The adventures of Gilly the rescue horse and his side kick and partner in crime, Pokey the donkey.

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Being with a horse is a journey that never ends. What they have to teach us is amazing; but we must quiet our mind to hear them. ~ jca

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Friday, August 27, 2010

What's in your trailer tack room???

Before I get to the trailer topic, let me say this......Gil and I went for 1 1/2 hour ride this morning! Ahhhh....heaven!!! The temperature was in the mid 50's...can you believe it???  After we have had temps in the 90's for so long this wonderful cool fall like weather has graced the hollow. (picture is from another ride) I didn't take the camera, I just wanted to ride and enjoy being on horseback again. I have found that I don't have to work Gilly in the round pen like I thought I did, well, so far anyway. We may do a few small trot laps on the lunge line just in the yard, back, sideways, come to me just to see if his mind is with me. If it is then we do a few neck flexes, ground work, as we are doing this I snug up the girth three times, then to the mounting block and we are off. I have done this with him the last 4 times I have ridden and he is fine, overdoing the round pen and lungeing tends to make him a little upset with me, he keeps telling me, alright already....I KNOW THIS STUFF....let's get on with ridin'!!!!
We had a really good ride, just up the road and turned at the bridge then back down the road, turned in the hay field crossed the creek and went up the old road for a ways, back down the hill across the creek, past Kim's and into the next township turned and came back home. We did some trot work in the hay field (I ride in it when the hay is finished...wish I could turn it into an arena, it's large enough!)
Such a nice cool morning Gilly didn't even work up a sweat. I enjoyed it so much, just a leisurely quiet ride with my boy!
Only one horse fly tried to ruin it for us but......I killed him! LOL

OK, now to the topic of "What's in your trailer tack room???" I went shopping yesterday, mostly for groceries but got some things for my trailer too. Here's what I got, first from Dollar Tree; everything in there is $1.
Love the little bucket with the rope handle! No kidding each of these things was only $1!!! The two little square blue containers have metal handles, plates, cups and plastic utensils for lunch time! Bungee straps, kitchen utility scissors, micro fiber cloth, bottle opener/cork screw/knife, little clips with magnets on the back.
This all came from WalMart. First aid kit for me, Gilly has one in the barn that I will take when we travel, paper towels, hand sanitizer, two magnetic hooks, bottle of alcohol and a small tube of toothpaste? Why toothpaste, after getting stung last week I read that toothpaste was good for bee stings, so it's going in the first aid kit too.
This was waiting on the front porch when I returned from my ride from State Line Tack. Trailer Aid for changing a flat (hope I never have to use it!), two The Clip ties works similar to the Blocker Tie ring, there is only one panic snap, UPS lost the other one, the box was tore up when it arrived, a mit to put fly spray on Gil's face, Swat fly repellent ointment for sores and such, a brush to clean buckets and his favorite color for his hay tote. I have a pattern and was going to make him one but I saw this one in State Line for $9.99 and I can't make it that cheap so I bought it!!!
Stopped at Lowe's for this nice big heavy duty 95 qt container to keep my "stuff" in! Also a step stool to climb up on the horse with also something to sit on if I need to change boots or something. Industrial strength velcro and three hooks that stick on with sticky stuff, they hold up to 5 lbs. The velcro is for the ends of some straps I will make to hold the poo fork to the wall so it doesn't bounce around. I still need to find some heavy duty magnet hooks to hand my bag chairs on. Or maybe I will use the velcro and strapping to hold it up.
There are still things I want to get to put in the trailer and still some things I already have that will go in; like a water bucket, a 7 gallon water jug, fly mask for travel, brushes, hoof pick, extra halter and lead, flat lunge line, half bale hay bag for storing extra hay (I am going to make this out of heavy canvas, and more stuff I can't even think of yet!  But before I can add anything to the tack room I have to get the mats in. We got them the other night but three of them will need to be trimmed to fit in. the first one will have two notches cut in by the door posts, second one if ok, third one about 6 inches will be in the nose curve front and the forth one will have to be cut in half to make it 2'x5'9" to go in the rounded nose of the trailer. I am not sure just how we are going to cut 1/2" thick mats ......some kind of power tool....scissors sure won't do it! LOL

So now I ask you what's in your trailer tack room? I am really interested cause you all might have things I need but haven't thought of.
Your turn, post away!!!! :-)

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12 comments:

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

I'm impressed! It's like you're outfitting a small house or something....even got plates and utensils in there! lol!

I'm glad you're having such a great time shopping and finding such helpful items...and lots of bargains, too.
My trailer tack room isn't even a room. It's just a tiny space and basically just a place to store a spare tire, some hay, and a few buckets and stuff. I only have a two horse bumper pull, so the tack area is underneath the mangers at the front of the trailer.
I keep my tack inside the truck when I haul Apache anywhere.

So, you can imagine how envious I am! But very happy for you, too!

~Lisa

Anonymous said...

Don't ask - it's pretty scary in there! But two of my most important items are a set of warning triangles, in case of a break-down (that's actually in the truck), one of those roll-on roll-off things that allows for a tire change without unhitching or jacking, and a big knife (that's in the truck too) in case of a need to cut something in an emergency. And duct tape! And a bucket of medical supplies (most of those live in the barn now because I rarely trailer anywhere). There's a lot more that shouldn't be in there, too, like old tack I never use.

Jacque. said...

I don't have a clue, but just wanted to say that you must have been a girl scout. Or, is it a boy scout? The scout who said, "Be prepared", anyway. {grin} Looking good! Can't wait to hear about all your trips in the trailer with the horses! Lucky you.

Jeni said...

My trailer does not have a tack room... so I'm very jealous!

jane augenstein said...

Lisa, Oh, I'll bet you can stuff more in your compartments! LOL I like little boxes and containers for things. I want to carry things that I might possibly need, the eating utensils, well, Kim and I always packed a lunch when we went somewhere with Gilly; for us and him! Can't wait to get the mats in so I can "decorate"! LOL

Kate, oh, yes, the triangles, I have one around here I need to add, I have a Leatherman tool but I forgot to show it; next post when things are in the track room. Hey, you could have a used tack sale out of your trailer! :-)

Jacque, not a girl scout but a brownie! LOL gotta get those mats in so I can finish puttin my "stuff" in there!

Jeni, oh, sorry you don't have a tack room! Heck, I've never had a trailer before, so this is all new territory for me! but fun stuff!!!

Unknown said...

Here's my "always in the trailer" stuff"

Manure fork
Shovel
Broom
Hammer (the single most useful thing I have in there)
Blocks of wood so I can unhook my trailer without having to lower all the way to the ground
Hay bag
Random buckets
Bungee cords and ropes set to different lengths to secure doors open in the wind.

Everything else gets moved in and out - I have a big orange box that I keep all the horse supplies in and when we go somewhere I just grab it.

I want one of those saddlerack/water holder things. Definitely on my birthday list. :)

Now I have a whole bunch of things on my must buy list!!

gtyyup said...

Ohhhh...I want a half a dozen of those buckets with the rope handles...very handy and cute!!!

You've got your basics covered...great input from Kate too! I don't have much to add. I'll be a schmuck and tell you I have two trailers...one for day rides and one with living quarters for extended outings. Obviously my LQ trailer has lots of stuff that you wouldn't use on a day ride basis (high-line ropes, ties, blankets etc). But for a basic day ride, you've got your bases covered! I guess the only thing might be some spare tack repair things like Chicago screws, pieces of leather (strips), hole punch...things to get you through in a pinch.

Regarding how to cut the rubber mats, my husband said he would use a jig saw with a blade specially used for rubber (a straight edge). That would be the best way to get the rounded edge you need for the nose of the trailer. For straight cuts, he's always just scored the mat over and over with a sharp blade (box knife) until he broke through. Needless to say, stall mats aren't the easiest to cut, but a treasure to have in your trailer.

FYI, in my past experience I have found it very beneficial to put shavings on top of the rubber mats. Manure and/or urine can make the mats VERY slick...and then very stinky too. The shavings gives traction as well as soaking up moisture and giving better footing for your horse.

You look like you're having a great time fixing up your trailer...enjoy!!!

Unknown said...

Our trailers have been all stock trailers so we have no tack room. I always have things like electrical tape for harness, first aid kit, cowboy magic (white horse, ahem), step stool, shovel, water bucket, manure bucket, armorall wipes (for harness, cart and saddle cleaning before classes at shows) and of course rubbermaid totes for harness etc. Oh and a lunge line and sheet to make a curtain for changing into show clothes.

Unknown said...

ps- I ALWAYS have my leatherman on me. I feel naked without it.

Paint Girl said...

I have a first aid kit for horses, a bucket, extra halter and leads, hobbles, lunge line, first aid kit for humans, tons of stuff in the medicine cabinet like hand sanitizer, deodorant, ace bandages, and whatever else us humans may need, it's pretty well stocked. Paper towels, toilet paper, baby wipes, step stool, duck tape, vet wrap, brushes, sponges, baling twine, big knife, hammer with rubber head (tons of other tools in toolbox in truck), star wrench for changing flat tires, tire aid to drive trailer on in case of flat tire, muck bucket, rake, broom, jackets for different kinds of weather, baseball cap, crop, and I am sure I am missing some things. This is everything I keep in my trailer at all times. In the winter, I pull my saddles and bridles out of my trailer to put in garage (my other tack room)so they don't get mildew. When I go on long trips, I will fill up a bin with everything organized in there. My trailer has a bench in the tack room, that has storage underneath for a lot of the stuff, plus I have a door caddy hanging thing that holds a bunch of stuff.
Sounds like you have pretty much covered most of your needs!! Good job!

Gail H. Ragsdale said...

I LOVE the shot between the ears! So cool.

Couldn't tell you what 's in my trailer :)

jane augenstein said...

Breathe, oh, I do need a hammer too and some tools, wrenches, screwdriver and such! Still need more stuff! LOL

gtyyup, yea those little buckets are neat. WOW two trailers, neat!!! I don't think I will ever need one with living quarters.Oh, the rubber mats, I will post something about them, grrrrr! Oh, yes, planning on using sawdust in the trailer on the mats. Messes do clean up better, from seeing others trailers and helping clean.

Sydney, I am so glad I have a trailer that has an area for tack and such....I love it!

Paint Girl, oh, toilet paper is a good one not to forget! And sponges for rinsing off horse! Duct tape is a must, I am making a caddy to hang under the bridle hooks.

Gail, I too like to take pictures of Gil's pretty ears, that one turned out good with Lucy right between.

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