How to clean a saddle

I presume this is leather.

First assess the leather - is it looking dry, it sould be flexible without being soft that you'd stretch the leather.

If it appears dry you need to not only clean it but apply some saddle oil - this is called dressing the leather. If you're unsure how too clean it I'd imagine it is also at the stage of needing dressing.

All new saddles and bridles need regular dressing and cleaning to make them flexible.

For a new saddle you get some saddle oil and pour about 1-2 Table spoons onto the rag (soft rag old bit of towel or soft tea towel) and rub this in on the front and underside of the leather. You'd need to reaply oil to the rag each time it becomes dry. So for a new saddle you can use quite a lot of oil.

For older gear. Take a cloth that is wet and almost completely wring it out, use this to take all the dirt off the saddle, top, bottom, between flaps etc and including girth points. Some times you need quite a wet cloth to clean the girth.

Then assess if it needs dressing - an older saddle if it's been previously well looked after may only need a little oil, or none. If the saddle leather is very soft and a little baggy looking (stretched where the rider sits, or heavily stretched where the leg goes) you could only give the breifest amount of oil to it. Otherwise it would result in further stretching.

Lastly and best product to put on next is good old fashioned saddle soap, the glycerean in this product protects the saddle, helps maintain elasticity in the leather and doesn't leave the saddle so slippery that you can't grip onto it with your jods.

There is only one way to correctly apply this. Use either a sponge or a soft cloth (a towel is acceptable, I found old nappies okay - best is a sponge). This part is important, you damped the sponge/cloth in warm water and squeeze most of the water out. Now rub this cloth vigerously over the soap it sould become white and a little throffy, just pin head bubbles. If it is still to dry add a little more water to your cloth. If it is getting too sloppy and bubbly it is too watery and you will dry out the leather instead of condition it, so squeeze your cloth then re apply more soap. Once you have your cloth with some of this white soap on it you rub it into your leather - it's quite quick, you just rub it over. Then you get more white soap on your cloth and repeat on the outside and inside of the saddle - all over. Once you have finished if there is any white left on the saddle - which possible means you've use a little too much. Just get a dry clean cloth a wipe the excess away.