Custom Bridle Rack- making my own!

[BostonHJ]

OK - here we go. The photos aren’t the best since I didn’t feel like taking everything off of it and taking it out of my storage unit (I live in downtown Boston… pardon my tack hoarding).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82419338@N06/7981073637/in/photostream
Front view. The board and the bridle “hooks” are pine and from Michael’s. They are surprisingly sturdy- this is going on 3 years old. I don’t remember what the board cost but it wasn’t much and the “hooks” were a buck each!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82419338@N06/7981078452/in/photostream
Side view of box and end of board.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82419338@N06/7981077545/in/photostream
Front view of a box and end of board.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82419338@N06/7981075559/in/photostream
Open box - great place for earplugs!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82419338@N06/7981076686/in/photostream
Back of board

The hardware including the brass martingale hooks are from Home Depot.

Supplies:
Wood board
3 bridle boxes
Two brass hooks
Two screw eyes
Two double ended snaps
Wood glue
Small brass screw (I forget exact size, but maybe 1/4-1/2" long and a fairly small width)

Measure three places for your bridle boxes and measure for brass hooks (I did the hook measurement by centering off the box measurements). Remember the boxes have some width to them so you will be well served to mark where you want the edges of the boxes to line up on the board as well as the center.
Use wood glue to get boxes on board. Let dry until stable - doesn’t need to be fully set - maybe 5-10 minutes.
Using a drill, install three screws through back of each box to anchor to board.
Use the drill to install the hooks (I didn’t find a need to wood glue these first).
Find the center of the board and measure from here to mark where your screw eyes should go.
Use drill to start the screw eye holes (be sure to drill straight) and then install by twisting manually.
Throw it up with some double ended snaps.
Voila!

I imagine this would look much nicer if it were stained and poly’d but this one doesn’t travel much, so it works as is. Let me know of any questions and happy building.

At shows, you can use zip ties, ropes, etc instead of the double end snaps.

[WARDen]

Boston - thank you so much for posting your pictures. You did a wonderful job. I can only hope I can find the same or similar type of little boxes, that is such a cool idea and I would so keep my spurs in there and ear plugs!

One question though… did you buy the board with the edges and ends done like that or did you have to do it? I have been searching for a place to buy a board like that.

[BostonHJ]

Thanks! The board was most definitely acquired as-is. Another craft store find.

FYI, I doubt the boxes are big enough for spurs. I can’t think of a use for them besides ear plugs or tack sponges/small bar of soap.

[FoxChaser]

I should take some photos of mine. I used furniture bun feet and screwed them into a board meant to be a riser for a stair, stained and polyurethaned the whole thing, then added antiqued brass hooks for reins. I was quite pleased at how it all turned out & for a fraction of what I could have spent on a ready-made rack.

[bits619]

Ottbcooper that Pinterest search is awesome. I bookmarked it because I should be sleeping right now and not staying up till dawn

[mvp]

A word of warning from the Cheap-n-Fussy:

If you plan to hang a girth by its buckles, take that badboy to the hardware store for a first date with the hooks you’ll plan to use. Nothing worse that making up the whole thing only to discover that the hooks are too fat for the slim girth buckles.

And another thing!

There Will Be NO laying the girth over the top of the bridle while hung on the hook. So many things wrong with this… from a sweaty girth getting on the bridle’s crown… to the girth being to wide for the hooks and falling off… to the hooks being too close together for a stiff girth being on top of a bridle and martingale.

Just trying to help.

[Bells]

If you find your hooks are too wide for the girth buckles you could just use a double ended clip. Clip one end of the clip to the girth buckle and the other end of the clip to the hook.

[BAC]

Boston, you did a beautiful job on your bridle rack, I love it. Thanks for posting pictures.

[rogerskevin67]

I’m not sure which type of wood to choose, but when it comes to wood stain, I would definitely use a clear stain or a semi-transparent finish. Either option still provide some color while allowing the natural wood grain to show through. Best of luck, I can’t wait to see how it comes out! Make sure you post pictures.

[Baby]

[QUOTE=OTTBcooper;6554684]
Probably shouldn’t have done this but some cool ideas: http://pinterest.com/search/?q=Tack+room[/QUOTE]

Way to kill my productivity for the rest of the afternoon :yes:

[mmeqcenter]

Bumping, wanting to make a similar bridle rack, can’t figure out for the life of me how people do those half-moon thingies. @BostonHJ , what were those boxes called? I can’t find anything similar online.

Or, what do people think of this idea? I’d use wood shaker pegs instead of metal hangers.
https://stablestyle.net/andrew-nebbett-designs/

[ParadoxFarm]

Interesting style for a bridle rack. I like it.

[mmeqcenter]

@ParadoxFarm

Interesting style for a bridle rack. I like it.

Me too, the more I look at it the more it grows on me, I’ll have to make a sample one to see how it looks with wood pegs.

[ParadoxFarm]

Post a pic if you do!

[BostonHJ]

@mmeqcenter I have no idea what the boxes were called unfortunately! They were in the “wood crafts” section at AC Moore/Michael’s (not very helpful, I know…). I can’t find them online but I do believe the stores carry a larger selection and you’d be able to find something suitable (like https://acmoore.com/product/104147247/wood-inn-keeper-sign-6-x-24-natural-pine/640251). I believe this is the base I used - https://acmoore.com/product/104147247/wood-inn-keeper-sign-6-x-24-natural-pine/640251

[mmeqcenter]

Thanks @BostonHJ!

[ParadoxFarm]

I like it! Great job so far! Thanks for the update.