Julie Goodnight, if you don’t adore her already, is the popular RFD-TV host of Horse Master, airing weekly. Julie also travels the US sharing her no-nonsense horsemanship training with riders of all disciplines. Julie is our Leather Therapy brand ambassador, we’re proud to say, and she shares some wonderful tips for how to use Leather Therapy, one of her long-time favorite products!

Julie:

My horse’s tack, my personal riding gear and apparel are important to me—they are the tools that enable success with my horse and my career. The Leather Therapy family of products is one of the best things I’ve ever discovered for making my horse life easier and better! I’ve been using Leather Therapy for cleaning and conditioning my tack and for laundering riding apparel, saddle pads and horse blankets for nearly two decades! I only use the best tack and equipment for my horses. It’s a big investment, so it makes sense that I only use Leather Therapy products—the best on the market– to take care of my equipment.

LEATHER CARE

Here’s a few ideas on how to use Leather Therapy. I first fell in love with the Leather Therapy Wash, because it’s so easy to use—just spray it on and wipe it off. Beyond its convenience, it’s also incredibly effective. What I like most is that it penetrates the leather with “micro-suds,” and lifts dust and dirt from the inner-fibers of the leather, without leaving a residue. I can see the results in my saddle and how clean and vibrant the leather stays. It’s perfect for tooled leather and it’s designed not to damage the stitching on bridles and saddles. Of course, I also use LT Wash on my riding boots, chaps, deerskin riding pants, and any other leather items too.

Once the leather is clean, Leather Therapy Restorer and Conditioner restores moisture to the inner fibers and keeps the leather supple; returning a rich luster to the leather and breathing new life into it. The leather drinks in what it needs. Recently I used LT Restorer & Conditioner to revive an antique saddle from the U.S. Calvary and was amazed at the result! LT Restorer & Conditioner works like a sealant to keep out dirt and inhibit mold and mildew, protecting the leather and giving it longer life. Best of all, it’s economical to use—a little bit goes a long way and it gives greater longevity to your leather.

Leather Therapy Water Repellent is awesome for wet and muddy climates. I use it on my boots to help keep my feet dry when working in wet arenas and to protect the leather from the stains the water can leave in the leather. Where leather meets horse sweat, like bridles, latigos and billets, the LT Water Therapy will protect the leather from absorbing sweat and grime, without effecting the breathability or feel of the leather—protecting the leather and increasing its lifespan.

Leather Therapy Finish is the perfecting touch that I use on my tack, boots and leather apparel when I want to add a finished look to the leather. It offers a final layer of protection, acting as a seal, but without a waxy build up that clogs leather pores.

Leather Therapy products are specially formulated for fine leather, to bring out the best in the leather and to keep it strong, supple and useful for a long time. I only buy products made with the highest quality leather, so it makes sense that I would only use the best leather-care products on the market to keep my leather equipment clean and conditioned.

LEATHER LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS

I first started using Leather Therapy Laundry Solution and LT Rinse & Dressing to launder my deerskin, full-seat riding pants. Custom-made and very expensive, I still manage to get the leather riding pants quite filthy while riding and grooming horses! The patented formula for the LT soap and rinse is specially designed to deal with the dirt, sweat and grime that permeates fabric and leather, without any damage to the materials. It’s amazing to me that I can throw my deerskin pants, chaps, breeches, gloves and sheepskin right in the washing machine—add the LT soap and then add the rinse in the last cycle, and the clothes and gear come out clean, looking new and rinsed completely free of residuals! If I miss the rinse cycle, I just use the rinse as a wipe-on dressing for the leather, to keep it from drying out after washing.

SADDLE PADS, BLANKETS, TECHNICAL FABRICS

As much as I love the smell of horses, I hate the stinky, sweaty, grime that builds up in my saddle pads and on the horse blankets. Our horses are ridden everyday and stay in blankets most of the year, so we are constantly laundering girths, pads and blankets, to keep our horses clean and comfortable. Leather Therapy Saddle Pad & Blanket Wash is a unique laundry concentrate, specially formulated to protect natural and synthetic materials and to remove the sweat, grime and urine that tend to permeate horse apparel. I use it on wool and high-tech synthetics, waterproof blankets, cinches, leg wraps and sports boots. We even use it on our dog beds, to keep the stink out of the house! Leather Therapy Saddle Pad & Blanket Rinse is a crucial step to finish the laundering process. By simply adding the anti-static conditioning Rinse to the fabric softener dispenser, my saddle pads, blankets and gear are rinsed completely free of any soap residue, without damaging the waterproofing or natural fibers. Horses generate a lot of dirt and grime, but my horse has very sensitive skin, and I want anything that touches his skin to be clean and free of harsh chemicals—that’s why the LT Rinse is so valuable. I love having these laundering solutions that are specially formulated to deal with the unique characteristics of horses and animal grime, to protect my expensive equipment, and to keep my horses clean and comfortable!