As a horse owner, I’m always on the lookout for affordable tack in decent condition. Several months ago a good friend of ours gave us a bridle and a couple sets of reins. These items were very high quality in their day, but having spent several years in the barn- unused, the condition of them were deplorable.
They were stiff, un-bendable and appeared very worn. While it would be best to use Neatsfoots oil, it can be expensive and hard to find. Here’s how we repaired them using a simple pantry item.
You’ll Need:
1 Gallon Size Ziploc Bag
1/3 c. Olive Oil
Leather Item that needs reconditioning
Place the item needing reconditioning into the ziploc Bag. Add olive oil. Squeeze out as much excess air as possible. Seal Bag.
Let it set at least an hour. We left ours overnight due to the condition of the reins.
Remove the item from the bag (Excess oil will drip, so make sure the surface you are working with is washable!)
Wipe excess oil with a soft cotton cloth. To the left is a photo of the reins before and after. In the before shot you can see that leather is cracked, dried out and not pliable.
All in all, I was very pleased with the condition of the leather after this treatment.
