Mold on tack

[PaulaO]

We are battling mold at the barn. I had few spots of white stuff on my saddle. I wiped off the mold and threw away that towel. I cleaned and conditioned it and threw away that towel. It is now sitting in the sun and will be there for about 6 hours. Anything else I need to do?

[piedmontfields]

Is your tack in an air-conditioned/de-humidified environment? In the south, tack turns green instantly unless that is the case.

[Chisamba]

I'm not sure why you throwi away the towel . Wiping tack down with vinegar helps and effax has a product that helps, but mold lives in the air, about a million spores per cm, so wiping down regularly in prime mold conditions is good.

Dehumidifiers and air filters in the tack room helps too.

[PaulaO]

Yeah, no, a dehumidifier in the tack room ain’t gonna happen. I left my saddle in the sun yesterday and hope that killed the mold. Going forward, I’ll be bringing my saddle home and lugging it back and forth to the barn. I showed the BO the moldy tack that has been in the tack room forever untouched by human hands. She’s going to get rid of it.

[blob]

I showed the BO the moldy tack that has been in the tack room forever untouched by human hands. She’s going to get rid of it.

Moldy tack is very salvageable! It's much better than dried out tack. A good cleaning and that tack will be ready to go. If no one is using it, it could be sold or given away or stored properly. But throwing it away seems like such a waste.

[Hayburner]

Try getting some of those little or large desiccant packets that come with new shoes, purses and other apparel. Tuck them under your saddle or in your bridle bag. I also throw them in my tack box to help with the humidity/moisture in our tack room.
Home Depot sells larger bags that I recently found on sale that you can try. Another product usually found in grocery stores is Damp Rid. A friend just found a bamboo packet that is supposed to also help absorb moisture.

Try these things before lugging your tack back and forth....

[PaulaO]

I showed the BO the moldy tack that has been in the tack room forever untouched by human hands. She’s going to get rid of it.

Moldy tack is very salvageable! It's much better than dried out tack. A good cleaning and that tack will be ready to go. If no one is using it, it could be sold or given away or stored properly. But throwing it away seems like such a waste.

Get rid of as in "get it out of the tack room, not throw it away."

For some reason, I have not used my fleecy lined, nylon outer, zip saddle bag at the new barn (new? It's been 3 years). When I get sick of lugging the saddle back and forth, I'll put in the bag with some desiccant packets and keep it zipped.

[Hayburner]

One boarder that I once had my tack close to has the filthiest moldiest tack I have ever seen! It's absolutely disgusting! and she's oblivious about it. I can't stand looking at it....I actually asked the BO if I could move my tack as her stuff stunk! So oblivious that she didn't know that horse blankets should be WASHED ! Her blanket stunk so bad I put it in a garbage bag so we all didn't need to see or smell it! LOL

I'm so tempted to pick up the excess tack she has laying in a heap on the floor that is moldy and filled with dust and put it in a bag, just so I don't have to look at it !!

She rides in this moldy tack and filthy bit....UGH.....

[PaulaO]

IMHO, tack thrown on the floor is garbage and should be put in the bin......HTF can anyone ride in a moldy saddle? Gross.

[Dapple Field]

When we lived in Georgia, someone told me to add a splash of lysol to murphy's oil in water. It did seem to work pretty well and the tack handled it fine.

[redsoxluvr]

You can get mold inhibiting cleaner, and I strongly recommend it if you have a mold problem. They carry it at Tractor Supply.

[Kyra's Mom]

You could move to southern Idaho. Low humidity = no mold .

Good luck finding a resolution. I did have one item I put in a plastic tote until I decided if the new one would work (my Thinline girth). When I got around to bringing it home as the new one is working well, it was very moldy . Just not used to that around here. Apparently there was still some moisture in it from the last use and the plastic tote going into summer did it no favors. It should clean up fine.

Susan