Tack Inspection - It is always a smart idea to inspect your tack every time you prepare to ride. I like to inspect mine as I un-tack my horses too. By keeping a careful lookout, you can see potential problems before they get serious. (Check behind your kids, until they start taking care of you.) (Wives, be sure and check behind your men. We have a lot on our minds.) (Men, check behind your wives, but only when you are mostly by your self. Thar's s'possed to be special marital points in a woman coming out to clean & fixed tack, if you understand my meaning.) Run leather straps over your hand so that you see the bending of the leather and look for damage that might be coming up. The cracks will not be deep at this stage, but you'll know you need to keep an eye open, and the cleaner/conditioner handy. 

Look at the wear points and joints. Places where metal meets leather or nylon can rub thin or crack before you realize it. Leather should feel supple at all times. If it becomes dry, it becomes susceptible to being brittle. Oil often. We like products like Lexol, maybe a high grade of neatsfoot, olive oil, saddle butters and such. Never use burnt motor oils, machine oils, or simply saddle soap your leather without returning the natural conditioning. When we clean the dirt, we usually strip the oils out too. Replace those oils before you ride again.  

The old theory of throwing your saddle in a pond for two days, pulling it out and riding till dry, will break it in. It also will create problems with swollen wood, leather, foams, etc. that will eventually go back down, becoming much weaker than originally intended by engineering. Gettin it wet in a rainstorm, even riding through rivers, will not kill your tack, in and of itself. Soaking in a tub or pond for days will. I guess this idea comes from Grandad dipping his boots in a tub and then wearing till dry, breaking them in. Leather used to be tanned with a bit of lead, some uric acids, oak bark and other stuff. It was thicker and stiffer back then. Leather has come a long way from those days, and so have the products to care for your leather. Today's leather is much easier to break in. You invested hard money into your horses, your trailers, your land, and your tack. Don't cheapen or neglect the maintenance.  

If nylon, watch for the fraying. If you must leave halters on horses, use NYLON. Good nylon will stay soft. Many of the polypropylene products cost $5.00, but they get real hard, real fast. I have seen the edges cut into skin and permanently scar. And watch for colts outgrowing halters too. And watch for whether the dirt is caked in between the fibers of flat or twisted rope products. If you take a new girth through the mud, it will become brown with stain. But if you twist open the fibers, it will still look clean. If you take a worn out girth and untwist the fiber strands a little, it will be dirty all the way through. This dirt within the fibers will cut and tear your girth. In other words, clean them too! 

Most thread used these days is a nylon sort of thread. Many pieces of horse equipment are sewn using continuous loops. One sort has a knot tied at every loop. Another sort is like a daisy chain. If you pull loose strings, you may "unzip" a lot of thread. When you see a loose thread, snip it off about 1/8 inch above the nylon, or leather sewn. You can take a woodburning tool, or a hot nail, or a lighter, and carefully burn this end down to the level of the product. This burning, or searing, will stabilize the problem. Many times a maker will back stitch ends for tying up, and a small piece of thread will work loose. Just follow these instructions. If you find a pulled place where a briar or a puppy has really unstrung, take it to a repair place, or mail it to us and more glue and stitching can fix it. 

Watch for all chrome plated bits and rings. As the sweat of your horse creates rusting, the metal needs to be cleaned some, all along. If not, jagged chrome over rust edges will cut whatever is next to it.  This also includes your horse's tongue, if using chrome plated $5.00 to $15.00 bits. Just be careful and replace often. Stainless, copper, and sweet iron will not do the deep pitting and cutting expected with chrome over cheap steel. (Most of today's sweet iron bits are made to rust a little for taste. The type of steel controls the amount of rust, and the depths of it.) Truly, much of this corrosion problem is often because it has to come across an ocean or two, in salt air, in a boat container, before you ever get it.  Stainless steel, and brass and nickel plating over good steel or brass are often preferred for durability. (They need wiping down too.)

If a snap is hanging loose, the spring is probably worn out. If a rein breaks, tie it up till you get home, then take it to a shop and get it re-sewn. If a girth strap breaks, hope you're wearing a good belt. All this is old hat to an old timer. But, if you were not raised in our world of leather and sweat, you just don't know this stuff till you run into it. At Cultured Cowboy, we hear and see some of it every week! 

When you see something wearing out, go ahead and get your spare in the tackbox now. You can still use the older piece until it needs replacing, and you will not be having to pay rush fees, or worry if your local shop will have it by this weekend. Riding should be enjoyable! Knowing you are as prepared as is reasonable will make all your rides more fun.       - God Bless all.   CT. 

Saddle Strings - When I need something to hold my gear in place, I need it now! Plus, these strings are useful for emergency fix-ups like spur straps, curb straps, tourniquets, riding crops, kid's switches, etc.

Flank Sets and Rear Billet Straps -  Made from the finest, mud resistant combinations of leather. For most pleasure riding, the 2 inch size will suffice. A flank set is used, not extremely tight, to keep the rear of your saddle from pitching forward. A flank set is needed in working cowboy situations. This is why we offer 6924. Seems a 3 inch flank splits the difference. Just like a front girth, the wider the rear cinch is, the more comfort to your horse. A flank set consists of 2 billets and the center flank, or rear cinch. Each part can be purchased separately too. Billets are sold in pairs.  

Breast Collar Tug Straps - Sometimes we order a breast collar with only one pair of tug straps and wish we had another pair to more accurately place the position of our Breast strap. Sometimes our sets wear out. Either way, here we go!

Latigo Rope Carrier Strap  - Although called a rope strap, This gizmo is great for holding canteens, rifle scabbards,  cameras, and other necessary trail stuff, as well as for your spare rope. 

Bridle & Bit Extras  - Here are common replacement or additional aids for your bridles, bits and headstalls. 

Specialty Training Products

Reinsman Saddlery  Index  |  Saddle Page 1  |  Breast Collars  |  Headstalls, Reins & Bridles  |  Stirrups  |  Training Equipment  |  Curb Straps  |  Strap Goods & Spare Parts
Bits  |  Spurs  |   Pads

Mayatex Blankets   Pro Ortho Pads

Cultured Cowboy Saddle Index  |  Fitting Your Horse to the Saddle  |  Fitting the Rider  |  Saddle Types |  Saddle Forms & Proper SaddlePad Fitting

Cultured Cowboy also carries other brands of saddle parts, tie straps, etc. It is good to do a comparison between companies sometimes. We like for you to compare our variety of brands within the same markups. That's like comparing Red Delicious apples to Granny Smith apples. (At least both are apples!)  Weaver Saddle Parts.