Description
Some advice on how to clean shared tack to protect people and keep your tack in good condition follows. Please note that we are not certifying any of these tips and everyone is responsible to research and do what is best for their program. The following information is compiled from various sites in an effort to make that research easier for you. It is not guaranteed.
Nylon/webbing tack can be washed in a washing machine at the end of each day, if possible. But, for busy therapy and lesson programs, cleaning them in between riders is best done with an approved disinfectant spray. This is the closest to a list of products we could find–be prepared to look because it’s not the easy go-to we’d have liked, but it will help: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2. Remember to disinfect however you transport these items to the washing machine each day, as well (the bucket or laundry hamper is an easy thing to forget)! If possible, place in the sun to dry after washing.
Plastic and rubber can handle the same products and cleaning as in the above link, but those will be hard to clean between each person’s touch. If you try to use instructional aides, wipes or spray will work as well as light bleach water. The bleach water will probably lighten any colors on the product and dry them out. The hard part will be ensuring that these are disinfected between people. These might be the last things you want to re-incorporate into your programs.
Synthetic saddles can be wiped or sprayed with approved products. Do NOT steam clean them as the synthetic will most likely warp.
Leather saddles and tack can be wiped with approved products or sprayed but good old antibacterial soap and water are best right now. Use gloves, wipe down the tack and dry. Make sure to apply leather conditioner or oil after cleaning to reduce drying out. It’s an extra step but conditioning the leather after multi-daily washing will save your tack. The brand of conditioner isn’t as important as the disinfecting–we have used many over the years that are all terrific.
Please feel free to drop us a line at info@freedomrider.com with your ideas or what is working for you and we’ll share!
We hope this helps as you prepare to re-open! Again, none of these suggestions are guaranteed but an effort to help lead you to the decisions that are best for your stables, programs and families. We also know this is a “weird” place to share this info (as a product) but our incompetent webmaster (me!) couldn’t figure out how to put it anywhere else 🙂
