I used neatsfoot on the the bridle in the picture, but you also can go old school and use olive oil (NOT extra virgin though, just regular). If the oil isn't taking, you may need to strip the leather. You can do that by cleaning it thoroughly with glycerine saddle soap - really soap it up and scrub it, or you can use an ammonia mixture, but I can understand being reluctant to do that. It seems to depraved to put something like that on nice tack, lol. That's what we've always done at the barns I've ridden at though, and it never seemed to hurt the tack. All my stripped stuff has lasted for years and years.

ETA: reading AP's post above mine, if you ARE in a hurry to get it darkened, you can darken it fast by dipping it in oil. When the mare in my avatar ate her noseband at a show, the ladies at the tack shop dipped by new noseband after I bought it and I left it in a plastic bag over night, oiled lightly again in the morning, and then it was good to show with by that afternoon. That was kind of a drastic situation though, I don't think that much oil is super good for the stitching.

Last Edited By: FayeLouise Feb 10 13 6:25 PM. Edited 1 times.