General Care and Usage Suggestions for all products
Protect and preserve your costumes
- Because cleaning procedures can gradually age your fabrics, prevention against stains and dirt is the best way to care for your Franga Designs costumes and accessories.
- Clean your horse and all your leather tack thoroughly before use to reduce the chance of dirt and oil stains.
- Use a fabric protector/sealant (sold for shoes and upholstery) to protect against stains and wetting. Test on an inconspicuous area first to make sure the product you choose does not alter the appearance of the frabric.
- Beware of other horses who may chew your tack and costumes. This is most likely to happen when horses are tied, but some horses also chew or pull the back edges of saddle blankets when traveling alongside another horse. Also watch out for riding companions with grass or carrot drool around their mouths.
- Remove items such as unicorn browbands, hats, antlers, etc. after riding as hot and sweaty horses like to rub their faces on any available surface, which may cause damage to your browband.
Click on a link to see specific care instructions for:
- Unicorn Browbands
- Wings
- Saddle Blankets
- Ostrich Plumes
- Crushed Panne Velvet Barding
- What if my horse doesn't like jingle bells
- Darling Steed Shining Armour
- Realistic Hand-Felted Antlers
- Reindeer Antler Browbands
- Dog Clothing and Costumes
- Dog Toys
- Supervise horse while wearing special browbands. Horses , when tied up, like to rub their faces on tie-rails, cross-tie ropes, fences, and even people--especially when they are hot and sweaty. This can damage your unicorn browband or other costume your horse is wearing.
- Spot clean your browband when necessary. You can do this with a mild detergent such as dish soap or a little rubbing alcohol. A drop of hydrogen peroxide or enzyme cleaner (such as AKC brand Urine and Stain Remover) can remove organic stains.
- If any threads break, stitch over it as soon as possible to prevent the damage from spreading. If any small tears occur in the fabric, stop it with a clear glue such as Fray-No-More or a fabric paint in a similar color.
- Felt browbands may get a little fuzzy from friction (Velour browbands do not). To restore felt to a smooth appearance, steam on polyester setting, being careful not to iron over jewels or delicate ornaments.
- Never tie your horse or leave him/her unattended while wearing wings. Horse may bump into objects and seriously damage wings.
- Supervise children at all times.
- Do not get wings wet. If your wings get a little wet by accident, air dry thoroughly to prevent mildew.
- Wings may be treated with an aresol fabric protector (sold for shoes and upholstry) before use. Test on an inconspicuous spot on the underside before treating a large area.
- Spot clean if needed. Do not wash wings.
- If feathers are knocked off or broken during use, rettach with a spot of hot glue or other fast drying glue such as Fabri-tack.
- Store in a dry and well ventilated area, avoiding low temperatures (condensation may cause mildew).
Brush fringe on saddle blankets may be bound with a string to prevent fraying during storage and shipping. Remove this string prior to use.
Avoid getting dirty. Most of our saddle blankets are make of synthetic materials which resist staining, however, heavy washing can still age a blanket so you can keep it looking new by avoiding contact with too much horse sweat and dirt. Make sure that both your horse and saddle is clean before using your fancy saddle blanket. Horse sweat stains badly, so you may want to put a less expensive saddle blanket under your fancy one to absorb sweat. Some saddles contain oils and dyes that can stain fabric. If your saddle leaves brown or reddish marks on your pads or breeches, you should use a small English pad over your barding to protect it from stains.
Hand wash your trimmed and appliqued saddle blankets in cold water with mild detergent. Use Hydrogen peroxide or enzyme stain remover (such as AKC brand Urine and Stain Remover) to remove stains. Avoid excessive rubbing and heat. Air dry. Appliques may be lightly pressed on low heat to remove wrinkles.
If any threads break—most likely where it is under pressure by the girth—sew over the section before using again to avoid spreading the damage.
If your ostrich plume has become bent or warped from being stored in a certain postition or jostled during shipping, heat with steam (a pot of hot water is ideal) and hold feather in desired shape until cool.
Crushed Panne Velvet Horse Barding
Our synthetic velour does not stain easily and can be hand washed in cold water with dish soap and air dried.
What if my horse doesn't like jingling bells?
If you find that your horse is spooked or annoyed by the jingle bells on your horse barding but you like the look of gold bells, simply squeeze a drop of glue inside the bell and let it dry with the open end facing up to stop the clapper from moving.
- Never leave horse or pony unattended or tied when wearing costume. Horse may rub against objects and damage the costume.
- If horse has tendency to extend neck or lower his head suddenly (such as when trying to graze) do not fasten criniere (neck armour) too tightly so the elastic can stretch to prevent the armour pieces from breaking apart.
- Spot clean with damp cloth; DO NOT USE SOAPS OR DETERGENTS CONTAINING ALCOHOL OR ANY TYPE OF SOLVENT.
- If armour becomes wrinkled from use or storage, steam the felt side (underside) on polyester setting and allow to cool before handling. NEVER IRON THE SHINY SIDE OF YOUR ARMOUR.
Realistic Hand-Felted Reindeer Antlers
Because our antlers are made soft for the safety of both horses and people, they may be damaged if horses are left tied or unattended. Horses harnessed in pairs should be supervised carefully, especially if young or lively, to prevent them from rubbing their heads on each other.
We recommend pre-treating your antlers with a spray-on fabric protector of your choice (sold for shoes and upholstery, especially if you plan to use your antlers regularly or ride in wet or snowy conditions. Follow product directions and test first on an inconspicuous spot to make sure appearance of antlers will not be affected.
Usage, Cleaning and Storage:
- Upper branches may be adjusted slightly upon first use to make antlers better suit your horse or pony's head or to clear the ears. Do not adjust the branches repeatedly or attempt to adjust stem or lower parts.
- Spot clean when needed with a cleaner such as pet stain and odor remover, pet toy cleaners, or products formulated for wool.
- Wool fibers loosened by friction may be smoothed down with a warm iron and steam.
- If inner wired become exposed as a result of accident or wear, discontinue use unless you are able repair the damage sufficiently well.
- Keep antlers dry and store in a safe place to avoid crushing and soiling.
- Store covered/in a bag and away from pet hair.
- If you wish to decorate your antlers with Christmas ornaments, be sure to use only objects without glass or sharp parts. Be conservative and do not overload antlers. Make sure decorations will not fall onto horse's face or eyes or make antlers sag.
- As with unicorn browbands, do no leave your horse tied up or unattended as your horse is likely to ruin the browband by itching his face on any available surface.
- If the polyfill in the antlers shift, lightly squeeze the tighter packed areas to redistribute.
- Spot clean surfaces to remove dirt and stains. Do not put in washer or dryer.
- If the felt parts of the browband or antlers get stretched or fuzzy, spritz with water and use a hot iron to refelt the fibers. You can also iron to freshen the look of your bowband after storage.
The less you have to wash your pet's costumes and garments, the longer they will look new. Make sure your pet is clean before wearing his or her clothes. Wipe bottoms with baby wipe or toilet tissue before wearing pants with tail hole. Using a thin saddle blanket under your fancy blanket will help protect your purchase from horse sweat.
It is best to hand wash in cold water and mild detergent. Agitate garments and avoid excessive rubbing, especially when washing satin. Dish soap is best for most dog garments that are slightly dirty from regular use and is effective on fresh urin stains/splatters. Too much laundry detergent will age fabrics pre-maturely. NEVER put fairy wings, unicorn browbands, and feather products in the washing machine or dryer.
Lay flat to air dry in a well ventilated room. Less delicate garments may tumble dry with low or no heat.
If ironing is necessary, iron satin on polyester setting or lower. Do not iron over velcro, buttons, lace or trims.
Treat stains and accidents promptly to avoid harsh cleaning or permamant staining.
Store clothing in a dry location out of direct sunlight. It is a good idea to keep then in plastic bags to protect from dust, friction, and accidental wear and tear. Always close velcro fasteners when garment is not in use. Velcro may catch on lace, felt, and cause damage to delicate fabrics.
- Always supervise pets and children during play.
- Repair or discard a toy if any part is torn or broken to prevent ingestion of internal stuffing and/or squeakers.
- While a crocheted toy may be more durable than sewn toys due to absense of seams, it is not and should not be assumed indestructable.
- To help lengthen the life of the toy, discourage your pet from nibbling and tearing at one spot. Redirect his attention by changing the game (fetch, catch, hide-and-seek, etc.) while using the same toy and praise him for ceasing unwanted behaviors (nibbling, tearing and other destructive actions).
- We provide no warranty or guarantee as to the life of this product due to the individual nature of animals.
- This item is not intended to treat or cure any veterinary condition, nor is it meant to be a substitute for proper and routine dental care (brushing, cleaning, etc).
- If using with pet-formulated dental products (rinses, toothpastes, etc.), please observe associated directions and warnings.
