Show set-up ideas

[541hunter]

My BO and trainer have expressed interest in stepping up our game, show set-up wise. Being a very eager beaver who loves interior design and organization, I am ALL OVER IT. I found a couple threads on this topic, but I’m looking for some fresh ideas! We’ve been growing as a barn a lot recently (from 5-8 at the shows to now having 18 horses signed up for one of the upcoming weeks!!!) and we need some solutions. Plus we like pretty things and we want to present ourselves as a classy show barn. Obviously that’s a little frivolous but whatever.

I’ve seen the COTH article covering the Menlo Charity tack room contest, which has a lot of great ideas. I’m looking for some ideas for how to decorate the visible areas as well as organize the behind-the-scenes locations. For most shows, we have 2 cross ties, a supply/feed room, and a tack room/dressing area, plus our little tented seating area out front. We’re discussing adding an extra stall to separate out the tack room and dressing room in an attempt to keep things a little neater.

What organization products are you using? Any beautiful drool-worthy inspiration pics you’ve seen? Extra points for shots of your own set-ups!

[BetterOffRed]

I love individual stall door panels- barn’s name and the horse’s name.

[Fig]

I love bridle racks that you can hang up as well as hanging saddle racks. I agree with the stall panels, love the look! Besides the standard drapes, we used to carry around a topiary tree and a really pretty custom wood sign that hung on a post with two huge flower pots on either side. It was simple and easy to load and unload but looked really nice. A cute table with some stools was a hit with the clients (and trainer ) for a glass of wine between classes.

[MtnDrmz]

Love the stall drapes, but they are a bit expensive with that many horses unless you plan to pass off some cost to clients who are showing. Definitely having a desperate dressing room away from take room is key as you grow. Also, depending on your colors, we actually use bed sheets for lining the inside of our dressing rooms since you usually don’t see all the way to the top from the outside. This helps give us a really finished look without as much of the cost! Just staple gun them up.

[mvp]

OP, I don’t have pictures easily available, but if that first horse show in Eugene works out, I’ll show you the halter board/saddle rack I designed. It’s made by Phoenix West. You can add a name plate. (Smart barns make these removable so that different horses’ names can be slid in each show). The beauty of my thing is that you can take the saddle rack off and use it as a halter board at night. Then, when you are ready to tack up, you put up the saddle thing. Your bridle goes on the hook. Your trunk is underneath. This way, you have all your tack within reach, but not on the lid of your tack trunk… so you can reach in there, too.

It’s also matchy-match with the trunk. I have a stall guard, too, but I don’t use that often. Having more than one item in your barn’s colors make things look great… even without drapes which are more money and more work. The halter board/saddle rack is functional (unlike a stall door board), so no effort is wasted for the people doing set up.

It rocks. If I get un-lazy, I’ll post a picture in photobucket.

[HJStyleReport]

I work for Equitex. Check out our Instagram for a bunch of fun ideas and photos! You can find my contact info there, I’d be happy to give you ideas. We made most of the set ups in the chronicle article about Menlo.

[Lexie55]

If you can find any pictures of Arabian shows in the 1980’s, that should give you some goals to aspire to People used to bring in oriental rugs, living room furniture (generally tacky gilt French reproductions), crystal chandeliers … and set them up at the entrance to the barn.

In all seriousness, having a place to sit is key. Does anyone still make the old fold up director’s chairs? If so, embroidered / monogrammed director’s chairs would be a nice touch and much lighter to carry than living room furniture

Stall drapes for each stall are lovely, but watch out for the horses that drag them through the bars and chew on them. The stall banners / panels for stall doors is a way to get the uniform look without having them get trashed.

[Lexie55]

Here is a pretty recent Arabian show stall decoration !http://www.westernhorsereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/DSC_0676.jpg

[Soaponarope]

You are talking my language OP! I get to do the set up for our barn and I love it so much! A few things that I would recommend are if you have kids on the team try to do something that will make memories for them and that is at their level. I have a topiary horse that the pony kids and the parents love. I made it a blue ribbon to scale and it has fun seasonal accessories; in general I try to address the seasons. For example, I let the kids hide some Easter eggs and bunnies in the flower pots, give them some fake snow and use little Christmas trees that the kids get to decorate. For fall I put about half the flowers in those hollow fake pumpkins; they make great pots.

It sounds contradictory, given the whimsical kid stuff, but I try to think “less is more.” Setups with too much going on get to be a hot mess really quick. I’ve seen some with fountains, flowers in every color, garden art or inspirational signs all going on in the same space. keep the decor and flowers pretty controlled color and design wise.

Those Equitex setups on Instagram are beautiful! They are a good example of “less is more” and how powerful repetition in color and design can be. Hunter Jumper is a conservative tradition. Choose one color of flowers in your barn colors if possible and lots of greenery. White usually makes a great contrast against drapes and makes your flowers and greenery pop.

Having a place to sit is crucial. Monogrammed directors chairs are the bomb.com. Matching tack trunk covers are lovely. An outdoor rug in a subtle color is lovely. A mirror is great. A monogrammed tablecloth is lovely. As many hanging shelves and hanging apparatus in the tack room as possible is great to get stuff off the floor.

One barn that I know took an old tack trunk and made it into a cooler with a legit insulated lining and everything. They use it as a coffee table in their set up and it keeps the set up pretty.

With drapes I’ve been known to sew a strip of velcro on our tent so that the banner can go on it when its really hot. Also if you sew a strip of velcro midway across your drape - halfway up - you can place your ribbons on the drape without covering your banner with your barn name.

Have fun and share pix! Here’s a pix of one of our spring set ups. Our trainer’s little boy placed the bunny in the flower pot:) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152642223931956&set=a.10151248294471956.462903.722956955&type=3&theater

[Soaponarope]

You are talking my language OP! I get to do the set up for our barn and I love it so much! A few things that I would recommend are if you have kids on the team try to do something that will make memories for them and that is at their level. I have a topiary horse that the pony kids and the parents love. I made it a blue ribbon to scale and it has fun seasonal accessories; in general I try to address the seasons. For example, I let the kids hide some Easter eggs and bunnies in the flower pots, give them some fake snow and use little Christmas trees that the kids get to decorate. For fall I put about half the flowers in those hollow fake pumpkins; they make great pots.

It sounds contradictory, given the whimsical kid stuff, but I try to think “less is more.” Setups with too much going on get to be a hot mess really quick. I’ve seen some with fountains, flowers in every color, garden art or inspirational signs all going on in the same space. keep the decor and flowers pretty controlled color and design wise.

Those Equitex setups on Instagram are beautiful! They are a good example of “less is more” and how powerful repetition in color and design can be. Hunter Jumper is a conservative tradition. Choose one color of flowers in your barn colors if possible and lots of greenery. White usually makes a great contrast against drapes and makes your flowers and greenery pop.

Having a place to sit is crucial. Monogrammed directors chairs are the bomb.com. Matching tack trunk covers are lovely. An outdoor rug in a subtle color is lovely. A mirror is great. A monogrammed tablecloth is lovely. As many hanging shelves and hanging apparatus in the tack room as possible is great to get stuff off the floor.

One barn that I know took an old tack trunk and made it into a cooler with a legit insulated lining and everything. They use it as a coffee table in their set up and it keeps the set up pretty.

With drapes I’ve been known to sew a strip of velcro on our tent so that the banner can go on it when its really hot. Also if you sew a strip of velcro midway across your drape - halfway up - you can place your ribbons on the drape without covering your banner with your barn name.

Have fun and share pix! Here’s a pix of one of our spring set ups. Our trainer’s little boy placed the bunny in the flower pot:) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152642223931956&set=a.10151248294471956.462903.722956955&type=3&theater

[bamboopole]

Back in the Dark Ages, Acres Wild Farm (Paul Valliere) had a two story tack room at Harrisburg. It was EPIC. Spiral staircase they carted from home (RI), wood flooring and of course rugs. 2nd floor had a tea set, chairs, lamps, with a railing around the edge. Judges were served tea while seated upstairs.
Beautifully built and strong! They won a tack room prize, but not 1st.

[541hunter]

Thanks for all the responses! We have the basics already (good drapes, halter boards, saddle/bridle racks, tack trunk covers, nice sign, rugs, decent seating area with directors chairs and some nice patio furniture), but we need that next step up. I spent some time poking around the barns at the last show we went to and the top show barns just had some really nice touches – wooden shelves with baskets in the dressing rooms for client “junk”, lovely lamps and greenery everywhere, etc.

I really adore that wooden entryway for the arab barn! We have a little wooden fence for our seating area (like knee-high) but that is a whole other level. I’ll have to go hunting for more out-of-discipline ideas.

MVP, if we can get you to the Eugene show I’d love to see your halter board! BO is a big Phoenix West fan. I actually have to email you today, so keep an eye on your inbox.

If anybody has any good links to organization products (thinking pretty shelves etc for the tack room/dressing room and more functional items for cross ties and feed room) I wanna see them!

[541hunter]

[QUOTE=handwalk;8555789]
Back in the Dark Ages, Acres Wild Farm (Paul Valliere) had a two story tack room at Harrisburg. It was EPIC. Spiral staircase they carted from home (RI), wood flooring and of course rugs. 2nd floor had a tea set, chairs, lamps, with a railing around the edge. Judges were served tea while seated upstairs.
Beautifully built and strong! They won a tack room prize, but not 1st.[/QUOTE]

How does that not win first??? Haha that is just incredible

[Sing_Mia_Song]

[QUOTE=handwalk;8555789]
Back in the Dark Ages, Acres Wild Farm (Paul Valliere) had a two story tack room at Harrisburg. It was EPIC. Spiral staircase they carted from home (RI), wood flooring and of course rugs. 2nd floor had a tea set, chairs, lamps, with a railing around the edge. Judges were served tea while seated upstairs.
Beautifully built and strong! They won a tack room prize, but not 1st.[/QUOTE]

Along the same lines, Fairfield always went to a local sod farm and built a bubbling spring that would go down to a goldfish pond. Pretty amazing stuff. And Beacon Hill! They would always have a full living room set up with a nice hunt print, antiques, etc. Amazing stuff, but the QH and Arabian people still have the market cornered on over-the-top set ups.

[MtnDrmz]

Not sure if it’s needed, but I am a sucker for the matching doggy pens with tent covers!

[HJStyleReport]

[QUOTE=MtnDrmz;8556929]
Not sure if it’s needed, but I am a sucker for the matching doggy pens with tent covers![/QUOTE]

It’s definitely needed! :winkgrin: I always joke that it doubles as a playpen for kids. Haha

[Soaponarope]

[QUOTE=Sing Mia Song;8556448]
Along the same lines, Fairfield always went to a local sod farm and built a bubbling spring that would go down to a goldfish pond. Pretty amazing stuff. And Beacon Hill! They would always have a full living room set up with a nice hunt print, antiques, etc. Amazing stuff, but the QH and Arabian people still have the market cornered on over-the-top set ups.[/QUOTE]

We need pix of that!

[Sueby]

So, our set up includes 2 stalls at the head of our aisle, fronts removed. Right side stall is always the seating area which takes up the whole stall. The stall across from it, the front is moved back 5’ and attached, which divides that stall into 2 sections, like a backwards E. The front section has our custom tack trucks, a table with a lamp, our barn mirror and a couple of decorations yet to be found, probably taller plants or huge planters or something like that. The back part holds the wheel barrows, forks, shavings that kind of stuff. We have a feed/hay stall in the middle of the aisle (we always take up both sides of one aisle), and 2 grooming areas. Our white board is in the feed room along with the fridge. Our grooming stalls have those tall plastic shelving units, 2 or 3 tack hangers, saddle boards (homemade, but custom), stall mats and milk crates to hold bandages and boots. Very low key but user friendly.

Each stall has wrap slings in our barn colours, embroidered with barn name and owners name, a stall plate and a halter holder with a name plaque on it. That’s pretty much it on the stalls. We don’t do the covering for the doors, but we do have barn stall guards. The reason we have these slings, guards, curtains etc is because I sew them which saves a lot of money. I’m actually getting an embroidery machine so I can do all that stuff. Last year alone, our embroidery bill would’ve paid for one :eek:!!

Our seating area. Well, that changes every year with the exception of the couch and chairs. We have enough curtains to do 2 full stalls, all 4 sides of them if need be I may have went a tad overboard there haha! We have custom planters that my friends hubby made which have bench attachments if we want to put them up. I also put up one of the multi picture type frames and every show the pics change depending on who is at the show. It’s popular, everyone is always sending me photos of themselves to put in it. Lots of plants and hanging baskets to fill it up. We also have a valence type sign that can be hung up or attached to two pedestals. If we use the pedestals, we always surround it with planters to hold it down. The layout and contents I’m always playing with, sometimes I put up a painting or a clock that I pilfered, I have used an end table with candy bowls. I scored a grooming tote really cheap that had a small scratch on it, I’ve gotten vinyl letting that I will stick on with our barns name in our colours. It will hold apples, carrots and oranges (my guy loves those). I may do the candy too if I can find a deal on a coffee table.

I’m on the lookout for a corner cabinet and have to get a new coffee table, our old one grew feet. I try to keep it classy and easy to clean up, but I swear the adults are worse than the kids at cleaning up after themselves.

Sorry for the novel!

[RockinHorse]

I always wonder how much some of these extravagant set-ups are costing the clients. Not just the initial purchase of the items (which can be significant) but the trailer space to haul it, manpower to put it together and break it down, etc.

I can understand going all out for the weeks long series (WEF, etc.) but for a week long show where most of the clients are really only there for two of the days, some of the set-ups do seem over the top to me, but I guess that is just my frugality showing.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=RockinHorse;8557661]
I always wonder how much some of these extravagant set-ups are costing the clients. Not just the initial purchase of the items (which can be significant) but the trailer space to haul it, manpower to put it together and break it down, etc.

I can understand going all out for the weeks long series (WEF, etc.) but for a week long show where most of the clients are really only there for two of the days, some of the set-ups do seem over the top to me, but I guess that is just my frugality showing. ;)[/QUOTE]

Some barns have the clients show up the day before and help with the set up. It gets the job done fast when you have one or two people directing and a lot of hands.

But I show by myself (largely), so I personally carry every pound of equipment and supplies in and out. Nothing comes to my show set up that doesn’t do a job, and looks good doin’ it. But I grew up studying the Big Barns at shows like Menlo. (I remember when Equitex was started in NorCal.) So I got good ideas about how I’d do it if/when I could buy studying their set ups. It was great to see their ideas and to pick the ones that would improve mine, along the functional lines I wished.

I hate it when people have fugly, messy tack/equipment storage in front of their stalls because they can’t/won’t buy, say, the $2,000 in custom trunks and equipment a Big Barn has for each horse. There are options somewhere in between 0 and $2K. And the idea of putting a saddle stand out there (or a whacko horse to wear as a bracelet), or putting my saddle on the ground because I don’t have a place for it… or leaving dirty, unrolled wraps out after I get onto ride (I would have been ripped a new one in my youth for that)… Just No.

If you approach this question from the perspective of a groom, for from someone entirely in charge of client comfort, you instantly see what a show set up needs. Function is all.