How to Clean Your Leather Saddle
Clean your saddle at least once weekly, choosing either the tried-and-true glycerin soap approach or a leather cleanser formulated for cleaning tack. With either cleaning method, you'll want to be sure to clear away ring dust, sweat or grime that has accumulated on the leather during rides.

If you're using the traditional method of glycerin soap, fill a small bucket with cool water and make sure a clean sponge or cloth is barely moistened before wiping away grime. Wipe stitching, too, and clean cracks and crevices around the skirts and stirrup bars. Pay particular attention to cleaning areas of your saddle that are under pressure and exposed to horse sweat, such as billet straps.

Next, flip your saddle to clean panels and gullet. You can rest your saddle upside-down on a towel or use a saddle stand that adjusts for that purpose. Unfasten stirrup leather buckles and work on the creases created by the hardware and your stirrup irons. Your saddle's seat, knee rolls or thigh blocks may require extra conditioning to maintain grippy characteristics.

When the leather feels smooth and clean, rub a nearly dry sponge or rag against the glycerin soap bar. Apply a thin layer of glycerin soap (no suds during this step) to your leather to seal its pores and keep it soft, but not sticky.

Newer methods of cleaning your saddle involve easy-to-use cleansing and conditioning products— one-step leather cleaners also condition as you wipe away grime. Two-step cleaners usually advise following cleansing with the associated conditioner that will soften, nourish and protect the leather. You'll use the same approach of clearing away grime from your saddle's cracks and crevices. If you need to apply a conditioner, wait until your saddle is thoroughly dry before doing so.

Almost every tack manufacturer has a recommendation or product preference for cleaning and conditioning its products, and some saddle makers produce their own formulas. Always follow manufacturer's guidelines when considering commercial leather cleaners and conditioners for use on your saddle.

Guidelines for Sizing a Jumping Saddle to a Hunter/Jumper Rider
A jumping, often called close contact, saddle that fits you well will help you achieve a correct riding position for taking fences and working on the flat. You'll require a fairly shallow seat with a low pommel and low cantle. Depending on your preferences, you may want knee rolls and rear thigh blocks (these vary greatly between models) combined with forward, short flaps with padded knee pads. Stirrup bars may be placed in a forward position. Together, these design features will allow you to assume a forward seat position with a short stirrup length.

Typically, a jumping saddle will have a fairly narrow "twist" to promote a close contact feel, though it is an aspect of saddle tree design intended to accommodate the horse's shape more than the rider's. The twist is located behind the pommel at the front of the saddle's seat. The front of any saddle tree has a steep angle to accommodate a horse's withers, while the back of the tree has a flatter angle to accommodate a horse's back. The twist occurs where the bars of the tree "twist" to form the transition between the front and back of the tree. The width of the strip of leather over the twist does not necessarily indicate the width of the twist.

If you feel like you're sitting on a wide board when you sit in a saddle, then the twist is too wide for your build. A twist appropriately sized for you will allow your legs to hang down softly. If a twist is too narrow for you, you won't feel supported. A professional saddle consultant can be sure that your ideal twist is appropriate for your horse's build.

Jumping saddles come with many differences of seat depth, flap rotations and flap lengths to accommodate rider preferences. Consider these guidelines as you look for your perfect fit in a jumping saddle.

• Hip to knee length determines where your knee and leg fit in accordance to the angle and point of the flap. Look to fit this part of your leg first. The rotation and size of the saddle flap should complement the angle of your leg. Your knee should hit at the top point of the flap with at least two fingers to spare.
• Saddle seat size affects your comfort, ability to move and effectiveness in seat aids. Ignore the seat size measurement of the saddle and work with what actually fits your body. Every manufacturer's saddle seat sizing will feel different. Most saddles require that you fit between three to four fingers (a hand's width) behind your bottom and the tip of the cantle. If you feel confined in a deep-seated saddle, then try the next seat size up.
• Flap length is less important than the way the flap shape complements the angle of your leg. As a general guideline, the flap will fall only about a third of the way down your calf. The goal in determining flap length is to avoid having the edge of the saddle flap catch on the top of your tall boot or half chap.
• Riding style, your own personal preference, for any one factor of the saddle and your position as determined by your unique physical build is always important. If you feel confined or restricted in a saddle, or conversely, do not feel supported, try another saddle.