Long term tack storage?

Anyone ever put tack and other horse equipment in long-term storage? I’m going to be living far far away in a place with no horses for the next 2-4 years, but will be back and plan to resume riding. So I hate to get rid of all of the gear that I’ve spent years and years accumulating. If I don’t store it, I’ll have to sell it for pennies on the dollar and then repurchase it all when I come back. :frowning:

All of my other belongings will be in super-nice climate-controlled storage and my tack trunks can go there as well. My DH suggested using some silica packets down in the trunks, but I worry that that might dry out some of the leather goods. Anyone have experience with any of this???

Honestly I would go through what you have keep what is the best quality and in best condition and sell /donate/trash the rest. We tend to accumulate more than we ever use. Things like blankets, coolers, sheets - I’d get rid of all of it. Keep the nicest bridle and your saddle. Dump the rest.

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I’ve already gone through a massive purge. I’m talking about things like training equipment where I searched and searched to find exactly what I wanted, and some of it in those exact configurations aren’t sold anymore.

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This is coming from a former museum collections professional -

Climate Controled is going to be your best best, you want humidity 55%+/-3%, mold is more likely to grow above 60% (You can get a cheap hydrothermograph on amazon, they’re close enough for what you need). If the facility tends to run humid then think about a desiccant but they have a finite use life and you won’t be there to monitor when to replace, you don’t want to just dump a bunch in there at once either. I’m comfortable enough with the residential type that I store my wooden and textile family antiques at one (with a tyvex floor and top covers as well as pig mat snakes around the edge)

Make sure each piece is cushioned/supported, I’ve worked with some gnarly old leather pieces that just collapsed on themselves

Very, very conservatively condition the pieces before storage, you don’t want a thick coat or it can congeal but you also want to protect it from seasonal humidity swings (most residential commercial storage facilities still swing because of the outside world and trust me you don’t want to pay to store with an art handler $$$ )

If you really want to read up, AIC put together a list of leather care resources https://www.connectingtocollections.org/leatherandfur/ (technically how the items were tanned can effect storage too but for 2 years of storage for items I assume are in active use, it should be fine without)

Also- check to see if your property insurance covers items in rental units, I believe USAA’s is kind of picky

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Years ago, I remember we would really clean and then lightly coat all leather with vaseline to prevent mold/rot etc…no idea if this is still recommended or done, but thought I’d throw it out there.

I was taught as a kid to clean strap goods really well, coat with a thin layer of Ko-cho-Line dressing and wrap individually in kraft paper for long term storage. I’ve never had issues with mildew this way but then again I’ve never let things sit longer than 10-12 months either. I’ll be interested to see what others recommend as I think I might be looking at storing my things long term too.

BTW, I completely understand wanting to hold onto the “good stuff.” Some of my favorite and most useful pieces of equipment no longer exist in the marketplace. It would be really frustrating and time consuming to try to replace it all a couple of years down the line.

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I just check our western tack that has been stored in a dark place that is climate controlled…looks, feels the same as when it was stored eight years ago

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I would not get rid of anything that you are fond of…we had a barn fire 2 years ago and I still have been unable to replace some of my cherished items!!! And did I mention the COST of replacing them? I would clean, oil and store in a dry area…I think I’d include some silica packs…and store everything indoors somewhere that maintains an even temp.

might add some of our western show tack is from the 1950s, it has real silver and the rolled leather bridle is just amazing