In this, Season 1, Episode 1 of "The Haunted Tack Trunk"

[ZuzusPetals]

… we confront the mystery of two martingales, one standing and one running, each with my nameplate. I have zero recollection of the horse(s) that went in them. They definitely were used. We also delve into whether they can be revived after 20-plus years of storage.

Tune in for Episode 2: What am I doing with four pairs of pony-size polo wraps when I haven’t fit on a pony since, oh, birth? And a teaser for Episode 3: How many dressage whips do you really need, with bonus material: My God, is that another lunge whip in the cedar closet?

[Ergots]

My trunks would be a Hoarders episode! I do have an ancient Warners trunk that is still “haunted” by the can of eternal stench, Reducine!

[ZuzusPetals]

Ugh, @Ergots. Reducine brings back memories of That Entire Spring When Horsey Was Lame And We Tried Everything And Horsey Was So Unhappy.

[2DogsFarm]

As best I can recall, the wood trunk (from a Dover kit) DH & I put together & embellished*, holds an x-ray of the shoulder I separated.
I wish I could claim a dramatic effort, but Truth is I came off when TB stumbled over a teeny X
There might be a pair of navy blue roughout chaps.
I’m pretty certain the white polos (for Eq), charcoal & black ones retired there in the late 90s.
Yes, call me Monochromatic
Other contents is a Mystery.
It lives in my partially finished basement (in-law apt). Maybe I need to take a look & see what else from my past is in there…
The footlockers in my barn are another whole chapter. Oldest is from 1985

*Added a piano hinge, holder for above polos & upgraded the handles. And built a base for it to sit up off the floor.

[ZuzusPetals]

Mine contains the brushes that were a birthday gift when I was 8, more than 40 years ago. They’re still in great shape. I’m so excited to use them again.

@2DogsFarm, love the X-ray. And swear to God, those tiny X rails are deadly. I think it’s because you can’t really feel the horse preparing to hop it and the approach is more, “Barrroooo? Something’s in my way?” Terrifying. Give me 24 inches over a tiny X any day.

In figure skating, you’re taught the bunny hop as a prelude to toe jumps. I’ll gladly do 10 toe jumps before I do a bunny hop. You can seriously, seriously wipe on those damn things.

[Indy]

When I started riding again as an adult and got my tack trunk from my mom, in it was a beautiful leather girth with my name in the elastic in sharpie so clearly it had been mine. Except it is sized to fit nothing larger than a small pony. And while I am a small person, I’ve never owned or shown a small pony. So why TF did I own this girth? It’s not like a cheap schooling girth or something I might have acquired while riding someone else’s creature (unlike all of the random bits and bridles also in the trunk). This is nice, show-quality leather. Now I loan it out to the pony kids at the barn whenever there is a small pony because someone might as well use it but why do I own this???

[chestnutmarebeware]

My tack trunks are clearly portals to an alternate universe where I owned 37 horses who each needed their own bridle in a unique size. In another universe/tack trunk I was clearly a dressage rider based on the fact that there is a virtually untouched saddle with my nameplate on it and approximately 17 sets of unused polo wraps.

[trubandloki]

@ZuzusPetals

Episode 3: How many dressage whips do you really need

I look forward to this episode, because to me there is not such a thing as too many dressage whips, so I am wondering how they try to state a limited number is the right amount.

[silver_charm]

I really need to clean out my storage. The bridle collection (at least two if not three of each cob/horse/oversized, because what if next horse is a different size and needs a figure 8 or flash?) has at least come in handy, as every time I’ve leased something I have had a bridle for it. But the blanket collection? Every horse I’ve leased has had their own set, and at 5’4’’ I will never fit on something that needs an 84". But do I own an 84" because it’s that perfect grey newmarket Horseware color? Yes. Yes I do.

To be fair I offered a barn friend the chance to dig through my collection, but of course her new horse needed 75" and my options start at 78". I’m counting that as an attempt to downsize.

[Pokerface]

@trubandloki

I look forward to this episode, because to me there is not such a thing as too many dressage whips, so I am wondering how they try to state a limited number is the right amount.

I too, eagerly await hearing how one can have too many dressage whips. Mine all seem to grow legs and walk away. I suspect my horse has a hoof in all of this.

[drop_shot]

I did this recently and found that over the years, I have been hoarding leather halters. They’re all in good shape, but six “back up” halters for one horse really seems like overkill.

[showy]

If you think tack trunks are horrors, you should see my garage storage bin!

A million horse clothes in 84 and 86 when current horse is a 76 on a good day? Check.

An array of shipping halters adorned with not my farms name? Check.

Every pad insert and shim that has ever existed? Check.

[trubandloki]

@drop_shot

I did this recently and found that over the years, I have been hoarding leather halters. They’re all in good shape, but six “back up” halters for one horse really seems like overkill.

Until it is not.

(I might have a problem with having too many back-ups of many things, so maybe don’t listen to me.)

[Scribbler]

When you get a horse trailer you will be happy to have a variety of leather halters for shipping random horses!

[goodhors]

I have been going thru my tack trunks (not going to count how many!) all Fall. The excess stuff (well much of it) is packed to start doing the tack sales. Weeded out all the blankets, rainsheets smaller than 82". No equines here smaller than that. Quite a few never-used bridles, buying when we had to jog out 4 horses before competition, spares for the kids who actually never broke any leather bridle parts! Spare hunting breast plates, since the kids were required (by me) to use them as accident prevention. They actually prevented kids falling off when they forgot to check girths after warmup. Usually only one slip, never forgot again after their friends laughed at them! Saddle hanging on horse side, stopped by breast plate strap, as kid swings feet to the ground is MUCH better than saddle under the belly with kid still in it!!

There are a lot of cottons for leg wrapping in a trunk, for when I believed every horse needed leg wrapping to ride in a trailer. Adds up when hauling 4 horses. They do make nice small pet crate liners! Ha ha This after I already DID donate some to the humane society for crate liners found in another trunk.

Bits are out of control. No local market for driving horse bits, so those bags lurk, reappearing as I move things around “organizing.”

Very seldom does anything wear out, to be tossed without guilt.

[ZuzusPetals]

Progress. I tossed two old helmets that had sentimental value but are 25+ years old. They’re not safety-rated. Out, too, went the old ill-fitting chaps that I could have offered free to a good home, but the white funk on them gave me pause.

And the brushes, some of which dated to when I was 8 years old. Yes, some were in OK shape and I had intended to keep using them. But then: They weren’t high-quality brushes, and they held memories both good and sad. I want to spend my time with good tools. And it’s time to start building new memories. So today I replaced all but two. … All the sheets, blankies, etc., were donated long ago, thank goodness, so no more tears.

I did save my very first crop. I’ll keep it always. Sniff.

[Happyhooves]

My tack trunks are haunted as well. I recently opened the abandoned, creaky ones in the garage and started going through them, and they bring up so many ghosts of horses and ponies past and grown up kid-who-no-longer rides ( it breaks my heart; those were such fun times). I see the bits of old bridle or girths with brass nameplates and the memories just swirl. I can’t decide what to do with everything that’s no longer needed, so I close the trunks up and work up the nerve to face them another day. Finally pulled off some name tags/plates and tossed a couple of old girths with aging elastic. Ready to toss cotton net coolers that I never used. I have too many bits (but of course can’t find the one bit that I really want to use on my present horse) and am trying to figure out which things the riding school might be able to use. The whole haunted tack trunk thing is complete with what’s probably dried blood on the lid from where it banged down on my head numerous times over the years.

[ZuzusPetals]

So poignant, @Happyhooves. I think it’s the trunks’ odors that bring back so much. Now when I open it to grab the next piece of leather to be reclaimed, with the next nameplate to be polished, I see the new brushes and tell myself it’s good to be back.

[Rackonteur]

Sniff oh dear now I am wishing I still had my first crop! You did good to have kept yours. I can still see the rubbed spot on mine, but can’t remember what caused it.
It may have gotten sold along with my aunt’s boots that never fit me properly but were such classics they had garters.
I agree it is kind of nice (sort of) to no longer have brushes that cause tears.

[ZuzusPetals]

@Rackonteur, the rub on my crop was its christening the first time I used it! I dropped it in the sand ring and the horse stepped on it, breaking some of the woven brown fiber covering. (You know this crop. Everyone in the ‘70s had this thing.) I mended it with black electrical tape, still holding all these many years later.