Links in our articles are for companies who’s products we use and love. When you make purchases clicking these links, we might or might not be compensated for sending you to their website. We are not compensated for reviewing products, and the opinions on this site are purely the writer’s. We appreciate your support and trust as we know your time and money is valuable!
If you have been following this page for any length of time, you know that Decidedly Equestrian is on the search for the best leather cleaning/conditioning products out there. I’ve reviewed SO MANY over the last couple of years that I think that maybe I’m getting to the end of the line…but then more products pop up. Leather Therapy has been around for some time and this is not the first product I have reviewed from them. This time I am reviewing the Leather Therapy Wash and Leather Therapy Restorer-Conditioner. For this review I had two items BADLY in need of some attention.
The first item was a nice snaffle bridle that had been cleaned and then shoved in a bridle bag for about a year. As you can see in the photos, this bridle became a mildew/mold playground in its time in storage and I almost had a meltdown over it. At least mildewed/molded leather means that it was nice and moisturized! There will be no dry rot here…
After some research, I picked up a bottle of the Leather Therapy Wash after reading that it could help with mildew/mold problems on leather. I took this bridle outside and cleaned it away from everything (and threw away the rag I cleaned it with…and bleached the crap out of the bridle bag. I used a generous amount of the Leather Therapy Wash and cleaned this a couple of times until I saw no spots left and the leather looked beautiful. I set this bridle out to dry and left it uncovered for a few days and put it back in the bridle bag unconditioned. Almost a year later (a few days ago)…I pulled the bridle out and there was mildew/mold on it again…but not very much. Just a couple of little spots. I was impressed at the ability of this cleaner to dampen the mold growth on this overly moist leather.
The second product was a saddle that had been sitting in one of my friends sheds for years…how many years? Many…many. She was going to toss it, but after a quick look at it, I decided it was salvageable and since it was an old Stubben…worth the effort of saving. It was covered in dust and quite dried out. It had a number of stains and really did look like a junker. After a good clean with the Leather Therapy Wash, I let it sit out to dry before using the Leather Therapy Restorer-Conditioner. I generously applied the product (half of the bottle) and worked the conditioner into the leather, front, back, under and in the cracks. Everywhere I could get it.
After cleaning and conditioning, the saddle looked much nicer and like it had been well cared for over the years…instead of abused in storage. The leather softened up beautifully and with a little work it was solid for schooling again instead of sitting in a land fill somewhere.
I highly recommend these products for emergency leather rescue. The cleaner can get anything out and the conditioner can soften even the most abused leather. I use the Wash regularly on my dressage boots (because it doesn’t soften them) and my bridle to get the gunk off before conditioning. To save something that has been abused these are my go-to products.
What tack/leather items has Leather Therapy rescued for you? You can buy the Leather Therapy Wash here and the Leather Therapy Restorer here.