Breaking Down the Saddle

There is one task that many horse riders are loath to do–cleaning tack. Over time, saddles, bridles, and blankets accumulate grime and muck. The salt of sweat leaves behind a slightly acidic residue, and without cleaning and conditioning, the leather becomes dry and prone to cracking. Critical pieces need to be replaced if they are too dried out to save, and you find that out when you break everything down. It is even possible to discover a damaged saddle tree during this maintenance period. Without the tree intact, the rider risks damaging a horse’s back. Sore backs make for very unhappy horses, and unhappy horses make for unhappy riders! It is a chore, and certainly not as fun as riding, but it is highly necessary for the ultimate safety and longevity of the equipment and the horse. 

For me, however, there is an upside to the tedium of cleaning tack: time to think. I often joke with one of my friends about “stress cleaning,” where I have something I need to work out in my mind and need to DO something that will allow me to think. It could be house cleaning, washing the car, pulling weeds, and I suppose cleaning tack would fall into that group, too. Why? I’m not exactly sure, but for me, there is something therapeutic about it. 

So, when I recently tore into cleaning the saddles and gear, I wasn’t “stress cleaning,” but it still afforded me a bit of time to think. Actually, it was during all of that that I got the idea for this very installment. Time to think can be a lot like breaking down a saddle. With moments of reflection, we can take a deeper look. Like finding those broken saddle strings, patching up the damage, polishing a concho that needs a little shine, or giving the leather a good drink of oil, time to think can be incredibly regenerative. 

However, I suppose some may fear giving themselves time to think. I read a book weeks ago that mentioned a study in which participants were placed alone in a quiet room with a button that would shock them if they pressed it. In one test, 67% of the participants chose to shock themselves rather than sit quietly and just think. Like the researchers (and some of the participants), I found that… pretty shocking. While it is not always easy to sit with yourself in thought, that doesn't mean it cannot be beneficial. Like breaking down a saddle, some may even avoid it altogether.  Yet, lots of difficult tasks have a positive outcome.

Henry David Thoreau is attributed with the quote, "Explore thyself. Herein are demanded the eye and the nerve." I understand that to mean that looking inside ourselves might require a lot of grit and honesty. Time to focus on needed improvements and rejuvenation is well worth it, in my humble opinion. It is rewarding to leave things better than before. That’s what I’ve gathered from breaking down the saddle. 

Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard. –Anne Sexton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUYZB7gydAE

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