My Basement Tack Shop

When we moved house a couple years ago, we went from 2000 square feet to 1300 square feet and from a huge, two-story, 1800s barn to a new 20-by-80, open-sided, pole barn.  We also went from 11 acres to 110 acres, including 8 already-fenced acres of pasture, so you horse people out there can right away see the appeal.  But it meant we had to get rid of a lot of stuff.  A LOT of stuff.  And we did.  And it was so good.

Doesn't know what's coming.

But I DID manage to keep a fair quantity of a particular type of stuff.  Any guesses as to what type? Yep, you got it: Horse stuff. 

So, over the last couple of evenings, as I have prepared for our first show of the year, I was fairly astonished to find that, in those boxes of horse stuff, I actually HAVE the esoteric bits and pieces I need for a show:

• Quiet clippers? Check.
• Hoof polish? Check.  Both clear and black.
• Whitening shampoo? Check.  Lots of it.
• Coat polish? Check
• Show Sheet? Check. Was going to sell it, unused.  Now, it’s a used keeper.
• Western-style show halter? Check.  Had tried to list it on eBay, but satellite internet makes this a multiple-day process, so, luckily, gave up on that.
• Leather lead with chain end? Check.
• English-style show halter, just in case? Check.  It’s a beauty, but no bling.
• Western hat for human for halter class? Check  Both brown AND black.
• Western style shirt, pants, boots? Check. Check. Check.  I wear the boots to work, but they just need a bit of polish. Sister sent me the shirt on a whim, and I love it.
• English tall boots, show shirt, show breeches, show coat, modest belt? Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Coat’s a little loose, breeches a little tight.  So I have to suck in my bottom and puff out my top.
• Favorite gold stock pin that my friend gave me when I was in her wedding 25-years ago?  Check.  It wasn’t designed to be a stock pin, but it reminded both of us of a stock pin, and thus, it is a stock pin.
• Braiding supplies? Check.  I’m using Braideez braiding wire that I bought earlier this year.  I’ll let you know how it works.

The only thing I actually needed to pick up this week was a show pad for my Thornhill AP saddle.  I do, as you might suspect based on the large quantity of little-used horse supplies I mentioned above, have a whole bunch of saddle pads, but not your standard fluffy white one, shaped to fit the George-Morris-proscribed inch around my saddle.  The one I bought (from an extremely strange tack shop in the Binghamton area) isn’t perfect, but pretty close.  I will make a run to the hardware store to find a close approximation to the braiding wires, since I only have black and am braiding a half-white mane.

Oh, and I bought a western show belt, because an English chick just doesn’t get to do much bling, and this might be my only chance in a while.  It’s not as flashy as I would have liked, but I’m quite pleased with it, and it matches Starlight’s halter fairly well.

We will be showing in halter classes to start, and based on the recommendation of a local show judge and trainer, Maggie Johnston, who kindly answered the query I posed to her in a facebook message, I’m going to dress Western style for the halter classes, even though Starlight will be in braids.  Then I’ll don my English clothes for the riding classes.

We’ll do a few classes on the flat, then head home, hopefully, with that sense of accomplishment that makes us feel it was worth all the hoopla!