Synthetic saddle care - lather, rinse, repeat!

Whether it’s raining, muddy or hot enough to cool off in the river you can dare to ride anywhere in your weatherproof Wintec saddle. Trust in your Wintec saddle to take all of the mud and dirt that you and your horse can throw at them.

• Are you a busy parent?
• Do you have kids with messy tack rooms?
• Are you a student with better things to do than clean?
• Are you an adult who has enough things to worry about?

Whatever your situation, we make saddles with your lifestyle in mind, so you can spend less time worrying about your tack, and more time together with your horse.

It's time to give the saddles a once-over

While we love being able to go for a ride and not worry about our tack, after a muddy ride our saddles could do with a clean up. 

The gold standard is to give your Wintec saddle a wipe over with a damp cloth about once a month, but when it gets really dirty we follow this simple method to spruce up our saddles in just a few easy steps.

Pictured: WintecLite All Purpose D'Lux

Step 1: crank up the volume!

We're all about FUN and having our favourite music turned up while cleaning definitely makes the spruce up seem much quicker. Go on, use that sponge as a microphone and sing along!

Step 2: gather your things

• Secure it: a stand or fence rail for your saddle to securely rest on. You may want to pop an old saddle pad down first if the rail is quite rough.
• Soap it: Wintec Saddle Cleaner, or a bucket of water with a couple of drops of washing up liquid.
• Scrub it: a cloth or sponge and small soft bristled brush for any stubborn marks.
• Rinse it: a garden hose or bucket of clean water for rinsing.

Pictured: Wintec 500 All Purpose

Step 3: let's get soapy

To get the process moving, spray your Wintec Saddle Cleaner onto your saddle, or apply mild detergent and water with a cloth or brush and wipe your saddle over. 

TIP: If you have a bucket of soapy water and a sponge, this is a good time to make sure your brother, sister or riding friend get a few suds thrown their way. 

Pictured: WintecLite Pony All Purpose D'Lux, WintecLite Pony Cantle in Hearts and Ponies, and Wintec Saddle Cleaner

Step 4: elbow grease

If your saddle is really dirty, a small soft bristled brush can be helpful to remove any stubborn marks such as dried mud.

Step 5: hose it off

Hang your saddle over a saddle rack or on a smooth rail or fence, stand back and hose it off. Don’t be afraid to get your saddle nice and wet as this is exactly what they are designed for!

TIP: make sure you are the one holding the hose or bucket so that you have all of the friends and family splashing and spraying power!

Pictured: WintecLite Pony All Purpose D'Lux and WintecLite Pony Cantle in Hearts and Ponies.

Step 6: leave it to dry

Wintec saddles love being out in nature, so you can leave it to dry naturally.

• When it’s hot: leave it in the shade (out of direct sunlight).
• When it’s cold: keep it in a warm dry place (not near your fireplace). In a colder climate it is best to plan ahead as your saddle may take a couple of days to dry completely.

Pictured: Wintec 500 All Purpose

Tips

• If your saddle features any leather such as girth points or wear patches, we recommend keeping the hose away from these areas and simply using saddle soap to wipe these areas clean. If any leather does get wet, you should simply wipe it dry with a cloth. Once it’s dry make sure you apply a good quality wax-based balsam to these areas to replenish the moisture. A good balsam will help to protect against wear and colour loss so it’s very important that any leather areas are looked after.
• If you swim in salty sea water with your synthetic saddle, it’s a good idea to open it up and make sure the metal areas have been rinsed and can dry properly to avoid any rust long term.