rbrettctd

Anyone know how to get cactus out of a saddle? Strange question I know, and many of you probably are asking "how?" Well April of last year I was riding my horse when he stumbled. I could see a bunch of cactus a good 100ft ahead and thought "oh %^&". He gained his footing and all was good, or so I thought. We got to the edge of the cactus and he tripped again. He fell into the middle of a solid prickly pear patch, and down I went to. The worst part came when he got up. My foot was hooked in the stirrup and Paco got spooked. Took off running, of course dragging me through the cactus. Go ahead and laugh....I did too. Well after 3 days of picking cactus out of me and my horse, and a year and a half later, the nightmares are over and I need to get this old saddle going again. Any clue anybody?

justagoodolboy

What part of the saddle, and you must be talking about alot of thorns or I would think a 12 pack and a good set of needle nose plyers would do the trick.

Chrisreyn

You could try scorching them out with a light flame, just dont stay in any area long enough to scorch the leather, and you'll have to oil it well when your done.
You might PM Cowboy Customs or Dodge Cowboy, I dont remember which , but one of those two is a saddle maker...
Otherwise I am afraid your down to a good cahir, some ice tea and a pair of tweezers...

rbrettctd

What part of the saddle? EVERYWHERE! He rolled over me and the saddle in the cactus, so cactus was imbedded everywhere, and ya theres a ton of them. My cousin suggested pressure washer so I may try that. Hes a career cowboy so he should know...just will take a lot of oil, but it needs that anyway.

bigredBCS

duallydog is a saddlemaker

WUnderwood

I dont know much about saddles, but I think a pressure washer would be too harsh.

I say oil it, and let the oil soak into the pores of the leather, and maybe that might soften it up a bit to pull them out.

was it prickly pear?

rbrettctd

ya it was prickly pear. Im not talking about the harshest nozzle of a pressure washer but a broad one. And my cousin knows plenty bout saddles as hes been riding roping and doing his own leather work for 20 years so I imagine it would work. Much of the saddle is rawhide anyways.

halfpint23

Gawd... rolled over you and then dragged you off? You must be a lucky son of a gun.... to have lived through it!

Don't know how much you value the saddle, so it may not be worth it. BUT if it is, try to just do a piece at a time. Say, one fender... Try it dry first, but if they are really sticking and breaking off, then try it damp. I've never had to get spines out of cured hide - just the live variety

First sponge cool soapy (SOAP, not detergent) water on it til it's evenly damp and cool, and stays that way for a few minutes. If its GOOD leather, you can dip it in a tub of water and "case" it for 10 minutes or so - cheaper sleazy chrome tanned leather won't take that, so know what you have. When it's cased, (damp and cool to the touch but not shiny-wet) take a strong magnifier and good tweezers (hemostats maybe) and pull the spines one at a time. You will have to do this methodically and feel each little area carefully to make sure you haven't missed any. If you need leverage, put a little chunk of wood or (better) smooth plastic tubing under the hemostat as a fulcrum. You WILL mark wet leather with every point of pressure, know that in advance.

Alternatively, you could try (this is Experimental Category!!) a set of clippers set up with size 40 surgical blades - though the stubs might still be really irritating. If it was mine and I valued the rig, I'd spend the time to do it right.

If you have a padded seat, you may not be ABLE to get them all out - might be you have to have the seat redone, anyhow.

Kate
Kate's Custom Gunleather
And saddler for a lot of years.

rbrettctd

The seats not padded. I value the saddle but for the comfort and not the look. I dont rodeo-its just ranch work. Ive got a couple others ive been riding but dont like them as much. Ill start out trying some tweezers and see how it works. Also, as I was plucking them out of my own hide, I used elmers glue- let it dry to the thorns and peel it off. It worked good on me, so I may try that. Ya it was a fun experience. Didnt hurt too much, other than I tore my best pair of boots, lost my favorite pair of jeans and my kevin fowler autographed hat to the dang cactus. The only thing it did to me was of course the 1000 thorns in me, and cracked my arm (I think-too stubborn to ever get it xrayed) on a rock as I was being dragged and reaching for the reins.

halfpint23

The Elmers is a good notion - though I'd try rubber cement first, as the elmers will maybe sink into the leather grain worse and you might have a real mess if it doesn't peel off. Rubber cement won't stick so good to the leather - and maybe not to the cactus spines - it WILL take off a lot of dirt, though

That old tanned hide is going to be a lot harder than your tender butt is, though - it may not give up the spines as easily.

Oh, and I don't like riding a horse that trips that much - I'm getting too dang old to hit the deck!

tbarbee1

Try taking it to the car wash but dont cut the tooling stay at least 6-10 inches away. Try it on the skirt first as it will be the thickest. Several of my friends in NM have done this it works but you have to be super careful. Use a kind of sweeping motion like washing your floor mats. Let it dry completely (not in the sun or it will draw up really bad). THen take a steel brush gently to the parts that are rough out and they will stand right back up like new. Then go get some Extra Virgin Olive oil and a peice of sheep skin " dont use too much the olive oil will soak in and you will never get your fenders to set unless you take it back to the car wash and wash the oil out of it and start over. I know this sounds crazy but it will work several of the saddle shops around here use this method.

Hoss

Friend, I think the saddle is the least of your worries. You need to get yourself a new horse!

rbrettctd

LOL thanks for the advice yall. Ill start picking this weekend. As for the horse, at that point it was a shoeing problem. Were on a different farrier now. Hes been tripping, but thats cause he went several months without being ridden (we have 20 something of em) and got lazy. AFter all week of riding the crap out of him he aint so lazy anymore. And of the 20 horses we have, he's the one that is actually in my name and is my bud so hoss---thats not an option

Chrisreyn

Randy, if its any consolation, you aint the only one around here thats got drug... Three ribs, jaw, and 4 teeth........


Impressive bred horse... nuff said?

DodgeCowboy

I am not no saddle maker but I am a career cowboy and do a fair share of buckaroo work and I can't even fathom the jack pot that you were in I just got my self ironed out pretty good tonight on one of my three year olds first trips around the pen but on that note also you can keep your cactus i thought the juniper trees that never break and peel you off your saddle we have here in the desert were tough. But back to the task at hand you might do like tbar suggested and maybe get a small fine wire brush and lightly buff it to try and lift the quills or you might just have to stub your self up and just ride them out and transfer them back your butt so you can get them out easier

I am just going to put my dr pepper down and walk away slowly

Jason
Three Crosses Ranch