some companies offer engraving of metal items like bits, spurs, stirrups. SmartPak is one company that offers that, the engraving looks really nice and subtle and is fairly permanent (I’d imagine it’s pretty easy to tell if someone has attempted to scratch off engraving!). I wish that had been an option when I bought all of the bits that I own, I seem to lose bits and spurs more than anything else. You can also have brushes laser engraved with your initials too, and some places do laser engraving on leatherwork.
These stamp sets do look kind of cool - -I might have to check that out a little more. The branding iron that I have is electric and it gets HOT and I always worry when I use it (don’t want to leave it on unattended in the barn, don’t want to store it before it is completely cool).
On the dog tags, if you order the same as I did, they will come with itty bitty wire things to attach – and they are too small and lightweight for most horse stuff. So I found some metal s-hooks to use to hang them on horse things (again on ebay – I think I bought like a pack of 100 or something for a couple of dollars!).
A sneeky place to ID a whip is on the inside of the leather popper.
I had a Lady that “borrowed” my whip out of MY tack area at not one, but TWO BARNS!
I never caught her in the act a barn #1 but it kept ending up near her stuff. At barn #2 I found her using it in her lesson. I waited till she was untacking, and picked it up to check. Bingo! She then looks around for it, and I say, " Um , this is mine" She was like " oh oops " sneers and todders off. I should have ripped her a new one but I was trying to be PC being in a new barn and all.
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I agree with others - lock up everything you can, permanent nameplates on leather goods, loud colors help. I embroidered all my blankets (even waterproof turnouts). I picked the bottom corner in front of the chest - hasn’t affected the waterproofing and the embroidery kiosk in the mall did each blanket for $8.
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Lowest form of human life…tack thieves. The expensive “borrowers” are the one’s who steal hoof meds and fly sprays etc…that gets costly quickly and they sure can’t claim, "I thought it was mine)
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A “fancier” place doesn’t necessarily mean your stuff won’t go AWOL.
I ditto having the everyday stuff (halter, leads, wraps, pads, etc) in ugly or loud colors. Others tend to shun “borrowing” for “just a minute” for that very reason.
Lock your good leather things in your trunk, and if you have a trailer, lock things in that as well. I’ve had the barn manager help herself to my trunk and supplies, since she knew I had the proper equipment and it was just easier for her to rummage around in my stuff than walk back to the main tack room.
Duct tape your cheapo cotton lead to your cheapo turnout halter. Otherwise it may disappear.
Plastic engraved tags with your last name or horse’s barn name attached to things will help, as will smaller brass tags with your initials on your tack.
lol I saw this thread and just haaad to tell you to put a splash of hot pink nail polish on everything:lol: really I was! and then you just had to ad that last bit in hehehe.
My old trainer used to do two different things…1) a little copper dime sized piece of metal with her initails stamped into it and attached with a small metal ring (very nice and not to big)
- an actual leather metal stamper with her initials
Apparently one should engrave “thou shalt not steal” rather than initials, as my
crop with initials clearly visible on the handle… walked off. It was the only item I’d bothered to put my initials on, stangely enough.
Well I’m at a very small boarding barn with only seven boarders.
I’m not worried about people using/taking my tack and supplies, but I still get paranoid.
Tack such as saddles and bridles I have nameplates on. Consumables like Fly-repellents, shampoos and liniments, and other things I mark with a bit of duct tape in my choice of color (Lime green, of course) and mark my name in permanent marker on it. Almost everything except for leather goods and consumables are Lime green, polos, Horse boots, buckets and haynets, crops and whips, reins… you name it.
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Our facility has about 25 boarders, so we don’t have enough tack lockers for everyone. I’m allowed to keep my tack box in the main aisle which has an added benefit to the other boarders of being a repository for everything everyone brings to the barn. Sunglasses, phones, water bottles, clothing, random tools, etc. It’s frustrating. My BO just tells me to dump it on the floor and until a few months ago, I carefully moved each item and put them somewhere safe. Now I just turf it to one side and if anything is left, once I open the top, it ends up on the floor behind my box. It’s therapeutic 
I did have a lesson student (older lady) borrow my saddle and bridle because she liked how nice it was lol. She did borrow tack from others too, and I can’t blame her tbh, the lesson saddles are crap.
I also had a young lesson student bring my 17.2hh horse in because she was “SOOOO over riding the ponies and wanted to ride a unicorn” (my guy is totally white). I almost died laughing at her, she was (is) a sweetie and still rides at our barn today. She also hates when I tell that story :lol: .
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If someone really wants to steal something, they will. I mark everything because if I accidentally forget to put something away or if something gets knocked down in the tack room, it’s easier for others to know who it belongs to. It als prevents mix-ups.
I have a bridle tag on my bridle. I used my horse’s name on that. On my brushes, I generally use a sharpie to write my own initials. For some items I use a label maker (like my first aid supply kit). My old saddle had a saddle plate with my name on it. My current saddle has no markings on it. If I were going to try to mark it, I’d put a name plate on it. At my barn, I’m not concerned about anyone using it and it is distinctive enough to not be confused with anyone else’s. If a saddle thief broke into the tack room, I doubt anything would save any of them.
A lot of people use a certain color of duct tape. I hate left over tape stickies, so I prefer to use a sharpie to write initials on most things.
On blankets, I am too cheap to pay for embroidery. Most have a label on the inside where you can write ownership information. I send mine out for laundry, so I use my own name.
You could get some embroidered name labels for blankets, saddle pads etc., like what you would see on a uniform, or get the items embroidered themselves. Leather goods engraved name plates or leather brands. Brushes you could also brand. Fly sprays etc, put in a colorful spray bottle and use an indelible pen.
This thread is 7 years old. That said, bright colored stuff wouldn’t fly at my barn, so I use the iron-on Mabel’s Labels for anything that isn’t embroidered, or round metal tagged.
The one place I DID have a problem with things walking was also the place that required everyone have the same equipment [ie matching color pads, coolers, blankets].
While we don’t have a problem at our barn, all my tack, including strap goods, has name plates with my name; blankets have round hanging tags and horses’ names in sharpie. Pads have name in sharpie on spine or underside and most everything else has name either horses’ or mine in sharpie. I buy halters in multiples with my last name on them Ive also had some stickers made with my monogram in gold. I use those on helmets. They are rather small, but if there are several of the same helmets I can identify mine by sight instead of smell. My goal is not to keep anyone from stealing, but to be able to identify my stuff when it goes walk about or I leave it out. The most important thing is to put your things away.
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when I was a kid I super glued a half dollar to the concrete by the gas pumps of my brother gas station… people would see it then kind of glance around to see if any was watching or put the foot on the half dollar then try to pick it up…
I write my initials on the spine of all my saddle pads in red permanent marker, plus my name and my horse’s name on the tags of any blankets, halters, fly masks etc.
My barn has stable long term boarders and we don’t really have any issues, so the above is mainly for keeping things straight. I don’t use ID tags on my saddles/bridles, but I know folks who do and they are pretty discreet.
My longe whip is bright obnoxious orange. It’s since become a barn favourite since I stash it in the ring, but if I ever do leave I’ll be able to confidently identify that it’s mine - and it’s easy to see if it ever goes missing 
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My initials are STD in real life. I think that is a great deterrent, LOL.
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What’s crazy to me is when the personalized stuff walks off. Pro tip: if something is really nice, always just keep it in your possession.
I have really nice Quillin leather halters for my show horses - each engraved with their names. A couple of years ago, I left a barn and mentioned to the trainer that I needed my gelding’s halter back. He swore he gave it to me with the rest of my tack.
We moved about six months later and during that entire process, I never found that halter. I remembered the last time I saw it was at a show with said trainer. I didn’t want to shell out money for a new one, so I texted trainer earlier this year and just said - hey by chance did that halter ever come up? - response: nope never saw it.
A friend of mine rides with trainer and I asked her after that conversation to just double check the stack of show halters, if it wasn’t a big deal. She did, and VOILA, my horses halter was there - although, missing the crown piece.
Moral of the story: people suck and you can’t prevent everything. In my story, the trainer clearly saw the halter and took the crown piece off (I assume to replace another that broke)… but never called me. I also had several other Quillin halters disappear back in 2012… all with my last name on them, so not sure where they would have gone or who would be using them. :rolleyes:
Hopefully, the OP found a resolution in the last seven years. But if anyone has more cool ideas - please share!
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Name plates or brass tags on tack and embroider anything else that is fabric. I have seen a silver (colored - I’m sure it’s not silver) end cap that can go on a crop that can be engraved but I would save that for a gift. We usually marked crops (discretely) with initials in silver sharpie on the butt end of the handle. Silver sharpies are also great for rubber boots.
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