I dunno about that. We had dozens of volunteers functioning at rallies in various capacities in the years I was DC. None of them had SS checks and background checks. They were the parents and horsepeople we could convince should volunteer.
I guess that was an “Old fashioned practice” as well.
I’m not sure about Shires, but I did recently find wool Newmarket quarter sheets at https://horsecountrycarrot.com/index.cfm?action=store&sub=product&prod=2689&cat=385. Haven’t ordered one though.
Those yellow, red and black striped wool blankets are called Witney in the UK - if you are searching to buy one.
I prefer wool for my quarter sheet as it doesn’t get static. For a cooler, my favourite is the Thermatex or knock-off (mine’s from LeMieux) - they are like magic.
I’ve always called them “Newmarket” but apparently www.fridayfox.co.uk also call them “Whitney” in 100% wool
My barn uses so much bag balm! Go to ointment.
Still ride in my 16" Crosby Prix des Nations—it’s 48 years old and in great shape! I bought a newer one on eBay for $200 too, that was hardly used but not really oiled or taken care of. I’ve rejuvenated it and it’s my spare. I’ve pushed cows, practiced polo, went to the Maclay finals, showed jr. hunter, eq, and jumper in the 70s in that saddle. I rode my OTTB 3 weeks ago in his first show—both of our first dressage schooling show—in that same saddle. And in my Dehner boots from 1974 too. It’s hard as h-- getting them off, but they still ride great!
Toilets.
I don’t know about everywhere else, but in central Texas it was rare that any barn had so much as a latrine. They certainly knew what septic tanks were, but those were indeed different times. Real handle-flushing toilets were low down the list of appurtenances one might add to a purely functional horse barn. Not every rural gas station had toilets, either. I guess the bushes were good enough. Also people didn’t consider it necessary to drink as much liquid as we do now. I think we were probably dehydrated much of the time, but didn’t know it.
Running water. Didn’t have that either, not so much as a hose. The horses drank from a pond. Horses were not kept in a barn for any length of time for that reason. After a ride, horses were groomed rather than hosed to get the sweat off them. I remember that after a riding lesson, once all the horses were groomed and turned out, they would all file down to the pond for a good drink. And they all had different drinking behaviors, that was interesting.
I’m not sure there was so much as a well on some of the properties I frequented. Unless they had a windmill drawing water to fill a stock tank (usually would if there were cattle on the same pasture). Unless someone actually lived there. We used to bring drinking water in gallon jugs.
Electricity. If you wanted to feed before sun-up, bring a flashlight - a big one.
Honestly, we didn’t think much about it. The conditions were par for expectations.
I do not think many riders today would be willing to ride at all without working toilets, running water and electricity in the barn. Plus population density has increased such that many barns are on city water anyway. Those that aren’t are supplied with wells, septic systems and rural electric providers.
Although day-trailering makes those old habits handy. 
Horse management is still taken seriously in our region, and at championships. Parents still have to stay away from the kids at rallies, so I’m not sure how you have helicopter parents, unless you mean at other non-rally events.
SOME kids strive for upper level ratings and some are happy to settle somewhere in the middle. Our region made a chart at the annual meeting and it was something like 5% were rated C3 or higher.
Numbers have declined, but it seems to be more of a casualty of kids doing multiple activities and fewer backyard ponies.
We have adult members, but it’s been kind of hard to integrate them as regular members along with the kids. They seem to only be in it for the discounted lessons and never help out, go to rallies, or unmounted activities.
Oh you made me think! My first riding instructress used to screen horse poop in the stalls out of the shavings with her gloved hands, because we only had pitchforks, not “wonderforks” or “Futureforks” at the time. When we first saw a FutureFork, we all thought it was the bee’s knees. I thought California invented it, because I never saw one when I rode in Oregon, only after I’d moved to California in 1968.
HEY, there is no Wikipedia entry on Futureforks!
Our unofficial take was that it was our job in PC to make C3 level riders. B, HA and A were reserved for the dedicated few, but everybody should be able to get to a solid C3.
I never rode in a real Pony Club, but I gave myself an honorary C3 in my imagination.
Aregard, I (never having been in Pony Club) hereby award you a well earned B for your contributions to COTH. You go!
This is exactly what to do.
Even removing the safety aspect of this, do ppl take take one thing off a hanger from their closet and throw what they are currently wearing on the ground?
OK, I do that. But never in the barn!!
Silage forks were the best you could do.
We had fights and intrigue over them on barn inspection day (horse camp).
Is it cheating if you stash the good fork so you get first dibs when campers are released into the barn in morning? What if you hide it so that no one else can use it?
I still say no to #1, but yes, #2 is cheating!
Handpicking was a thing.
You can still buy Scarlet Oil. I have some in the barn on the shelf!
Sadly, I failed an online Pony Club C test recently. I lacked the necessary knowledge of farriery. I admit I was both proud that I had the horsemanship to almost pass and disappointed that I failed (at my ripe old age!). I told the farrier when I next saw him and he said that he does a lot of work with the local PCs teaching kids about feet.
This thread has made me so nostalgic!! I still use many ‘old school’ methods that were listed here. I actually still supplement one of my horses with Source, I had no idea until today that that was considered ‘Old school’ 
For grooming, I think some of the oldest methods are still best: cactus cloth, and a linen rub rag come with me everywhere. I also have a strapping pad and will strap horses occasionally, especially coming into work at the beginning of the season.
I prefer pine tar or venice turpentine for hooves over almost anything else on the market currently.
I love love love a good wool cooler or a cotton irish knit over any other synthetic coolers made today.
I also still condition my horses in a way that most people don’t seem to today. Lot’s of getting out and about, conditioning sets, and cross training.
The pony club I’m in has pretty good participation from the adult members. And, instead of declining numbers, ours has a waiting list to join.
We used Mollimentum (sp?)
I don’t know if this is a regional thing or what, but I definitely agree people condition event horses differently today versus 25 years ago when I was first introduced to eventing.
I grew up Chester County, PA and got to see a lot of the top riders of the time. There was sooo much saddle time dedicated to conditioning. One barn I was at, the horses rode out 5-6 days a week, with different conditioning goals each day. Then they would get a second ride to focus on dressage or show jumping. It was rare to have a day they weren’t putting in conditioning rides on the horses, even if it was just a long hack at the walk before or after serious arena work.
Then I moved south and was shocked to see that wasn’t the norm in that area-- many of the local upper level riders rarely did any work outside of the arena! Arena arena arena, maybe haul out for an XC schooling session, arena arena arena, maybe do some gallop work in someone’s pasture, arena arena. Injuries were also through the roof.
Now, I know neither of what I described are the norm. But my perception is it feels like there are more people today trying to condition serious event horses with short rides in the arena.
(Side note: I know sometimes this is because of forces outside the riders’ control, like loss of land for conditioning. I also am not saying everyone is eventing their horse without conditioning them; totally not true.)
I would assume the changes in conditioning practices from 25 years ago were more due to the end of the long format. Or have you seen changed at lower levels, too?
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