How to Rebuild Old Saddles

Many old saddles are beautiful pieces of craftsmanship and have many intricate pieces that modern saddles no longer use. It is possible to rebuild almost any older saddle for modern use if you use the correct procedure. Simply cleaning and conditioning old leather is often enough to restore the saddle to usefulness. Other saddles may take a few replacement parts to rebuild into their formal glory and usefulness.

Things You'll Need

  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Saddle strings
  • Sawhorse
  • Mild dish soap
  • Soft bristle brush
  • Garden hose
  • Soft, white cloths
  • Saddle soap
  • Toothbrush
  • Replacement saddle leather
  • Replacement rings
  • Saddle nails
  • Hammer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the saddle on the sawhorse. Remove the saddle strings. If the strings break, you can replace them with new strings later. Use pliers to pull the strings through the slits on the main part of the saddle. Remove any staples or nails holding the saddle together.

    • 2

      Pull the rear jockey located at the back of the saddle off from the main saddle seat. Remove the front jockey from beneath the main saddle in the same manner. Remove the fender and the stirrup leather pieces from the front of the saddle.

    • 3

      Take the saddle outdoors. Set it up on the sawhorse for easy cleaning. Wash the entire saddle with a soft bristle brush, water from a garden hose and gentle dishwashing soap. Wash the saddle until the water runs clean, or until the saddle is clean when you rub a damp, white cloth over the surface.

    • 4

      Condition the saddle with saddle soap to prevent the water from damaging the leather. Use an old toothbrush to work the saddle soap into the leather. Apply a coating of saddle soap to the leather every day for a week.

    • 5

      Inspect the leather pieces after conditioning. In many cases, conditioning will be enough to restore the leather completely. However, if the leather is torn or has large cracks, you will probably have to replace it. Order the replacement parts from a saddle store and new saddle rings for any rusted metal parts of the saddle.

    • 6

      Reassemble the saddle in opposite order. Attach the rings to the saddle first. Attach the fender and stirrup pieces to the saddle with saddle nails. Use a hammer to attach the nails. Attach the front jockey, then the rear jockey.

    • 7

      Restring the saddle with the replacement saddle strings. The saddle strings are very important because they hold the entire saddle together.

    • 8

      Condition the exposed portions of the saddle once last time with saddle soap to prepare the saddle for use.