By Anna Carner Blangiforti, President & Founder, Leather Therapy Products

When you ride regularly and for long distances, you’ll inevitably encounter a heavy downpour. With some careful planning, you’ll pull out your rain gear, such as a slicker, and continue your ride with a positive attitude. Once you reach shelter, you can take care of your horse by scraping off the mud and towel-drying him. Then, it’s time for you to change into dry clothes and enjoy a warm drink. However, savvy riders know the importance of also caring for their tack immediately, preventing mud buildup and leather damage before it dries out. Proper tack maintenance can also help avoid mold and mildew, which can cause long-term damage if left unchecked.

Why Water is Harmful to Leather Tack

Leather is particularly vulnerable to water, especially rainwater that carries pollutants. On a microscopic level, leather consists of collagen fibers, which resemble a steel wool pad. During the tanning process, hides are soaked in chemicals that preserve these fibers and prevent decomposition. Afterward, natural oils and fats are worked into the leather (a process once done by hand called “currying”) to maintain the integrity and suppleness of the leather.

The key to leather longevity is keeping these protein bonds hydrated and flexible. When leather dries out, the bonds shrink, become brittle, and eventually break. Unfortunately, once the fibers break, the damage is irreversible. While soaking dried leather in oil may temporarily soften it, it won’t repair the damaged fibers or restore their original strength. Proper care, cleaning, and conditioning after exposure to rain is essential to preserving the durability and appearance of your tack.

The Solution

The solution to preventing potential damage to your tack after a rainy ride is to take action and get some therapeutic oil back into that wet leather before its fibers completely dry. Remove dirt, sweat, and mud from the wet leather with a damp rag. If the leather is really dirty or traces of old conditioner have floated to the surface, use a non-greasy, neutral pH leather cleaner to get the surface clean.

Wet leather needs to absorb conditioner deep within its fibers to replace currying oils flushed out by water. While the leather is still damp and its pores are still open, apply a light coat of a penetrating neutral pH leather conditioner which duplicates the fat liquors tumbled with freshly tanned hides to make them supple. Capillary action will pull the conditioner down between the fibers. Thick or waxy conditioners tend to stay on or near the leather's surface, so look for conditioners with a neutral pH and avoid cleaners or conditioners with a harsh, alkaline pH. An alkaline pH, such as that of soaps, can damage and eventually weaken leather fibers.

Related: How to Clean and Care for your Leather Horse Tack

An Ounce of Prevention

One thing taking quick action to re-lubricate your leather can't do is to restore its appearance once dyes are affected. The water will have moved some dyes, leaving spots, splotches, and streaks when it finally evaporates. “Erasing” these water marks is almost impossible once they occur. Often, stripping and re-dying is the only recourse to restore an even colour or the original depth of colour.

Preventing the problem with an appropriate waterproofing product is much easier. Determining which water protection product is most appropriate depends on both your purpose and your personal preferences about things like application methods, odors, and how the product affects the leather's surface.

Grease-based dressings form a physical barrier that keeps mud and water away from leather's pores. However, they are sticky, attract dirt, and cannot be used on nappy leathers like suede.

Silicone polymer sprays are non-greasy and can be used on suede as well as smooth leather. However, they can make leather surfaces slippery, affect the colour of porous leathers, and have a drying effect on leather if overused.

Acrylic copolymer is the newest option for waterproofing. It forms a microscopic net too fine for water molecules to penetrate but porous enough to allow water vapour to pass through. It creates a unique, flexible coating that protects leather fibers from rain, maintains the breathability of leather, is not slippery, and actually acts to fix dyes in porous suede.

In our frenetic multi-tasking times, most of us are guilty of tack neglect at one time or another. The next time you're caught out in the rain, don't think of it as the ruination of your tack. Look at it as an opportunity to stop putting off that leather conditioning and waterproofing you've meant to do but just haven't gotten around to yet.

Related: Trail Tips - Accessorizing the Trail Rider

Related: How to Waterproof Horse Blankets

Anna Carner Blangiforti is the President and Founder of Leather Therapy. Leather Therapy uses proprietary and patented formulas to create a complete range of leather care products that have consistently outperformed competition in independent comparison tests. 

Main photo: Robin Duncan Photography