Thrifty Horsekeeping: Tack And Supplies

Tack and Supplies

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he first step toward saving money on horse tack and supplies is to become a smart shopper. This chapter will offer tips on how to find bargains and deals, how to care for your equine belongings to get your money’s worth out of them, and how to recycle, resell, and make things yourself. Smart shopping One of the most valuable cost-saving tools is patience. If you can, wait to buy items at the end of the season, or when they are on sale (but be careful not to buy something you may not need “just because” it’s on sale). A good bargain shopper will snag winter blankets in the summer and last year’s models of tack and supplies at the turn of a new year. So often all it takes is a little patience to wait for that bigticket item you want to go on sale. Look for deals not only in-store, but online. Web sites such as that of Rick’s Heritage Saddlery (SaddleSource. com), State Line Tack, Dover Saddlery, and Horseloverz. com are reputable sources, and offer deals of the day and closeout or clearance specials. EquiShopper.com is another

Anne M. Eberhardt

ever, is to keep an eye out for shipping costs. “Shop around for price as well as convenience,” says Elizabeth Clarke, a Massachusetts equine lawyer and head of the Equine Business Institute. “If you’re shopping by catalog or the Internet, make sure you take into account the costs added by shipping and handling charges. If you can find free shipping, it may actually be worth paying a slightly higher price per product.” When shopping online, also look for discount codes and coupons. Many are printable online from companies such as Farnam. For lightly used or discounted items, browse online resources such as Freecycle.org, Craigslist, Froogle, PriceGrabber.com, and Ebay. Don’t pass up a good neighborhood garage sale for items useful around the barn, such as vacuums, tools, step ladders, and so forth. Visit your local dollar store for some great steals on supplies, and buy tack and equipment from the consignment section of your tack shop if possible. But never buy a used helmet. Many horse owners are discovering the financial benefits of hosting a “tack swap” or a “paddock sale” among barns, friends, and stablemates. It’s a great opportunity to clean the unused equipment out your closet and tack trunk and come home with some things you really need. Find out if a sale is being held nearby, or try to organize one. Timothy Palla, for instance, a horse owner from McDermott, Ohio, has discovered that the county extension office hosts an annual tack swap at the local fairgrounds for everything from new products to used equine equipment, clothing, and books. Fundraisers and auctions are also good events at which to find quality low-priced or lightly used tack and supplies. “If you know of a local equine group or rescue, see if they run tack sales or auctions as fundraisers,” says Trish Wooldridge, who works with the Bay State Equine Rescue in Massachusetts. “Not only can you buy your equipment at a fabulous

Buy gently used tack and supplies when possible. valuable online tool, as it does the comparison shopping for you on a variety of equestrian products. Check out TackWholeSale.com for horse supplies and bulk purchases at wholesale prices. A rule of thumb to online shopping, how1

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Two minutes is all it takes to give an overall tack check, Buddy Baird, of Stübben North America, an English saddle manufacturer, told The Horse. “Go up and down the reins to make sure everything is right and not stretched, go over the stud hooks to check if they are intact and not being pulled out, check for cracks, dry fissures, and dry rot.” If any red flags go up, have the tack repaired now rather than later when it may cost more, or when you may have to replace the entire item. If you discover stitching that needs to be resewn, a leather needle and heavy duty thread for canvas or leather (of the same color and weight of existing stitching) can be used to tackle simple repairs, such as on stirrup leathers or bridle parts. Don’t forget to check bits for rust, particularly those hanging on the wall not being used. Ed Boldt Jr., DVM, of Performance Horse Complementary Medicine Services in Fort Collins, Colorado, suggests using a steel wool pad with light soap and water or mineral oil to clean any rust. Often overlooked is the lifespan of equine items that don’t crack or break, such as saddle pads, but they too are not going to last forever. You don’t need a whole closet full of pads, but you should recognize when it’s time to toss one and buy another. Boldt suggests two ways to tell when it’s time to get a new saddle pad: if it is caked with dirt and hair, and if it is becoming very stiff. A worn-out pad can cause back problems for your horses, and is not worth hanging onto unless you can recycle it around the barn. Know not only what to look for when checking the state of your tack, but how to properly clean it. Use a damp cloth to wipe down your tack in order to remove sweat and dirt after each ride. Then use a gentle liquid saddle soap to clean it. Use a stiff brush to remove dirt and hair from girths and saddle pads, and a toothbrush to scrub caked dirt off tack. If you encounter mold, a concoction of one part Listerine and two parts water sprayed and wiped off the leather will do the trick. There is such a thing, however, as too much cleaning. Particularly when using an aggressive type of glycerin soap, over-cleaning can dry out the leather, eat away at stitching, or cause mold. Too much oil can make the leather spongy and also eat away at stitching. Storing your tack in a dark, dry, temperature-controlled room will preserve your leather and prevent it from needing to be oiled often. If you board your horse and store your belongings at a large barn, take the time to label everything you own to prevent them from “wandering off” or being misplaced.

price, but your purchase might even be tax deductible.” There are some items, however, that are worth paying the extra money for quality and lifespan, as well as for the health of your horse. First and foremost, invest in a saddle that fits. It will save you money in the long run on vet and chiropractor expenses for your horse’s potential back pain. Also consider spending more for quality blankets and turnout rugs that will last for years. Products you can easily spend less money on are grooming supplies. Don’t be fooled by high-priced grooming products or a particular brand name. Glycerin soap, for instance, is glycerin soap regardless of whether the packaging says “saddle soap” on it or not. Items with the word “horse” on them, such as buckets and brushes, are often more expensive than the same generic version. And a large Stanley tool chest will store all your supplies just as well for a fraction of the cost as a custom equine tack box.

Anne M. Eberhardt

Take care of your tack A little cleaning and care of your tack and equipment can go a long way. It will prolong your belongings’ lifespan, saving you money on repairs and replacements. Saddles and tack, for instance, wear out more from neglect than use. Store your tack in a controlled environment not subject to temperature and moisture fluctuations, and take a few min-

Cleaning and caring for tack prolongs its lifespan. utes to give it routine overall inspections. Check leather everywhere it folds to make sure it’s not dry or cracking and to ensure that buckles aren’t corroding. Don’t forget to give the saddle tree a once over as well. 2

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Another thing to keep in mind are the surcingles on sheets and blankets that can become unbuckled after a good roll or romp in the pasture. If your horse steps on a dangling strap, not only will he tear the blanket but potentially injure himself. One cheap way to prevent surcingles from coming undone is to purchase rubber donut farm animal castration bands. Stretch a band over the top of the “T” of the buckle and rest it around the neck so that the surcingle will not be able to jiggle loose.

There’s no quick fix or repair for a missing item! Blanket Care and Repair Horses have a tendency to wear out, dirty, and tear up their sheets, blankets, and rugs. These items can be pricey to replace, but routine cleaning and repairs may save you from having to cough up the extra money to do so. Clean your horse’s blankets and coolers each winter and at the end of the season before packing and storing them up for the rest of the year. This will prevent dirt and hair from getting ground into the material, and will prolong the blankets’ lifespan. If possible, save money by not sending them to the dry cleaners, but cleaning them yourself while following the manufacturers’ instructions. Cleaning blankets is often as simple as using a water hose, a stiff brush, inexpensive livestock shampoo, and, of course, some elbow grease. But depending on the material, many coolers and sheets can

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recycle and resell Over the years you have probably accumulated trunks and closets full of various sizes and types of bridles, boots, blankets, and anything else horse-related. You may not even be aware of how much you’ve acquired until you do a fullblown inventory check. As suggested earlier in the chapter, reselling, donating for a tax receipt, or trading in some of your tack and equipment that spends more time at the bottom of a pile than on the back of a horse can put some extra cash in your pocket. Also challenge yourself to reuse things that you may already have. For instance, mix and match nose and brow bands or punch extra holes in old bridles to fit multiple horses. Get in the habit of recycling old or used goods around the barn. Reuse old kitchen and bathroom towels, washcloths, and worn-out t-shirts, saddle pads, and wraps as rags. They are more durable and ecofriendly than disposable paper towels and will cost you nothing. Save a zippered comforter bag for blanket storage at the end of the winter. Any empty (and clean) condiment and spray bottles will hold hoof creams, lotions, and soaps. Paper feed bags, rather than being thrown away, can be used as garbage bags, as poultice wraps, to soak up spills, or they can be shredded and added to compost. Wooldridge also suggests recycling feed bags as training implements. “Particularly among those who study natural horsemanship, grain bags are used for desensitizing a horse, running the crinkly bag from nose to tail and down the legs, as well as making the horse walk on and over the grain bag,” she says. “There are lots of fancy training tools, but grain bags are a part of every horseperson’s life — so they’re free.” Other equine items you can easily recycle and put to new use are cracked buckets, those with missing handles, and supplement containers. They serve as great storage, trash bins, or grooming buckets.

Repair small blanket tears with iron-on jean patches. be machine washed. Polarfleece can easily be tossed in the washer and dryer, while cotton and wool goods should be washed in cold water and hung out to dry. If you put them in the dryer, they will quickly become pony-sized! When possible, try to repair rather than replace torn blankets, as many can be hand-sewn. The moment a blanket gets a small tear, repair it before it gets bigger. If you’re not handy with a needle and thread, try easy and durable ironon jean patches. They may not look as pretty, but they’re saving you money. Suitability Equestrian Patterns offers a wide variety of patterns for making (or repairing) your own sheets, blankets, pads, and even equestrian clothing, at www.Suitability.com. 3

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Homemade Products While most of your tack and equipment should be purchased from a manufacturer for safety and quality reasons, there are many smaller items that can easily be fashioned out of household and dollar store goods. For example, rather than buying expensive stall toys, clean out a milk bottle, put a few treats or some molasses in it, poke a few small holes in the plastic, and then secure it to a tree or within a stall. Traffic cones also make effective play things for horses. To clean metal tack or equipment parts, mix up a simple concoction of baking soda and water. For your horse’s coat, try using vegetable oil rather than Showsheen, Palmolive dish detergent as shampoo, dollar store human hairbrushes, and Listerine at the dock of the tail to prevent rubbing. Save an old broom handle or pick up a few at the store to create a sturdy blanket rack. Get creative — you will find that dollar stores are goldmines and that you’re capable of putting together yourself much of what you shell out the big bucks for at tack shops. You can also fashion or repair halters and lead ropes with rope or twine, although Four Footed Essentials, based out of Midway, Kentucky, recently developed a product called Temporary Tack (TemporaryTack.com) as an instant fix for a broken halter. As mentioned earlier, you can also find patterns for fly masks, saddle pads, blankets, and repairs from Suitability Equestrian Patterns at Suitability.com. And because all horses need treats, below are a few recipes for homemade delicacies, although the Internet is a good resource for countless others: Mix 1 cup flour, ½ cup molasses, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar, and your choice of crushed apples, carrots, oats, peppermints, and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix 1 ½ cup flour, 1 cup bran, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup grated carrots or apples, and bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Optional: sprinkle with sugar. Should make 25 cookies.

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