Mother Nature is playing a cruel joke on some of us–spring hasn’t quite arrived everywhere. Proper saddle conditioning is important, winter and summer! We find in the colder weather and climates, people have to properly condition their saddles. They are often not using enough effax and only applying a thin layer, which then only sits on the surface and is not actually being absorbed to condition the saddle. In the cold, more effax is needed at times to keep the leather supple. Be sure to have your tack in a warm area so the effax will will absorb into the leather when you condition it. Better yet, try bringing it into the house overnight. Also, I want to remind riders not to use the effax on stirrup leathers and billets as it does stretch them out.
Tara Tesolin, N2’s New Movement Saddle Fitting and N2 Certified Saddle Fitter, serves the Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota areas, so she has much experience working, fitting and riding in the cold.