Just got home from a lovely schooling show with the barn. We had 7 horses go and had a blast. I groomed for the group and had great fun cheering them on. Trainer asked what we could do better next time with regards to organization and I thought I would ask here for your tips and tricks for organizing and managing clutter at the show. The biggest thing that I could recommend was limiting the grooming supplies. Instead of everyone bringing their wash bucket and a groom tote and other bits and bobs, we will do communal supplies so there is less clutter and less to keep track of. I’m looking at a wall hanging groom box situation to keep things off the floor in the tack stall. What else can or should we do?
1 Like
If you use communal grooming tools, be sure to have handy buckets with bleach water, one cup to the gallon, to wash all between horses and require everyone follows protocol.
Is nice if all do it with their own grooming supplies, but you can’t force it, you can with communal ones.
That is what is done at the track, for biosecurity.
It has been well known even exercise riders need to wipe their boots, how ringworm can be transmitted from horse to horse.
9 Likes
This is just me … If grooming supplies are a mess in a communal tack area, rather than mandating communal grooming supplies for everyone, make a policy that either a) people use the communal supplies provided, or b) if they prefer to use their own, those can’t be stored in the communal tack stall. No space allocated for them. Any personal grooming supplies found there will be removed.
Fussy people like me who will never use the communal supplies must manage their own supplies entirely, away from the communal tack stall. No exceptions.
They will figure it out. Trunk of their own car; mom/dad or friend has a place for them somewhere; etc. ideas of their own.
9 Likes
Easy assembly shelves like these (there are all sorts of different sizes) are super useful and easy to transport and store. They are a huge help in keeping things neat and organized.
9 Likes
Shelves.
Bridle racks/hooks, ideally that hang from the top of the grooming stall walls.
You can put plastic utility bins in the grooming stalls for stuff that you don’t need constantly.
Baling twine hangers in the grooming stalls for saddle pads. Baling twine hangers on the stalls for blankets. Baling twine can also be used to hang spray bottles. Yes, you should bring some from home because there may not be enough on setup day.
You can contain sets of standing wraps pretty well with bungee cords attached to the wall.
Wander around the show and check out other people’s setups for ideas.
If you do communal stuff, you’ll probably need more than one set, including bathing supplies. If people bring tack trunks, their own stuff can go in there.
People need to have their names, or their horse’s names, on stuff.
When you pack stuff for the show, all the set-up stuff, including tools, needs to go together and so it’s accessible when everything is packed (or can be accessed by pulling out just one container). Likewise, when you pack the trailer, buckets need to be accessible without unloading everything.
A board with the horses’s names and when they show/need to be at the ring to start warming up. You can add other information that you find helpful. Doesn’t have to be a grid board–just the horse names for each ring and the times. This is a helpful reminder to riders and helpers for when they need to be ready and will also help to remind other barn members when/where to go to cheer on friends.
Send out info in a group text the night before about who shows when, even if it’s just a phone photo of the printed schedule with horse/people names next to classes.
Or something like this, realizing that you may not have start times or orders at a local show
Ring 1
8 am - Classes 1 and 2 - 3’ Hunters
Smokey 13/14 - Lucy
Pharaoh 15/16 - Lucy
3 pm - Class 13 - Local Medal
Smokey 10th - Jenny
Pharaoh 11th - Peggy
Addy 15th - Jim
Ring 2
11am - Class 52 - Puddle Jumpers
Addy 12th - Jim
Paisley 13th - Nico
3 Likes
Also, this old thread has some useful info and links.
I’m not a fan of sharing grooming supplies unless it’s the norm at home.
We had everyone put all their supplies in a bin with lid and a label on the side with name and what was in the bin. They stacked nicely on shelves.
We gave them the bin so they were all the same size.
Easiest thing was having everything well labeled and easy to reach when needed which required a lot of pre-prep.
9 Likes
This!
Plus, you are not going to really have that many less grooming supplies because everyone likes what they like and no one is going to want to be at a show, where grooming is extra important, with out their favorite style/type/brand of grooming tools.
For shared bathing stuff, who is going to pay for the shared shampoo, etc?
11 Likes
Not in the grooming stall, but it’s always a good idea to have a sign on every horse’s door with the horse’s name and emergency contact information.
Plus a halter and lead rope on each door so nobody has to go searching for them in case of an emergency.
Having the name on the door also improves the odds that the right horse will get braided. 
4 Likes
No to communal brushes, etc.
Like @Bluey said, why chance sharing any ick 
For 7 horses I’d think 2 tack stalls would be a better use of space.
One set up & curtained for changing clothes.
You can get an inexpensive rack so coats, shirts, breeches are hung neatly.
If there’s room, add a chair or cot for relaxing.
All tack & grooming supplies in the 2nd stall, displayed neatly.
Saddles on the racks that hang from a board, same kind of hooks for bridles. That cheap shelving for everyone’s - labeled - grooming totes
If roomy enough, a tack cleaning station in a corner.
This stall should be secured with a lock overnight.
Worth investing in a portable gate (or two) to hang at the entrance & secure with a padlock when shutting up for the night.
Combination best as then everyone doesn’t need a key.
Gate(s) can be stacked at the rear of this stall until needed.
This assuming the MGMT will let you drill holes for the gates.
Things can get chaotic, so any riders who are through w/classes for the day can neaten up clutter.
I showed with:
*A woman whose trailer’s tackroom looked like a tornado had been through it at any time.
Left to her own, tack stalls ended up looking as bad.
*My Faux Grandson (3rd generation horseman) who took over setting up the tack stall when we 3 showed together.
I’d help by decluttering when I could, because Whirlwind destroyed his organization in minutes.
Here’s his tack stall at Fair for Driving classes.
Used by me, him & his family (3 nephews showing leadline)
I shared it & supplied the flowers. 
After a weekend, it looked the same.
5 Likes
Eww. No to communal brushes, etc.
Great way to spread skin funk.
10 Likes
Where to find a grooming tote, with a cover over the top to prevent spillage, that is tall enough for tall fly spray?
I’ve seen many nice grooming tote designs, some with cover, but it’s hard to find one that will accommodate a fly spray bottle and still be able to close the top (or cover).
Lemieux and Kentucky Horsewear both make grooming totes tall enough for spray bottles that zip shut at the top.
2 Likes
Or tape the spray bottle’s neck to prevent leaking & store in the tote on it’s side.
OR…use concentrate, bring the concentrate & spray bottle empty & mix at the show.
Thanks for the tips! 
Decant some into a shorter bottle for storage in the tote.
2 Likes
I’d be interested in seeing how this is done!
I’m a bit surprised at the pushback on the communal grooming supplies - it’s extremely common practice at least in this region? As in every barn I’ve worked for (4 now 5) have done things this way. Same for communal tendon boots, polo wraps, and baby pads. Understand the potential biohazard, but it hasn’t ever been an issue. Likely because horses with any type of “funk” aren’t going to be showing in the first place?
The personal preference on grooming supplies is part of the problem. While I’m all for everyone spoiling their ponies as they see fit, asking a hired groom to use 7 brushes, different shampoos, different sprays etc for each horse isn’t efficient (it would be different if they were doing their own grooming in a DIY situation). IME baby shampoo, jelly scrubber, a stiff brush, a soft brush, towels, and a conditioning spray is perfectly plenty for getting good turnout at a show where the horse isn’t getting turned out and is getting bathed daily.
As to who pays for the communal supplies, I can’t say for certain as I am not the one in charge just the hired hands but I believe it is built into the training and/ or grooming fees.
4 Likes
In my experience, a tack stall for 7 people isn’t bad. The key? Eyehooks and maybe a drill to put them in. Places where I’ve shown had tons of eyehook holes esp on end-stalls which typically ended up being tack stalls. A cheap holder that fits in the eyehook holds a bridle. Under that, we made wooden saddle holders on an eyehook. Under that, people had their own supplies (brushes, polo wraps, fly spray, etc) in a plastic container on the ground. Fly spray could sit on top of the tub. 7 tack trunks would not fit in the stall. Everyone’s stuff was pretty organized. We’d use eye hooks and baling twine or rope to make a sort of clothesline where people could hand their show coats on hangers (plastic bag over them to keep stall dust off). Saddle pads would dry on top of saddles. We all shared shampoo and conditioner but people had different ideas about fly spray and wanted their own familiar grooming equipment and we made it work. Oh, someone had a large stall-sized matt that I think was made for work spaces? (light and foldable) which was great to keep ground dust down. Hope this help give you ideas.
