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I have purchased a saddle that was made in India. It stinks. How can I get the smell out? Please help!?

My saddle came from a "reputable" US company and it was on sale (final sale). When it arrived, I could smell it before I opened the shipping carton. I called the company and they confirmed that it was made in India. Phew! I can hardly stand it. I have used the Leather Therapy system on it which softened the tough Indian leather somewhat, but the smell remains. Any of you horse people out there deal with this before? Thanks for any help!

Public Comments

1. Ha ha. Hate it for ya. Get some lemon or orange oil. Not a cleaner, but an oil. Clean the saddle with a good saddle soap, then neatsfoot oil throughly, taking apart as much as you can (leathers, latigos, girth, etc.) Wipe the saddle down with the lemon or orange oil. Soak a few rags in the oil as well. Put the saddle and the rags in plastic garbage bag, seal it up tight. "Refresh" the oiled rags daily. If you have a place where heat concentrates (like a car trunk or tack room of your horse trailer in the hot sun) I'd stick it in there. Be careful that the oiled rags don't come in contact with the leather, or it will stain as the leather absorbs the oil.) Also make sure it's sealed up good, or you could impregnate your car trunk or tack room with the odiferous saddle stink.
2. Good one cns :) I agree with all she said, not sure you can ever get that smell out. Good luck with it and if you find anything that works, let us know!
3. The smell comes from the fact that in most places in India, they use urine to tan and cure their leather, no kidding, not making this up...I have NEVER known any way that you can really get that smell out because it is part of the saddle. I would do my best to get the company to take it back and see if they can replace it with one made in USA or even Mex, even though that isn't my first choice either, but it is better than India. Even if you have to add more cash to the deal, it will be well worth it to get it out of your life...it isn't the best, strongest leather either, because of the tanning solution. Try to drop it like a hot potato and good luck doing it. You could just put it on ebay or advertise it exactly the way that it was advertised when you bought it, list as reason for selling, you don't like the smell of it. Good luck ******************Edit: I am curious as to why someone would copy my answer almost verbatim, then give me a thumbs down on my opinion? I thought that we were here to help or to learn, not to just collect points...just curious
4. some other country's (india and mexico) use urine to cure the leather (in all there leather products) if you think it stinks now don't ever get it wet! the only thing i can suggest is vinagar. it takes the smell out of carpet from puppy accidents so it might work on saddles also.
5. Some veg tan leathers have fish oils used in the tanning which can make the smell even worse.I have a hand made overnight back that reeked for months, but I have to be honest I work with leather all day so it is something I'm used to. This might sound silly, but I know it works- just a bit of hassle. Disaster recovery companies have large ionizer machines "ozone machines" ( we bought one for our workshop to deal with cat urine odor etc on leather) They use it to get rid of odors after leaks/floods, house fires, or when someone had died and not been found for a while etc. You might call and see what they would charge to either rent you the machine for a weekend ( you put it in a small room and using masking tape over the doors and vents to seal up the room( our 2nd workshop bathroom is the "ozone room) or they may take the saddle and do it for you for a small fee. After a weekend the saddle will just smell like it does after the rain stops- ozone. Hope this is of some help ( alot of chemical treatments will have adverse effects on the longevity of your leather) Edit: Just to assure of the longevity of the ozone solution, we use this to deal with Cat urine saturated leather for our clients, and havent had it come back. Just our experience.
6. Bobbi said just what I was thinking. The leather prepared like this doesn't seem to hold up well. If you can leave reviews with this company to warn others you should do so. I really have no idea how to cure the problem I hope some of the suggestions made work for you.
7. I bought a bridle made in India (didnt know) and yes, I understand that smell. EW! Anyway, dont despair, they make decent enough tack, but sunshine and a lot of fresh air will help. Just put it in the sun for several hours after cleaning it. This helped mine considerably. Also, be careful the dye doesnt come off. Too much oil and the like can cause the dye to come off onto your clothes.
8. I tend to agree with Deborah,but use actual vineger instead of distilled,don't apply it straight onto the leather though,it will stain it,( I bought a Duster for my wife years ago,same thing was wrong,ruined the color by applying it straight on,now she has a tye-dye duster,LOL)wash it first with saddlesoap.Do like someone else said,put it in a bag somewhere thats safe to leave it for about a week.Put the vineger in a bowl and cover it all up.The vapors from the vineger will soak into the leather without staining it.Then after roughly a week open the bag and wash it completly again with saddlesoap.Then oil as normal.That should do the trick.Good luck.
9. Woah, feel your pain on this one. We got screwed on one of these too and my husband DID leave it in his trunk one summer day - his car reeked for a week. I never found anything to get it out, when the saddle got hot it always came back. We tried oils and putting it in the bag with baking soda which seemed to help but it still came back. I traded it for an English saddle, I don't think the people had noses...... Sorry you had that experience!
10. The odour is the least of your problems. Some Indian saddles are made very cheaply & can cause serious problems for your horse. Watch your horse carefully & if you detect any problems, get rid of the saddle. Did you purchase this from a company in Calif??
11. Bobbi and Emily are correct. There is no way that I know to get the smell out and DO NOT get it WET! Mexican saddles are the same way. This is not your run of the mill ordinary leather odor it is from the way the leather is tanned and the leather is completely saturated with it. The ozone machine may work for a little while but then it will be right back to the way it was. Put the saddle up and use it for guests and get an american , European or australian made saddle. If you look closely you will probably find the the backing is not a second layer of leather though it may look like it is because it is pressed and dyed. I suspect you will find that it is pressed cardboard and will come apart after a little whiles use.
12. I own a saddle & tack store....and im sorry to say but you cant get the smell out.... I hate to say it but honestly they cure the leather in urine.... so that is why it has that awful smell.... i make sure im really careful when i purchase any off brand leather products for that reason... circle y and most other saddle companies use the herman oak leather which is cured in vegetable oil from u.s steers only...and that is why there is no smell....except that clean smell of leather.... you can try leaving it outside where it is protected but can air out some....or spray it with some febreeze!!! make sure that the saddle fits properly to alot of those type saddles have poor quality and ill fitting trees!!! watch your sweat pattern on your horse make sure its completly even no dry spots at all & check your horses withers and along the spine for any signs of soreness!!! if you have any more questions feel free to email or call... good luck!!