Recently got approval to rehome an OTTB through an awesome org! And while I’m SCREAMING with excitement (seriously–can you hear it?). But I haven’t gotten a new horse in FOREVER, and so you know what that means?
Time to go shopping!
All I have is a saddle and my own riding gear, so join me on a deep dive into Dover and Stateline and SmartPak–what are all the things a new horse needs?
(I’ll be boarding so don’t need a feed bucket or anything)
Congratulations on your soon-to-be purchase!
I have to admit to feeling disappointment when I read your post. I thought we were going to help you shop for a horse, you know, photos and pedigrees of different ones with discussions about conformation, color, gender, etc.
I do apologize that I cannot get too enthusiastic about shopping for horse stuff since my inclination is to buy the cheapest or simplest item I can find which is sturdy and does the job. It’s just not exciting to order a case of vet wrap or 4" crimped gauze rolls. I buy the cheapest human hair conditioner for my horses’ tails and use basic brushes.
The one item which comes to mind that I do love is this Oster brush for manes and tails:
https://www.chewy.com/oster-equine-care-mane-tail-horse/dp/133279?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Oster&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl5XwkdeM7QIVxz2tBh0cSwU1EAQYASABEgI8APD_BwE
Congrats!
Priority 1 is anything you need on day 1: halter, lead rope, basic grooming kit, any medications or supplements that the horse currently takes, enough of the horse’s current grain to allow you to make any changes over 7-10 days, and any sheet or blanket that is necessary for the current temperature in your area. I’d add a thermometer so you can monitor the horse for shipping fever if he’s coming from far away.
Then comes the fun stuff: an appointment with a saddle fitter, a bridle and bit, boots/wraps/bells as needed for riding/turnout, a lunge line and surcingle, etc.
Sorry to disappoint! If you’re interested, I can shoot you the horse’s confirmation and pedigree because I always love more opinions 
More saddle pads than you’ll think you’ll need. You want to change them out every few days to launder so you’ll need a supply of clean ones. Dressage and jump whip, new helmet (MIPS), saddle cover, horse trailer, truck…
I thought the same thing 
I can’t help much, as I am much like Peteypie and only buy necessities, and the cheapest thing that does the job (Darn kids, darn budgets, darn husband). Congrats OP!
I just got a new horse and also had literally nothing, so I can tell you what I got and what definitely wish I had sooner!
During the PPE the vet mentioned that my horse had some skin stuff going on so I preemptively got some Equiderma lotion and shampoo, which turned out to be a lifesaver and cleared up her skin crap within like the first week! I literally use it on everything and love it so much.
Some other stuff I got in advance - dressage whip, brushes obvi, fly spray, treats, saddle pads, hoof care stuff, sponges both big and small, rags / towels, tack trunk (tool box from Home Depot), small bucket for wash rack stuff, sweat scraper, and most of all SCISSORS! And a flexible measuring tape so you can get all your sizes that you need on day 1!!!
Multiple types of bits to try is something I wish I had gotten a head start on, because I hate buying bits brand new but ebay/Facebook takes a lot longer to ship stuff!
I had to try a bunch of saddles so I needed multiple different sizes of girths, dressage and jump, and half pads to try to make any needed adjustments… I didn’t have any of that so I’ve had to borrow everything from my barn mates, which is the great thing about boarding!!!
Anything you know for sure you’re gonna want and don’t need to measure your horse for, go ahead and order it… buying stuff in the tack store has been killing me because it’s marked up so much. Some fun stuff I don’t mind buying there, like cute lead ropes and whatnot, but if you’re on a budget it’s soooo much cheaper online.
Okay mine will probably sound lame, but it’s stuff you will always need and sometimes need multiple of.
Brass double ended snaps and bucket straps. These are things you won’t think you need until you do, and then you won’t be able to find any when you desperately need them. Riding Warehouse has brass double ended snaps for like $2.
Big plastic dosing syringes. I am a dosing syringe fiend. You can never have too many. I love the 60CC catheter tip ones from Smartpak (brand is Monoject.) They’re under $3.
Duct tape AND Gorilla tape.
Towels. Many towels. Hand towels, medium towels, large towels. Buy all the towels.
Rain coat and rubber boots.
Farrier kit. A small rasp, nail pullers, hoof testers, nippers, and the clincher tool (IDK what it’s actually called.) Nothing more frustrating than having a sprung shoe and no way to take it off because there are no farrier tools available.
First aid supplies. Thermometer, the old school non digital kind. The fast digital ones are great until they lose accuracy or the battery dies. The classic kind is reliable 100% of the time. Pillow wraps/standing wraps. Wound cream (there are a zillion.) Cotton roll. Elastikon. Vet wrap. Brown gauze. Gauze pads. Vaseline. Regular scissors. Bandage scissors. Another pair of regular scissors. Betadine scrub. Latex or vinyl gloves. Brown Listerine. The list goes on and on.
Bathing supplies. Buckets, shampoo, sponges, bathing mitts, sweat scrapers.
Extra halter and lead rope. Either all leather halter or nylon with a leather breakaway crown piece.
Okay that’s all the crummy boring stuff that isn’t exciting to buy (unless you’re a weirdo like me.)
Fun stuff you’d want ASAP are a set of blankets (I’m assuming he’s already being blanketed by his previous owner?). A sheet, a medium, and a heavy. There are a lot of good deals going on right now for blankets and sheets.
For grooming, I am a big fan of the Winners Circle brushes. I have some that are older than my current horse, if you take care of them they last FOREVER, and the natural bristles are a lot nicer than the plastic/synthetic brushes. Hoof picks and hoof brushes as well. I love the Ultimate Hoof Pick. Is it stupid expensive? Yes. Is it the best hoof pick of all time? YES. After using it, all others will feel inferior and inadequate. Really helpful for getting ice balls out of their feet too.
Another product that’s helpful and fun are the Premier Equine quick wraps. Think BOT Quick Wraps but a fraction of the price and you can get a variety of interchangeable wraps (ceramic, magnetic, regular.) I use these for hauling and omgosh they have been a life changer. So much faster than regular wraps, especially at the end of a long show day when you’re tired and just want to go home.
Fly gear (mask, fly sheet, boots.) A lot of stuff is on sale right now. It keeps them a lot more comfortable in the heat and the bugs, and they stay a lot cleaner too.
This is so perfectly helpful! The only (ONLY) bright side is he’ll be living in Austin, TX with me which means, for the first time in both of our lives, avoiding true winter! Woo-hoo!
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