Moving with a tack addiction: what to sell, what to keep?

[173north]

Long story short, I am moving cross-country. I also have a severe tack hoarding problem and I need to declutter but am not sure… exactly how to go about that. I will hopefully be leasing something again by fall, if not sooner, but right now I have about two horses’ worth of stuff and I just can’t tell what’s worth toting across the country.

I’m keeping my saddle and two bridles, a handful of bits, and probably a beautiful new wool dress cooler, but also have tons of grooming gear, saddle pads, schooling girths, and horse boots galore that seem not worth the shipping cost. I also have a beautiful wood trunk that I got for a song and know I should keep, but am not sure how to transport it or where to store it until I need it again.

Anyone have tips? Anything you got rid of that you wish you’d kept, or something you’d kept you should have sold/donated?

[OfCourseItsAnAlter]

I moved 2 1/2 years ago. Before I moved, I went through my tack shed, filled a Ford Explorer with stuff I didn’t think I would ever use again, drove it to an equine therapy/rescue farm I was familiar with, and donated it all. There were a couple of saddles, a few bridles, a bunch of saddle pads, some blankets, etc., etc.

Yeah. In the past year I’ve repurchased at least $1000 worth of stuff to replace things I gave away when I moved. Blankets, a show pad, a lunging surcingle, a bridle in cob size… And I also really wish I had one of those saddles back.

My advice is don’t get too ruthless with your weeding out. Take as much stuff as you can manage. Can you disguise the wood trunk as furniture? I’ve got a wooden trunk (roughly the size of a tack trunk, but not as tall) tucked in a corner of my living room.

[furlong47]

I would keep at least what you need for the one horse you intend to lease, and keep any favorite items that can’t be replaced. Balance the cost of shipping against the replacement cost for items - I can ship a saddle pad across the country for a heck of a lot less than buying a new one these days since they all seem to be $50+. But you probably only need a handful of saddle pads, so maybe don’t bring 40 of them. Go through the grooming stuff and put together one good grooming kit and weed out your duplicates. One each of different sized girths. If you’re going to take the trunk, I’d say limit yourself to what can fit in there. Bulky items like blankets might be better left behind, especially if you’ll be leasing something that will come with its own in the right size.

[trubandloki]

How are you moving your furniture?

I think a tack trunk is work moving with the furniture. If it requires you to get rid of an end table or a chair you never use then I say get rid of those things, not the tack trunk.
Then go thru your things and fill the tank trunk up.

I want to add - what you describe does not sound like you have a ton of tack at all. (Or maybe I am just trying to make how much junk I have seem like I don’t have a problem.)

[GraceLikeRain]

@173north

also have tons of grooming gear, saddle pads, schooling girths, and horse boots galore that seem not worth the shipping cost.

Something to consider is that it will be far cheaper to ship than replace new. Replacing my grooming tote and brushes probably ran me $200. Saddle pads was another $500 or so. I easily dropped $1k on replacing all of the “small stuff” that I’d sold or given away after the loss of my gelding. It is amazing how much everything adds up when you start pricing things out.

Are you shipping furniture? If so, couldn’t you pack the trunk to the gills and toss it on the truck with the house furniture?

[Scribbler]

I’ve done 4 cross country moves with big commercial moving companies that charged per pound. A large heavy but crap sofa is not worth moving. Most quality fabric items are worth it, cost more to replace than ship. Of course where to store on the other end factors in too.

Also by all accounts leather goods are dropping in quality year over year. If you have quality strap goods they are priceless. Even medium grade older bridels can be better quality than higher priced new ones.

I would chuck anything that is wearing out, saddle pads with stains, and any gear that you have ruled out ever actually using again, maybe novelty bits or draw reins. I would also have a critical eye on turnout blankets and rain sheets. If they are fatally stained or smelly, give them away. Same with grooming gear.

I would keep better quality girths but nothing that’s starting to wear out or the elastic is popping.

A lot depends on what you are moving for. Are you moving into a high paying job? Or will you have a cash crunch? Will you be in a spacious house or tiny apartment? Etc.

[clanter]

@OfCourseItsAnAlter

filled a Ford Explorer with stuff I didn’t think I would ever use again, drove it to an equine therapy/rescue farm I was familiar with, and donated it all. There were a couple of saddles, a few bridles, a bunch of saddle pads, some blankets, etc., etc.

which we have found to be a good source to buy tack from as there are 501.1c riding programs around here that have ended up with tons of tack they do not need or can use so they resell it at bargain prices.

Daughter got a new set of harness that she was looking to buy retail, she found the same harness at a therapy riding program that has no use for it at $400 rather than the $2500 she was expecting to pay…and for $200 additional they picked in a training set and another working set of harness

[BatCoach]

Things I have been happy I kept: girths, bits, bridles, side reins, high-quality brushes.
Things I have been happy I sold: blankets, sheets, breeches, saddle pads.
Things I wish I didn’t buy so damn much of - Polo Wraps and assorted brushing boots. used polos (even a good brand) are almost impossible to sell - same with boots.

Aside from any pieces that hold nostalgic value, get rid of anything that has wear & tear on it. Pads and wraps can be easily replaced, and sell/ give away anything that is sized for the horse as opposed to sized for you. Keep in mind how much energy you want to put into selling your goods and decide on what the minimum amount of profit is ‘worth it’. I ended up keeping lots of my grooming equipment because it is basically impossible to sell for much money, the items are small, portable and store well, and they can be used an any future equine.