As the title says…I am planning to buy a trailer and with my budget I am probably sacrificing a tack room. What solutions are there to Bring my tack and gear to shows? Is it all going in the back of the truck? The trailer I am looking at does have bridle hooks.
I used to use the other stall since I was only taking my horse. If you are taking two, I think the back of the truck is the only solution. A couple of rubber tubs will help with organizing.
I’ve never had a tack room, so maybe I don’t know what I’m missing.
Back seat of the truck works for me. Tack rooms can be leaky and insecure so you are probably packing some of your gear each time. I guess if I had a tack room I’d have two sets of some low value things like grooming kit ant buckets so they could stay in the trailer full time. I’m pretty sure I’d be packing helmet, saddle and bridle every time anyway.
I use the back seat of the truck, and I have a small trunk in the front of the trailer for things that stay there all the time, like emergency extra tack, lug wrench, boot jack & pulls, horse boots, etc.
Saddle in the front passenger seat of the truck and plastic tubs in the back of the truck for everything else has been my solution.
[QUOTE=pologirl27;7795407]
What solutions are there to Bring my tack and gear to shows?.[/QUOTE]
Hauled a 1 horse Brenderup Solo with a Volvo Sedan ~
For 3 day shows, I would use a Stanley rolling tack trunk tied down in the front nose of the trailer, with a zippered hay bag on top, also secured in place. This was basically in front of the chest bar, under the horse’s nose. The trailer hay net would hang on top, with room to spare for my horse’s head.
Muck tub with travel-size manure fork, and water buckets in the car trunk. Saddle, bridle, pads in the back seat of the car.
Competed at several recognized events in Area IV with this rig (Hill’n’Hound, Otter Creek, Hidden Hollow)
I should add there is no back seat of my truck! I am interested in this tying the trunk concept- how did you get it really secure? FWIW I will generally be taking 1 horse only. Center partition does not extend to the floor.
You can install fold-down tie rings to allow you to fasten your containers in the trailer’s available space so they will not move during transport. I actually built a “bench storage unit” into the nose of my trailer that carries all the stuff that necessarily stays in my trailer, such as first aid, horse-handling gear, etc. My water container gets tied down on one corner and my bucket collection in the other corner. I have removable, folding saddle racks that I can slip onto bolt-studs while on location to ease tacking up time and just carry the saddles in the back of my SUV while actually moving down the road. Be creative.
Oh, an one option you can consider if buying a new trailer is something with an extended nose rather than a DR…a little more space to do what I described already without the expense and weight of the DR.
I used bungee cords and existing metal tie rings already mounted midpoint up the front wall of the trailer, to anchor (hook) the track trunk in place. Friction and a tight fit kept the bale of hay in a canvas bag from moving - it was wedged on top of the tack trunk, between the triangle of the chest bar and 2 trailer walls.
Nothing ever moved during any of my trailering trips - but I admit it was a bit redneck LOL ~
I think Jim has some great suggestions!
I am now considering a newer B’up with two stalls, and a partition that goes down to the floor, so I can use the second stall for stuff.
I have bridle racks in the front of the trailer for bridles, breast plates, girths, extra halters etc. Then I have a Stanley trunk ratchet strapped in the front. This holds brushes, fly spray, buckets, my vest, helmet, first aid kit etc. My horse isn’t one to check on things, so she doesn’t bug it, but I’m not sure anyone would be able to reach it either way. Then I have a water jug (kind of like a tall and thin gas can) that I hook in the front on the other side with a bungee. This gives me more than enough water to sponge well and water at least 1 horse. If I were taking two I might take a second jug if it were going to be really hot. I typically haul tacked and then put saddle, pads etc, in the back seat of the truck on the way home.
While it isn’t an ideal situation, it really isn’t too difficult to work with. If you aren’t going to haul a second horse you can always make a stud divider and use the second stall as a tack stall, too!
[QUOTE=pologirl27;7795785]
I should add there is no back seat of my truck! I am interested in this tying the trunk concept- how did you get it really secure? FWIW I will generally be taking 1 horse only. Center partition does not extend to the floor.[/QUOTE]
I missed this when I replied. For my Stanley trunk I had to set a 2x4 on the ground behind the trunk to allow enough clearance to open the lid all of the way. Then I secured it with a ratchet strap and really ratcheted it down so there is no way it can move. I have a leadshank tied above the trunk at the right length so when I open the lid I can clip it and it keeps it open 
I know you young things are tough, but once you have a tack room it would be
hard to visualize not having one. You could even sleep in it if it had a window in it for air.
[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;7796102]
I know you young things are tough, but once you have a tack room it would be
hard to visualize not having one. You could even sleep in it if it had a window in it for air.[/QUOTE]
Come on Foxtrot! You can sleep without a dressing room! Just sweep out the shavings and throw down an air mattress! Where’s your sense of adventure 
My sister and I started out with a 2-horse straight load bumper pull with no mangers or tack room, but it did have extra space in front of the horses. It also had 2 full-size escape doors, one on each side.
My Dad measured the width of the escape doors, and custom built 2 super-simple tack trunks that just barely fit thru the escape doors (the trunks were also built to exactly fit 1/2 of the width of the trailer, so they completely filled the extra space in front of the horses). The trunks were made of 1/2" plywood, just a big rectangular cube with rope handles and a hinged lockable lid. The trunks did not have wheels so we did not have to worry about them shifting in transit. If we needed wheels, we could use ratchet straps to attach a 4-wheeled furniture dolly to the bottom. I think each trunk used 1.5 sheets of plywood, so they we way more affordable than any commercially built tack trunk.
My trunk has survived 28 years of use and 18 years of military moves across the country, and is still being used today.
You are all a creative bunch! Once this thing comes home I will see what size truck I can fit and how to attach. Those who strap the truck, what did you loop your ratchet straps through? There are escape doors on this trailer, and what seems like a decent amount of space between where the chest bars are and the end of the trailer.
I have a Hawk that has a built-in, triangle shaped bin in the front under the hay bags that works great for buckets, feed dishes, water can and other stuff that stays in the trailer. It’s nothing fancy and you could easily build one if your trailer doesn’t have one. The rest is in highly organized plastic bins in my car (a Yukon). One bin that stays there at all times with horse necessities (lunge line, extra halter, etc.) and a couple other specific ones that go in and out for shows. Much easier than packing and repacking every time.
One of these for your truck bed, to store saddles and other stuff that needs to stay dry: https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-verizon&sboxchip=Shopping&biw=360&bih=260&tbm=shop&ei=A2E3VOefGYGjyATZ8ID4Dg&q=Horsemans+pride+trunk+&oq=Horsemans+pride+trunk+&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3…30i10.12937.24533.0.25654.14.12.1.1.1.0.394.2060.0j8j3j1.12.0…0…1c.1.55.mobile-gws-serp…0.14.2147.3.fSM1L-ivKPw#spd=1808025900651495567
Door organizers for all the miscellaneous crap: http://m.horse.com/item/professionals-choice-trailer-door-caddy/SLT311625/
Extra smaller tote inside the trailer, in front of the stalls, for larger items (tool kit, Trailer Aid, etc.)
Bridle hooks for bridles and other small hang-able items like a broom, etc.
Ever use a tack trunk? When showing we had a tack trunk for each horse then one for spares/common use items.
We did have two different styles, one water proof for eventing/competitive rides and the other fancy showy for the roundy-roundy shows
You are right - my sense of adventure seems to have become diluted…
I have a small tack trunk, not saddle sized at all. Those bigger ones look like a good idea!
