I’ll soon be going to my first show in a looooong time. Help me pack! My horse is going with the barn/trainer, so I don’t have to worry about any of his basic needs (feed, buckets, mucking supplies, etc).
Obviously I need to pack my tack and show clothes, but what are some of your horse show packing must-haves? (Other than my credit card, which I will probably use frivolously at the vendors LOL).
If at all possible, take a horse loving friend. Off property endeavors are much easier and fun with a second pair of hands.
Your own small stash of towels. Perfect for wiping off your boots, your hands, etc.
A schooling pad so that you can keep your show pad clean for your classes.
Large safety pins if you’re doing jumper classes and want to pin your number to your pad.
Some sort of marker (I like the “Rub-a-dub” ones) for labeling things your forgot to label or didn’t know you need to label.
This list could go on and on…
But don’t forget – an extra set of basically everything!
I know it sounds silly but make sure you bring something to put your dirty horse laundry in.
Those towels mentioned above are a great idea and you will use them for so many things…and then you have gross towels and two days before you head home.
I typically bring an extra bunch of heavy duty trash bags to put all my horse dirty laundry in.
Enough schooling pads so you have a clean dry one even if you have hack twice in one day.
Enough snacks & drinks so that if you run out of time and you need to rush you still are able to eat something.
Paper and a pen. You will be surprised how many times you will need to write something down.
Extras of all those little things you use. Hair net, gloves, etc.
Socks. Dry socks. More socks than you think about.
Comfy shoes.
Assuming you are driving:
I take a cooler, stashed with drinks and snacks.
I am a coffee snob so I take my own coffee 
(I also have a hot water thing I plug in to my truck)
I buy one of those travel bags w toothpaste and toothbrush etc. I just throw them away at the end of a long show.
I take my own pillow because I have neck issues.
Always trashbags, extra socks, boot polish kit,
A back pack for the extra towels, water bottle, crop, Aleve, scissors etc that I may take to the ring.
Extra T-shirts or polos.
Sneakers, waterproof shoes.
I take those make-up remover things for my face if I am dusty or sweaty, along w hand sanitizer.
And your sense humor
Baby wipes
Sunscreen
Lots of water/drinks
Protein snacks
A sun hat or ball cap
Ibuprofen, bandaids, antacids (I always get a headache, cut myself and get heartburn from the taco truck that I cannot stay away from!)
If you’re driving, I recommend 2 coolers. 1 for snacks/drinks and one with just ice. This ice is for human consumption ONLY and mark the cooler as such. This cooler doesn’t have to be huge, just big enough to hold a small bag of ice.
If it gets really hot, it’s nice to have ice to put in a drink to make it extra cold.
Spare underwear and breeches. Not saying you are going to poop yourself or anything, but all kinds of s*%# can happen at a horse show. My old boss once had to show with her pants duct taped shut after they blew a big hole 
So I guess I would add tape to that list… even if your barn probably has some, you can never have too much tape and you might even make some friends by having it handy. All kinds. Duct, masking, and especially black electrical tape (not that boot zippers ever break at a horse show or anything ).
I can’t reiterate socks enough. For all things in life. Spare socks. For a horse show, lots.
Band aids, maybe even a little first aid kit (I say as the person who usually uses the above mentioned duct tape to stop my bleeding… be better prepared than me!)
Hair brush, extra elastics. Deoderant. Face wipes/microfiber towels. Any other toiletries you may like to get through a day feeling like you aren’t wearing a sand ring or were rolling in your horse’s stall.
Clothes for every season, even if it’s not the one your show occurs in. Maybe this is more Canada-specific, but it happens all the time, people ending up cold, wet, or hot when the weather doesn’t do what it is “supposed to”. Rain gear! Jackets, sweaters, even gloves and warm hats. And on the flip side of that… sun hats, T-shirts. Shorts and tank tops to change into after showing. If there’s any chance of it being warm and you’re prone to overheat, then cooling gear like the neck wraps and headbands you can soak are something worth considering.
If you want to save some moola (to buy more fun things from the vendors), I recommend bringing ample drinks and snacks. It’s one thing to give in to the horse show food for lunch, but it’s the extras where they get you. If you are into healthy snacks, definitely bring them, because there may be limited options. But… if you know you’ll probably cave to junk food anyway, you’re probably better off to bring a $1 chocolate bar with you than pay $2.50 at the show.
Phone charger.
Good luck and have fun!
Two phone chargers, both packed in a different place because you are likely to play - where the heck is my phone charger - more than once while you are there.
Toilet Paper
Kleenex/tissues
Tampons, pads, whatever you use even though it’s nowhere near time for your period. If you don’t need them, a friend might.
Oh, I might actually poop myself LOL
Thanks, everyone! Wish me luck!
Go have fun! The whole point is to have fun.
Enjoy your horse. Enjoy being with your friends.
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