Multiple saddle handling (lugging from trailer, best racks/stands, etc.) at shows - ideas/suggestions?

[Amordoro]

I am not sure this is the best forum to post this, but I’ll start here, since I am talking about dressage shows!

In the past at away shows I’ve typically just lugged my saddle by hand from the trailer to the tack stall, and then stored it on one of those standard folding metal saddle stands like this - which I also carry by hand from the trailer to the tack stall!
https://www.amazon.com/Intrepid-International-Folding-Saddle-Stand/dp/B009GJAGZU

That’s not really very efficient, though, and this year, for the first time in a while, I will probably be showing 2 horses at some shows. Lugging 2 saddles by hand isn’t very appealing, and 2 saddles won’t fit on one of those stands - and I’m not very interested in getting a second stand like that and having to store/lug it.

So I’m looking for suggestions and ideas about how others deal with this - particularly with more than one saddle. What specific types of saddle racks/stands do you use to store your saddles in your show tack room, or by your show stall, to give you a place to put them after taking them off the horse, and also, ideally, to clean them? And - if different - how do you tote them from the trailer to the stall? A special saddle stand? Wheelbarrow/cart? Some kind of general gear lugger, like this kind of canvas wagon that was suggested on a different thread?
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00BUUUIGK/?coliid=IZUIERLQ2GV53&colid=1YPVG0GLZGVL9&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I need solutions that are somewhat space-conscious and easily portable. Although I have a 3-horse GN (2+1) with DR, I may often be taking 3 horses to shows (my two plus a friend’s) and so will have no room for gear in any of the horse areas. And my DR configuration leaves very limited floor space, due to built-in saddle racks & gear box, and the need for clearance for the door to the +1 horse area. I have one of those large Burlingham upright saddle trunks, which fits 2 saddles and all sorts of other stuff and is really great. I’ve used it for wintering in FL, when a professional shipper could take it - but I can’t use it to solve this problem, since it won’t fit in my DR and I can’t fit it in the horse areas when I have 3 horses in there.

Thanks!

[Training_Cupid]

This! https://www.statelinetack.com/item/rolling-saddle-rack-cart/BRL30/

If you’re using it in the trailer too I’d probably bungee it to secure.

[Amordoro]

The thing about that is it takes up a lot of room for something that just holds saddles. Schneider’s has one that is a little less heavy duty but supposedly folds relatively easily, which is possibly more feasible. But the non-folding ones are big, and have to just sit on the floor, no other way to store them - and as I said I don’t have much floor space in the DR.

[SAB]

It probably doesn’t make much sense if you’ve just got your own horses and aren’t sharing a tack room, but I have one of the easy ups from Schneiders (https://www.sstack.com/stable_racksorganizers_saddle-racks-carts-stands/easy-up-5-tier-main-frame_2/) and it’s pretty amazing when there’s 3 or 4 of you in one tack room. It saves SO MUCH SPACE.

[Amordoro]

SAB, that actually looks great! And it disassembles into pieces so is super easy and space efficient to store! Question for you though - have you encountered situations where the hooks wouldn’t fit over the stall wall? Like at the Virginia Horse Center I think the walls are thick concrete, and you wouldn’t be able to hang it - perhaps over the top bars of the stall doors, but not the walls. What do you do in that situation?

[ACMEeventing]

@Training Cupid

This! https://www.statelinetack.com/item/rolling-saddle-rack-cart/BRL30/

If you’re using it in the trailer too I’d probably bungee it to secure.

That is fantastic. Now on my list of things I need!

[rothmpp]

I use this:

https://www.statelinetack.com/item/double-saddle-hanging-rack/WLR15/

But it doesn’t fold up at all (bonus is that it is pretty sturdy). It does need something 2 inches or less to hang over - Everywhere I show there are either wood walls or temp stalls.

[endlessclimb]

You could probably use your saddle trunk. Think of how you’re going to tie the 3rd horse in the +1. There should be a corner somewhere. Bungee it tightly in place so it can’t move. Unload horse from +1 when you get there, and then move the trunk into the tack stall.

[Texarkana]

Even though they only hold one saddle, I like this style:

https://www.sstack.com/Stable_RacksOrganizers_Saddle-Racks-Carts-Stands/Easy-Up-Show-Cart-with-Saddle-Rack/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwttbWBRDyARIsAN8zhbID_fF5WAWgVZuuheMqNhinBMMP5bGavL9B9gIdb6VgDP1EtlKJ9M4aAqB7EALw_wcB

https://www.chicksaddlery.com/rolling-saddle-rack-cart-with-basket?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google%2Bdata%2Bfeed&gclid=Cj0KCQjwttbWBRDyARIsAN8zhbKx3Pk2fO4eGGmNUGqlFZwoHVz2Wnz24q8SXx5Wi0PWtvwSBu1FVOAaAlMLEALw_wcB

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=c21440ed-97c6-466d-a014-22e0d0c44137&sfb=1&itemguid=c6db3f4d-6b6d-4da9-b5f6-031a2fdc36c5&utm_content=30027&ccd=IFH003&CAWELAID=120295250000104593&CATARGETID=120295250000182483&cadevice=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjwttbWBRDyARIsAN8zhbL7wSA8MBF3fI9xue8UnS6KXBeREtZ2U8zvKbauSxO6eq4hn_YsU1saAtq9EALw_wcB

You can put 2 English saddles on top of one another easily and transport other odds & ends in the basket below.

[PrincessPonies]

@Doha

SAB, that actually looks great! And it disassembles into pieces so is super easy and space efficient to store! Question for you though - have you encountered situations where the hooks wouldn’t fit over the stall wall? Like at the Virginia Horse Center I think the walls are thick concrete, and you wouldn’t be able to hang it - perhaps over the top bars of the stall doors, but not the walls. What do you do in that situation?

I think if I remember right from the two times I showed there you can hang things on the front of the stall. We always had multiple racks on the front wall.

[netg]

I absolutely ADORE my Rolltack. But I’m finding this thread interesting - in the hypothetical future day I’m showing two horses, I will have to keep some of these in mind. I actually really liked that lightweight cart with two baskets and one rack for now, though!

A warning about those carts - I have one, and they’re HEAVY, but if you transport saddles on them 1) they bounce off and 2) the rack bends.

[joiedevie99]

I just carry my stuff in to the barn. Then I put saddles on these: http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Over_the_Wall_2_Saddle_Rack/descpage-OW2SR.html

[Amordoro]

joiedevie, I was looking at something just like that:

https://www.bigdweb.com/product/folding+saddle+rack+double.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=100677

but supposedly it folds. Unfortunately there are no reviews, so I can’t tell how sturdy it is. And no pictures of how it folds. But it looks pretty simple and convenient! But I’m tired of carrying it all to the barn! I think a wagon is the way to go… The rolling saddle racks are too large and heavy for my needs. I worry about their practicality when being rolled over terrain with saddles on them - but it doesn’t matter, because they just take up too much space for me.

I’m still intrigued by that Easy up wall rack. You could get it with just two saddle racks and, say the saddle pad rack. SAB, if you are still around, how unwieldy is the main rack piece to carry? I’m not sure if it would fit in one of those wagons…

princessponies, I found an old photo, and I think you’re right - it looks pretty easy to hang things on the door at VHC.

Good suggestions, thanks!

[Knubbsy]

@Training Cupid

This! https://www.statelinetack.com/item/rolling-saddle-rack-cart/BRL30/

If you’re using it in the trailer too I’d probably bungee it to secure.

One of my trainers has those in the barn even just for day-to-day use. I love it. It’s a little bit of a pain to get over lips on the floor but with the hooks on the back for bridles, halters, etc and the bucket in the bottom it covers everything I really need.

[HereComesZach]

@netg

I absolutely ADORE my Rolltack.

Ohhh I COVET one of those! I haven’t been able to show enough to justify it, but it’s been on my wish list FOREVER!

[Amordoro]

@netg

I absolutely ADORE my Rolltack.

I had never heard of these. Can you describe what you love about it? It’s definitely cute but - it’s on the ground. Isn’t it a pain to, eg, clean the saddle when it’s down so low? It seems like you’d always have to be bending down and lifting the saddle up. And it seems like it takes up a lot of space for what it is. But it certainly seems like it makes it easy to cart a single saddle around!

@endlessclimb

You could probably use your saddle trunk. Think of how you’re going to tie the 3rd horse in the +1. There should be a corner somewhere. Bungee it tightly in place so it can’t move. Unload horse from +1 when you get there, and then move the trunk into the tack stall.

Omg, there is absolutely no way to fit my saddle trunk in the +1 with a horse! The Burlingham saddle trunk is huge:

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/burlingham-saddle-trunk-2119

Its 4’ tall and almost 3’ square. It won’t fit discreetly into any corner. It won’t even fit in my DR - we’ll maybe if I emptied everything else out of it. My +1 area has no real usable corners - it’s kind of a rough triangle, or maybe sort of a trapezoid. And it’s not huge - it fits a horse, and that’s pretty much all. Whatever horse is up there tends to change positions a lot, since it’s basically a box stall (though I do tie them). It would feel really unsafe to me to put anything in there with a horse, much less something so bulky and obtrusive as this trunk.

It is a fabulous trunk, though! I highly recommend it, for anyone with a need for such a thing. It was perfect for packing saddles, bridles, and all sorts of grooming and other gear for 2 horses to go south in the winter!

[endlessclimb]

@Doha

Omg, there is absolutely no way to fit my saddle trunk in the +1 with a horse! The Burlingham saddle trunk is huge:

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/bu…dle-trunk-2119

Its 4’ tall and almost 3’ square. It won’t fit discreetly into any corner. It won’t even fit in my DR - we’ll maybe if I emptied everything else out of it. My +1 area has no real usable corners - it’s kind of a rough triangle, or maybe sort of a trapezoid. And it’s not huge - it fits a horse, and that’s pretty much all. Whatever horse is up there tends to change positions a lot, since it’s basically a box stall (though I do tie them). It would feel really unsafe to me to put anything in there with a horse, much less something so bulky and obtrusive as this trunk.

It is a fabulous trunk, though! I highly recommend it, for anyone with a need for such a thing. It was perfect for packing saddles, bridles, and all sorts of grooming and other gear for 2 horses to go south in the winter!

The other two horses stand in slots - I’m guessing your trailer is 6’10" wide roughly, yes? Then the horses in the slots have less room side to side even if the tack trunk is in there. If it was secured to a corner, I doubt you’d have any problem. Block the bulkhead door with it, tie in the other front +1 corner. When you get there, get the first horse out (back down the ramp if you have to) or, if that horse stands nicely in the trailer, get the trunk out first. Once it’s out, use the trailer as normal.

You could also block the SS stud gate with it, so it’s not an obstacle in unloading the first horse. Just bungee it to the stud gate itself. Unload it after unloading the first horse.

Not for cross-country hauls, but local stuff that would work fine.

This is all assuming the horse in the +1 isn’t too big for the +1 to begin with - most are.

EDIT: how is your +1 not square? Perhaps we are talking about a different +1…

[netg]

@HereComesZach

Ohhh I COVET one of those! I haven’t been able to show enough to justify it, but it’s been on my wish list FOREVER!

I’ve used mine much more for clinics than shows! It’s just super convenient all the time.

@Doha

I had never heard of these. Can you describe what you love about it? It’s definitely cute but - it’s on the ground. Isn’t it a pain to, eg, clean the saddle when it’s down so low? It seems like you’d always have to be bending down and lifting the saddle up. And it seems like it takes up a lot of space for what it is. But it certainly seems like it makes it easy to cart a single saddle around!

I clean the saddle over the tack stall gate or a saddle rack already, so it doesn’t affect that negatively for me. No, I wouldn’t want to use it for cleaning my saddle, though. The billets do have to be placed under the strap intended for them in order to avoid dragging on the ground.

This works as a mounting block, and it also holds a LOT. I put my brushes, sprays and I make up bags of grain I also put in it, and usually also a purse. The only other items I need which don’t fit in are my show clothing, hay, and muck buckets for water and mucking + rake. I was going to get myself a trunk and thought it was a waste of space since I didn’t need that much stuff - and this got rid of my need for one.

[Amordoro]

@endlessclimb

EDIT: how is your +1 not square? Perhaps we are talking about a different +1…

Maybe? Not to get too far off topic, but here is the layout of my trailer (also showing that my DR floor space is limited!):

http://equispirit.com/products/3horse_floorplan.htm

The slanted wall at the front of what I am calling the “+1” area is the DR wall. It allows a larger DR while still being roomier for the horse - but the horse pretty much has to stand with his head toward the small corner. That’s where his hay is. Still, he can (and does) shift his HQs all around, from standing diagonally to straight against the trailer wall to flat against the DR wall.

There is plenty of room for all but the hugest horse - I never put my old 17.3hh, long-backed, old-fashioned Hanoverian up there, though he probably could have just fit. But of the two true corners, one is directly in the diagonal line where the horse stands; and a large upright trunk in the other, though it conceivably would leave room for the horse (the trailer comes optionally with a divider parallel to the DR wall that makes a slant-load style “slot” for the horse, though I don’t have it, that would leave that much room) would fully block the only full-sized human entrance into the trailer, since the trunk is so large. I’d have no access at all to the horse on the driver side. Maybe for a 15 minute drive- but not for drives of 1-2 or even 4 hours, which are my typical show drives.

[endlessclimb]

Interesting layout. Not at all what I was thinking when you said +1, though I’d still haul the trunk bungeed in front of the SS gate. Many many trailers do not have human access, so I wouldn’t personally be worried about it.

Do you have the bulkhead door?