How to Wash a Mohair Breast Collar or Cinch
Mohair makes great horse tack because its stylish, soft, breathable, durable, and washable! When your mohair breast collar or cinch gets dirty, cleaning it is a piece of cake. Here are the steps you can take to clean your natural fiber tack and make it look as good as new!
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If you ride your horse a few times a week like we do, chances are you have some tack that could use a good bath. While saddles can be a chore to clean, the good news is that if you have a mohair breast collar or cinch, washing those is a breeze!
Reasons to Use a Mohair Breast Collar or Cinch
We raise Angora goats and love our mohair. Let me tell you why!
Mohair tack is beautiful and stylish. The fiber takes dye well, and if dyed properly, mohair breast collars and cinches stay vibrant for years and the color will not rub off on your horse. I made a breast collar for each of our geldings to match their saddle pads, and they look sharp! For instructions on weaving your own custom tack with mohair cord, click here to read my step-by-step article.
Not only does mohair look good, but it feels good to your horse too! As a natural fiber, mohair is soft, comfortable, and breathable. A mohair breast collar or cinch will wick away moisture from your horse’s body and help keep him dry while working.
Mohair is a super strong fiber and makes long-lasting, durable tack. With proper care like periodic cleaning, your mohair breast collar or cinch will last for years.
It washes up well, let me tell you how we keep mohair breast collars and cinches in like-new condition.
Reasons to Wash your Breast Collar or Cinch
When you ride, your breast collar and cinch absorb sweat, dirt, and hair from your horse. Over time, this builds up and can have negative effects on the tack’s performance or your horse’s comfort and health.
A dirty mohair breast collar or cinch is more rigid and less supple. It will fit better and feel better to your horse when it is cleaned. Not only that, but dirty tack is more likely to harbor germs like bacteria or fungus. You can help keep your horse’s skin and coat healthy by periodically cleaning your tack.
We wash our breast collars and cinches every six months. How often you choose to wash yours will depend on how much you ride and your personal preference.
Materials Needed for Washing a Mohair Breast Collar or Cinch
- Mohair breast collar or cinch
- Horse brush
- Bucket or dishpan
- Dawn dish soap
- Teaspoon
- Hose
I use a 2-gallon bucket or dishpan to wash our breast collars and cinches. Dawn dish soap cleans mohair very well; a product called Power Scour does too but it’s more expensive. A hose can be used to rinse the tack and remove loosened hair after soaking.
Directions for Washing a Mohair Breast Collar or Cinch
- Remove any leather pieces (tugs, latigo, etc.) from your mohair tack before washing
- Hair gets really embedded in mohair cord, if you want, you can use a stiff horse brush to remove some of the hair before washing
- Put your dirty breast collar or cinch into a 2-gallon bucket or dishpan
- Add 1 teaspoon of Dawn dish soap
- Fill the bucket or dishpan ¾ of the way full with water (cold water is fine)
- Let it soak for at least an hour (I have soaked overnight with no ill effects)
- Rinse thoroughly with the hose to remove soap residue and loosened hair
- Hang to dry
- Use your like-new breast collar or cinch
