Stabling My Horse Overnight Before a Show - What Do I Need? How Does This Work?

[ytr45]

Hi Folks,

I have never stabled my horse overnight somewhere, and at home he lives outside with a run-in shed.

So the whole idea of bringing him the night before and leaving him in a stall is weird to me.

I know they give you a bale of straw and you leave a deposit.

My horse only eats hay, so do I just bring his hay, dump it in the stall and leave? Do I need to bring his own water bucket?

What other stuff would I need to bring? What does this entail? Thanks!

PS - He’ll think he’s gone to the Four Seasons hotel and promptly roll in the straw like its a feather-bed….

[Frivian]

I’m not sure how much bedding “1 bale of straw” provides so you want to be sure he has enough of that.

Water buckets, something to feed him out of (either a bucket or a tub), muck bucket/wheel barrow, pitchfork, and probably a hose. Also make sure you have your emergency contact info to put on his stall somewhere, and a hook to hang his halter and lead rope on. I usually bring several hooks so I can use them during the day for bridles/other tack. Also, a saddle rack for during the day. You’ll also want to make sure he has a sheet or blanket for the night if it’s going to be chilly!

[connemarafan]

If you are in a hotter climate a cheap fan for your stall (Walmart or Target has them for less than $20) secured with bungies is great. We are very lucky in that quite a few of the shows/events we have been to lately have had paddocks, I much prefer that. Might be an option to consider, or look at local places where you could have over night turnout. I like to keep the stall area minimal, hay bag, bucket and headcollar, much prefer to keep all my stuff locked up/out of the elements in my trailer!

[MKV]

Does the stabling have doors on the stalls? I’ve stabled at places where you had to bring your own door/stall guard.

I bring pretty much what ^^^^they said. I typically bring two water buckets, a feed bucket and a hay bag to hang in the stall, and at least 1 of those portable stall hook things and fan if it’s going to be warm.

[connemarafan]

@MKV;7522496

Does the stabling have doors on the stalls? I’ve stabled at places where you had to bring your own door/stall guard.

I don’t trust my piglet with a guard but good idea if your horse is claustrophobic.

[mkevent]

Here’s the checklist I use when stabling overnight

http://thepitchforkchronicles.com/index.php?view=document&alias=3-event1&category_slug=competition-forms&layout=default&option=com_docman&Itemid=158

[bornfreenowexpensive]

screw eyes
double end snaps
clothesline or other rope/string
hammer
screwdriver
scissors/wire cutters
buckets (for food, water and bathing)
fan if hot/blankets and coolers if cooler
food (usually 2-3 extra meals)

hay (typically half a bale a day per horse with some extra–always bring more than you think and don’t forget to have enough to fill your hay nets for the trailer ride home)

bedding (sometimes you can buy it there but it can be more expensive)
hay net if you want
stall guard or gate
pitchfork
rake
broom
wheelbarrow or muck tub
saddle rack
hooks for bridles/halters
everything you use at home for grooming and riding/showing (i.e. brushes, tack, shampoo, etc)
tack cleaning supplies
towels

[Appsolute]

First - what type of barn are we talking about? Temporary stables - those ones in tents, or is this a permanent barn?

If you want to know what you need for the STALL (verses a whole show check list):

A CONTACT INFO CARD - this is VERY important. Put your horses description on it (should get lose), and your contact info, give a few numbers in case you can’t be reached.

2 buckets for water
hay
stall cleaning tools (muck bucket and fork)
possibly stall guard- but most places have stall doors.
Sounds like they have bedding on grounds - ask if you can buy more if needed.

[Highflyer]

I like to bring at least one of those stall chain type guards. That way you can have something across the opening at all times, even when you’re mucking/ tacking up.

If your horse has really never stayed in, or at least not in many years, be prepared for him to be kind of obnoxious. Plan to handwalk/ graze him a lot and possibly lunge depending on his personality/ your comfort level.

If you have to strip the stall afterward, an easy way to do it is to throw all the bedding out onto an old tarp-- you can just drag that vs. pushing/ carrying multiple loads.

[merrygoround]

Everything BFNE said with the addition of pliers.

And sometimes their straw is just plain awful. Some places supply shavings. We always pack our own.

Contact card is a must.

[asterix]

It might be worth it to ask around and see if there is someplace to leave your horse out for the night. Mine live out and when I went to the AECs years ago, I was able to find a great (COTHer) place just up the road with a nice paddock for the two horses from our barn.

[Saskatoonian]

Here’s to adventures with horses! You’ve gotten good suggestions and lists so I’ll just throw out what I did conceptually before creating my list (which lives on the computer and gets printed out for packing for every road trip - mark things as you pack them and run through one last time before pulling out).

Run through your day with your horse, and write down everything you use. When you get to the barn, you’ll need his breakfast (pack food and feed tub), to water him (pack buckets for drinking and carrying water and bucket hangers), to muck his stall (fork and tub, bedding), to walk him (stall guard you’ll open to take him out, halter hanging on door - pack hook - shank - pack chain shank since he’s used to living out and may be fizzy after sleeping in). Change his clothes depending on weather (pack various clothes). It’s pretty fun, really. I include everything on my list, right down to my cooler, carrots and bones for the dog.

And for god’s sake do not forget the baling twine and duct tape!!

One thing that may not be obvious but you may want if you’re in wood stalls is a hammer. Make sure there are no pointy things sticking out. All it takes is one kicking horse to loosen the nails so they stick up, and I know mine’s not the only one with a propensity to shred himself on anything available.

Have a blast!

[PoohLP]

Re. the question about water buckets. A bit of advice. Bring your own (multiples - the more the better) and don’t allow your horse to drink out of any shared water sources. I always cringe when I see horses from other barns drinking out of a show barn’s water troughs. Yes, it is more work to schlep your bucket down to the ring or over to your trailer, but it is much safer in terms of germs. If we’re at a spread out location, my barn will sometimes leave a bucket filled near the ring with a note on top not for anyone else to use it. In your stall, you just need to hang it. If there is a bucket provided, which there probably won’t be, just set it outside and hang your bucket in its place. Bring string (hay string is the jack of all trades) and a clip so you can make shift a way to hang your buckets if there are no hooks in the stall.

[Auburn]

Put your name on everything that can be marked, with a loud, permanent magic marker (ie: water buckets, wash buckets, feed buckets.) I had both water buckets stolen from my horse’s stall at a H/J show.

If you leave a tack trunk outside of your stall, then bring a lock and lock it. We never used to have trouble with folks stealing at events, but it seems to have become the norm, now. Lock any money that you bring with you inside your trunk or truck while you are showing. If you plan to unhitch your trailer, then get a hitch lock for your trailer.

At small events, I doubt that you would need that many locks, but the larger venues have had trailers stolen (ie: Kentucky Horse Park had 2 taken a couple of years ago.)

It is sad that eventing has become this way. I never used to worry about anything getting stolen. I had an expensive Fleeceworks saddle pad stolen at the AEC’s at Chatt Hills. I had it behind the stalls drying, with some other saddle pads. My experiences are probably not the norm, but it is better to be aware that it could happen.

Sorry to get off track. Using the check list that someone posted is a great idea, too. Now that I have been such a negative Nelly, I do hope that you have a blast! :yes: