How to care for your Bates Momentum saddle

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If you have a premium quality leather horse saddle such as the Bates Momentum saddle, you will want to keep it in optimum condition to maintain comfort for both you and your horse as well as maximising performance for an all-round enjoyable horse riding experience.

The benefits of a leather saddle

The Bates Momentum saddle, like all Bates saddles, is crafted using the finest hides sourced from around the world. Essentially, the leather is chosen for its beautiful, refined appearance, fantastic smell, luxurious suppleness, incredible strength and because it will extend the lifetime of your saddle.

The highest grade cattle are hand selected and a unique tanning and curing process is undertaken to ensure the leather reaches the highest standards. Pure aniline is then used to dye the leather. This accentuates the leather's natural markings and does not close the leather's natural pores.

Feeding your Bates Momentum saddle

When it comes to caring for and maintaining your Bates Momentum saddle it is important to understand that its life depends on the amount of fat content it maintains and saddlery expert, E. Hartley Edwards says:

Leather loses a percentage of its fat content every day of its life, and just as we need food to replace our used energy so leather needs constant replenishment if it is to continue to lead a useful life. Water, heat and neglect are three main enemies with which leather has to contend. Water, particularly if it is hot in the form of sweat from your horse's body melts and removes the fat, whereas heat dries it out.'

Bates recommends the following advice for feeding your horse saddle:

Prepare it by using a glycerine saddle soap and damp cloth or sponge to remove any dirt and grit which could scratch the surface.

Use a saddle cream rather than oil to replace the leather's fat content. Excess oil may darken the saddle's appearance, over soften the leather or leave a residue on the surface which can mark your clothing.

Apply a wax based cream liberally to the whole saddle including the padded inserts and girth straps and allow it to soak in overnight. This penetrates the leather more deeply, helps improve waterproofing and repel sweat to keep the leather in optimum condition. More should be applied to areas that experience high wear such as the saddle flap where the stirrup leathers will rub.

If you do choose to oil your saddle, apply it sparingly to the underside of the flap, sweat flap and skirt only. Oil should not be applied to your girth straps as they will over-soften and stretch.

If you follow this valuable saddle care advice your Bates Momentum saddle will achieve the classic, rich sheen of age worked leather and it will supply you with years of exceptional service and high performance.

The Dogwood fine saddle selection

Not only do we have a fine selection of leather saddles crafted by the equestrian experts at Bates but we also have excellent synthetic saddles courtesy of Wintec such as the Wintec-Close Contact.

The Dogwood collection boasts a fine range of horse tack from bridles to stirrup leathers and horse rugs from stable rugs to show rugs.

Jodhpurs, riding hats and riding boots are also available as part of our equestrian clothing and footwear collection for men, women and children.

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