... :-(
:runninghorse2:.......


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## AtokaGhosthorse

I'd like to see pictures. Are the cracks deep or on the surface only? What you may consider bad condition may not be as bad as you think or we're being led to believe.

Is the leather loose from the seat? What part is cracked: The off billets? The girths? Latigo? Stirrup leathers? Those can all be replaced. 

What maker are they? That would dictate, to me, if they're worth fooling with. A triangle T? Nope. Not worth even the elbow grease to clean it, much less get it in working condition. Something mid-range or up? Maybe. Just depends.

I have one that's for sale now that was dusty and covered in pigeon poo. Leather was dry as a bone. Dummy me didn't take a picture, I should have. It was disgusting and looked hopeless. My husband didn't believe it was worth messing with. 

This is two days ago and with a two day cleaning, four days of oiling and buffing and using Lexol on it, putting new dally wrap on it, new latigo, new front off billet, new strings, tightening up all the conchos and polishing them, etc.:


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## mkmurphy81

A lot depends on the saddle and what you need it for. I've restored several old worthless saddles that looked beyond repair. First, make sure the tree and rigging are still solid. If they're bad, the saddle is trash. You'll also want the seat, horn, and skirts to be in decent condition. Saddle soap and oil can work miracles. Fenders are mostly decorative, and the leathers behind them can be replaced. Conchos and saddle strings are an easy fix, along with stitching with an awl. It should be obvious that the cinch and cinch straps should be replaced.

I currently need to replace the stirrup leathers on an old saddle. When I get to it, I'll take pictures and post the process on the forum. It's an old no-name saddle, probably from Mexico. However, both the horse and the kid think it's comfortable, so it's worth fixing.

The other question is the saddle's use. The ones I have repaired were mostly kids' saddles to be used on my old lazy horses. I don't expect them to be used hard. If I were roping cattle or running barrels, I would want a newer saddle.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Even if they aren't worth restoring in a true sense - they might be worth monkeying around with anyway. You can learn a lot about the anatomy of a western saddle thanks to these and have nothing to lose if you mess up. Trash saddles and old tack can be great learning tools.

And yes, make sure the trees are solid and the horns aren't broken. To find out of the tree is broken, you can usually grab a western saddle by the back of the seat and the gullet, and try to fold it up like a taco, like you're trying to touch the horn to the seat back. If it bends - its broken and more than likely not worth having a new tree built to replace the old one (for a lot of reasons, expense being but one). Horns are easy, grab it and see if it wiggles.


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## KoolSalem

AtokaGhosthorse said:


> I'd like to see pictures. Are the cracks deep or on the surface only? What you may consider bad condition may not be as bad as you think or we're being led to believe.
> 
> Is the leather loose from the seat? What part is cracked: The off billets? The girths? Latigo? Stirrup leathers? Those can all be replaced.
> 
> What maker are they? That would dictate, to me, if they're worth fooling with. A triangle T? Nope. Not worth even the elbow grease to clean it, much less get it in working condition. Something mid-range or up? Maybe. Just depends.


No idea of the make of any of them. I can't find a stamp or signature anywhere. 
Leather doesn't appear to be loose. I am going to pick them up tonight and take a closer look.


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## KoolSalem

Thanks you guys! This is very helpful! I think all the trees are okay, but I will double check that when I look at them again. All the horns seem fine. They are all just badly weathered. I will get my friend to bring them by and take pictures (then I need to learn how to load them on a forum!).
We want to use them as basic trail riding saddle for ourselves if they are salvageable.

I have Neatsfoot oil but do not have any leather soap or anything. Can I wipe them down with a warm wet cloth to start? What is Lexol?


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Yes... you can get it damp. But.

I put mine on saw horses, got warm buckets of water and Murphy's Oil Soap, a car wash sponge (A new one so it was clean) and a bunch of different dish washing brushes and sponges on handles, and lit into them. One at a time though. I started with pigeon poop saddle first. Soaked it completely down, scrubbed and washed and scrubbed. Made sure I didn't bend the leather around until it was soft from the water.

Rinsed it off, let it dry in a well ventilated area (We have a constant southwest breeze on the south side of the shop and a large covered area) but not in the sun! The sun will dry it too fast.

I waited 36 hours so it would be nice and dry, then took melted coconut oil, a clean new paint brush, and started soaking it down with coconut oil. That was four days... I put oil on it until it stopped soaking in, then wiped it down with a clean microfiber rag, buffed it up, let it set over night, then soaked it with Lexol (you can buy the cleaner and conditioner at automotive supply stores cheaper, for the same size bottle, than you can a tack or farm supply store), buffed it dry.

I've found coconut oil will work wonders on dry leather, even on superficial cracks, it doesn't gum up or get sticky. IT WILL darken older leather considerably. 

You can use a soft toothbrush to get grime out of tooling when cleaning by the way, and you need to get as much grime as you can out of the tooling - otherwise oiling it with anything will just cause the grime to get thicker. I've been known to sit around with an awl on a bored and nothing to do day and just go over the tooling on my husband's saddle - its an old school 80s Paul Ammerman roping saddle. TONS of tooling, years and years of grime... it needed it.

All the leather concerns aside - How's the fleece underneath? If its real wool, moths love it... mice will nibble away at it. If its in bad shape, again you have to weigh out if its worth paying a saddle maker/saddle shop to put new fleece on it.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

KoolSalem said:


> Thanks you guys! This is very helpful! I think all the trees are okay, but I will double check that when I look at them again. All the horns seem fine. They are all just badly weathered. I will get my friend to bring them by and take pictures (then I need to learn how to load them on a forum!).
> We want to use them as basic trail riding saddle for ourselves if they are salvageable.
> 
> I have Neatsfoot oil but do not have any leather soap or anything. Can I wipe them down with a warm wet cloth to start? *What is Lexol?*


I missed that. Sorry.

Lexol... 

Lexol | Lexol

Pretty sure is available in Canada as I had a couple of Canadians from Toronto suggest it to me for a Ford truck we'd bought about 10 years ago. It was an older King Ranch, well used, the leather seats were in bad shape. It worked miracles with them, and after that, we started keeping it as part of our car detailing arsenal.

Also... coconut oil is something I keep in large tubs in the shop. It can go rancid, so keep it cool in the summer - it's melting point is 76 f... but you can brush it on hooves, add it to feed, rub it on scars and older sores that need a little help healing. Its even great to just rub into your hands like a lotion. I keep the unscented organic, and the dogs act like its bacon. I can't set the tub down and not have them try to stick their noses in it. The horses have varying reactions but if given as a snack/weight booster, I've read recipes where you can mix it with sugar or a little Himalayan salt, chill it in an ice cube tray, pop it out and offer it as a treat. I've not tried it on ours myself yet.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

OH YEAH. Before I run off for the day - if you decide to go ahead and clean these up - be sure to clean under the skirts and every possible 'flap' you can lift to clean under. Dust creeps into every little crevice. 

Send pics when you get them! I'd like to see them just out of sheer curiosity.


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## KoolSalem

Okay so I took pictures of them all today. I don't know how to load pictures here yet though. Can I just post pictures from my phone or do I need to host the photos first on a site and then post a link? Looking forward to your thoughts and opinions!


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## KoolSalem

Here they are


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## KoolSalem

The last one has no fleece. Is it worth saving?


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## boots

Funny. The last one would be my favorite of the three. Not surprised it is the most worn. Sheepsking isn't cheap, and I don't know that the saddle is worth it.

I'd mess with all three of those.


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## KoolSalem

So you think they're all worth cleaning up at least? Sheepskin might be pricey, but maybe I could go cheaper and do fleece? I read on here someone bought a tube of leather glue and some fleece and did it themselves.


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## horselovinguy

Yup, they _*are *_dirty but sure don't look "cracked" to the degree I was thinking...
Start cleaning, deep cleaning watching for rotted, broken or split stitching and the leather where those stitches are to be damaged...
Some of those saddles appear to be pretty small seats, like kids saddles....could be the angle taken but hmmm....

As for replacing the fleece....probably YouTube videos exist on how to do it..
Google it....
You do need to know what you are doing, be able to get thick & dense fleece for under a saddle..
If you called a saddle repair place you might get a price that would surprise you not being to expensive and then it would be done and done correctly..
I wonder if it is really a necessity if you use a quality pad with the saddle....:think:
:runninghorse2:.....


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## KoolSalem

This is what I have to work with


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## KoolSalem

New to this quoting thing...not sure I did this right.



horselovinguy said:


> Yup, they _*are *_dirty but sure don't look "cracked" to the degree I was thinking...
> Start cleaning, deep cleaning watching for rotted, broken or split stitching and the leather where those stitches are to be damaged...
> Some of those saddles appear to be pretty small seats, like kids saddles....could be the angle taken but hmmm....
> I don't think they are kids seats. They are regular sized seats. I can measure later, but a adult man was using them. The last one is massive and wide. It's weird. The seat is wide, the saddle is wide, almost looks big enough to use for a draft.
> 
> As for replacing the fleece....probably YouTube videos exist on how to do it..
> Google it....
> You do need to know what you are doing, be able to get thick & dense fleece for under a saddle..
> If you called a saddle repair place you might get a price that would surprise you not being to expensive and then it would be done and done correctly..
> I wonder if it is really a necessity if you use a quality pad with the saddle....:think:
> 
> All good ideas. I will search it up. Gonna get to work on giving them all a good cleaning anyway and see how that goes.
> :runninghorse2:.....


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## horselovinguy

If it appears that wide it could of been used on a draft horse...drafts can be terrific rides!!

What you show for cleaning products works fantastic and can absolutely clean these saddles well....
I will suggest using the hottest water your hands can stand to be in...cuts through accumulated dirt and grime easier.
Expect to change the water several times...cleaning with filthy water does you no favors...
DO NOT soak the leather...
Use a soft toothbrush and a dampish sponge that has lather made. It cleans well that brand of saddle soap..it cleans without stripping the leather of any remaining natural oils..I used those brands for more years than many are alive.
After cleaning allow the leather to air dry in shade, not in direct sun...dry for several hours.
Then and only then apply with very light coats that Neatsfoot oil...let each application soak in well. Again DO NOT soak the leather...it is not good for it and it is not needed honestly.
Several sparingly applied coats with complete absorption between applications...if this leather is as dry as you think before you finish applying to the entire saddle it will be soaked in...
Do a few applications, then let it sit overnight and look again the next day to see if any more oil is needed applied.
When you are done applying....buff to a sheen that is so pretty with the patina that older leather will now shine with.

Those saddles even if not "names known" were made by craftsman with good hides...it shows. 
These also have pretty tooling you will discover as cleaning if hand-tooled or machine stamped, I'm betting hand-tooled. Pretty enough to be show saddles of years ago...
:runninghorse2:...


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## Celeste

I have cleaned up and revived several saddles like those. I bought one for $50, cleaned it with saddle soap and oiled it. I was offered $250 for it just from that much work. I ended up keeping it.

All the cleaning suggestions mentioned before are good.

For cleaning, I have used saddle soap and even plain ivory liquid dish soap.

When I oil the saddle, I apply the oil and let it soak in for a day. Then I may apply another layer the next day. It could take several days to do bring it back to life.

For oiling, I like lexol. I used unscented castor oil on a badly dried saddle and it worked great. I have used neetsfoot oil. 

I *do not like* the "non-greasy" neetsfoot oil. It peeled the finish off of a saddle of mine.

I always oil not only the top of the leather, but any leather you can get to underneath including the unfinished back of the leather. 

Be sure that any leathers that are there to attach cinches with are in good shape or replaced. Safety is a first.

And like everyone else said, clean, clean, clean. It is amazing what a good scrubbing with a toothbrush can do.

I would sure give it a try! Good luck.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

I agree. Those are worth cleaning on. And if nothing else, as I mentioned, they can be great 'lesson' saddles. You can learn about the anatomy of a western saddle, you can learn what cleans, what doesn't, how to tighten things up, even how much it will cost to replace things like the fleece or the stirrup leathers.

And they're a great lesson in what you're seeing as badly cracked isn't really bad at all. That's the superficial stuff. After a deep cleaning and good oiling and you might find them all but absent. Personally, I think it just adds character.


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## mkmurphy81

I'd try cleaning those. That's my favorite brand of saddle soap, too. It does wonders. Your black saddle looks a lot like the one I need to work on. I think mine may have more tooling, but several of my "silver" pieces are missing or no longer silver. Mine has a bright red leather seat that's so pretty with the black. Maybe this is motivating me to go work on it. lol


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## Chevaux

I'm subbing to see how the saddles look after you've got them all spiffed up.


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## KoolSalem

They all turned out quite well! I need new girths for all of them and we need saddle pads. It was a labour of love and I'm glad I did it.

The last saddle in the series of 3 here weighs a TON compared to the others. I think maybe it's a wood tree and the others are fiberglass. It's a beautiful saddle though, but man it's heavy!


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## AtokaGhosthorse

They look great!


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## SilverMaple

Nice job! Let them sit another week or so, then you may need to oil them again.


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## Golden Horse

I would also soak the seat jockey (I think that is what it is) with water again, then let it dry with some sort of weight or strap over it, and let it slowly dry flat, then oil and condition again.

This is the difference you can make


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## Chevaux

Well done, KoolSalem!


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Yeah, you can soak the leather - just make sure like Golden said you have something to hold the leather down and in the correct shape while it dries.

I wouldn't let it dry in the sun though, just in a well ventilated placed.

Then oil again.

If you don't have it held down to the proper shape, it'll curl up or in and do weird weird things.


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## KoolSalem

Thanks guys! I will try that idea with a weight and see if we can straighten out that part a bit


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