“Time for a tack cleaning demonstration,” he said. There was a chorus of sighs because all the groups had been deep into planning strategies for the next day. “A saddle lasts forever only if you take care of it,” Max said. “Leather cracks unless it’s kept pliable.” Everyone knew that was true, so the riders crowded around Max. Even expert riders such as Carole and Stevie knew that there was always more to learn about taking care of tack. Max placed the saddle on a wooden saddle horse and removed the girth, stirrup leathers, and irons. He turned the saddle over and rubbed the dirt and dried sweat from the leather lining. Then he held the saddle pommel down over the bucket and washed it. When he was done, he dried the lining with a chamois cloth and applied saddle soap. He put the saddle back on the saddle horse, then washed the seat and flaps and dried them. “Make sure you remove all the jockeys,” Max said, pointing to the black greasy marks that had accumulated on the saddle.
