Things You'll Need:
- Saddle/leather soap, liquid or bar
- Sponge and towels of a few different sizes.
- Twist ties, two different colors
- Tooth pick
- Tooth brush
- Bucket of warm water
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Step 1
Take all the supplies and lay them out for easy access. Put a larger towel down to cover the area that you’ll be working on to keep it safe from the dirt and soap. If you are using bar soap you’ll also have to have a bucket of hot water off to the side where it cant be spilled yet is still close enough to keep the sponge moist. Using liquid soap takes away the need for warm water and the chance of spilling. You can use sponges for this, but towels and rags are easier to get into tight spots, like where the cheek pieces attach and latch.
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Step 2
Carefully take apart the bridle one piece at a time. When you unbuckle a buckle take a twist tie and mark the hole it was placed in, this way you can at the end put the bridle back together and it be the correct size for your horse. This saves the trouble of bridling your horse and finding out it’s too small or big when it’s on the horse. Having to adjust it then when the horse is tossing it’s head because it’s too tight or the horse is walking away with the bridle half hanging off it is not easy. If you have two different color twist ties, use one color, say blue, for the right side, and the other color for the left side. This helps at the end, putting it back together the correct way and not having to remember what part was on what side. If you don’t have two different color twist ties, just use a sharpie to mark one twist tie. It also helps if you lay out the bridle on the towel the way you took it apart, the crown piece at the top, the cheek pieces on the each side, and so on and so forth. This allows you to see how it will go back together and make sure you have every piece.
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Step 3
Take the bit off, soak it in warm water or place it off to the side for later cleaning. It is easier if you have a dirty bit to soak it while you are cleaning the rest of the bridle.
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Step 4
Now take a towel and whip the dust off of it, it’s not good for the leather to just use saddle soap over dust and dirt that can be whipped off. Do one piece at a time and make sure you get as much dirt off the leather as you can. Use the tooth picks to pick out any horse hair that may be in the braiding or stitching of the leather. Getting the hair out is time consuming but needed for a good cleaning job. Sweat and hair can build up in the bridle. If it builds up enough it can rub against the horse’s fur and cause a sore. That is why using a tooth pick is helpful to get into the tight spots and leather stitching.
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Step 5
Take the soap and apply it to the towel or sponge that you will be using to clean. Again take one piece at a time and whip it down. Do not leave any white soap residue on the leather, that will lead to spots and is not good for the leather. To get all the soap residue off take a second towel and whip down the leather again.
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Step 6
Take a tooth pick and clean out all the holes in the leather. Soap will build up in those holes as well as dirt. Just put the tooth pick in the leather holes and twist, that’s all it takes to clean that part.
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Step 7
Let the leather sit and air out. Take the bit and the tooth brush. It is okay to use tooth paste on the bit to help clean it. Use a little tooth paste and brush the bit clean. If it was soaking most the big clumps of dirt and grass will come off, but it is still a good idea to go over it with a brush and tooth paste.
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Step 8
Putting it back together. It’s easiest to start from the top down. Run the brow band thru the crown piece, take the cheek pieces and attach them to the crown piece, and then the bit to the cheek pieces. That’s the easiest order to put it back together, but there is more then one way to do it.
