Updating my show kit

[outerbanks77]

I’m finally getting out to more events (yay!) and need to update my “go bag,” which is a large Cabela’s toiletry bag. Also looking to round out anything else that might come in handy for showing out of my trailer.

I found some >10 year old threads on the topic and rounded out my list, but thought there might be some new ideas to share.

So far I have:

Basic makeup kit
Sewing kit (I found one with leather repair stuff on Amazon, which I will replace this Dollar store thing with)
Safety pins
Human first aid kit
Tampons etc.
Gold Bond
Deodorant
Folding mirror
Nail file and clippers
AA batteries
Face wipes
Shout wipes
Sunscreen
Lint roller
Electrical and duct tape
Aspirin/Aleve
Kleenex
Bug spray
Small towels/rags
Extra socks and undies
Pen and paper
Q-tips and cotton balls
Rechargeable LED lantern
Charging cords (last year I bought a large charging bank to supply juice for all the gadgets we drag around now)
Small multi-tool
Small flashlight
Shoe polish

Other stuff to go in the trailer:
Large charging bank
Rechargeable fans
Extra girth, helmet, boots
TP and paper towels
Folding chair

What else?

[Silverbridge]

I like to keep my annual Member Guide and some basic paperwork together in a backpack in the tack room. Hard copies of Coggins test, vax records, proof of level for freestyle, etc.

Yes, we send all these forms in online with the entry, but I feel better having the hard copy where I can access it if it’s ever needed. And yes, the Member Guide can be pulled up online too, at USDF . org but it’s tiny to read on my phone and sometimes the Wifi at a show facility is barely functioning.

So suppose someone gets a 62.0% at Second Level 3, and is wondering right then whether they qualified for Regionals as an AA? I can flip thru the guide and find that answer in a moment. I just like having that info at hand as well as having the tests handy in book format.

[LCDR]

An electric plug adapter - for a 3 prong cord to 2 prong receptacle. Some older places still have old style ungrounded outlets.

For my trailer I carry a Dewalt cordless impact wrench with sockets to fit the lug nuts on the truck and the trailer. And the same Dewalt battery also powers a small Dewalt air compressor.

I carry a second trailer spare tire, just for peace of mind. And a Trailer Aid, plus a small bottle jack. If 2 tires go on one side of the trailer, which can happen if one blows and overloads the second tire, the Trailer Aid is useless without a good inflated tire to drive up onto it.

And don’t forget water for the horses, just in case you are stranded in a huge traffic jam. Been there. And since truckers still use CB radios, I travel with a small handheld unit - not to talk, but to turn on and listen if there is a traffic stoppage on the interstate just to learn what is going on.

[atr]

I am in awe…

[Bristol_Bay]

Those instant ice pack things you get at the drug store.

[arbeegirl]

I always have first aid kit for both horse and human. Nothing fancy, just some basic items like gauze squares, vet wrap, standing wraps, diapers (great for wrapping over knees, hocks), band aides, ice packs, horse thermometer.

I take extra clothes for me and different weights of blankets/coolers for my horse.

[athelas]

Things I keep in mine:
-black, white, and light blue thread and a needle
-small scissors
-tide/oxy clean stain pen
-kleenex
-extra hair net, stock pin, pair of earrings
-hair elastics and bobby pins
-spare helmet liner
-human first aid
-sunscreen (both lotion & spray)
-ball cap
-cash
-full bottle of water
-liquid iv
-nail file, clippers, tweezers
-travel size spray bottles of rubbing alcohol & water
-sharpie and a pen
-ibuprofen
-lint roller
-binder with all the tests thru 4th level plus all the USEA tests, laminated
-tube of mascara and some face powder
-travel size dry shampoo
-travel size deoderant
-paper towels

[hoopoe]

two collapsible / pop up baskets, one for laundry one for trash. You can get these at your local dollar store

[Graymaresrule]

I used to carry a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat and a bag of kitty litter. I don’t do porta potties

[outerbanks77]

@Graymaresrule

I used to carry a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat and a bag of kitty litter. I don’t do porta potties

I don’t love them, but it’s definitely easier to just pee in the muck bucket in the trailer sometimes!

Another one I thought of, if you have patent boots, is shaving cream. It does a great job at shining patent leather.

Also a bluetooth speaker

I do have a water tank in my trailer for the horses, and I travel with my Jr. slow feeder, which holds a good amount of hay and nests perfectly into my muck bucket.

This morning I found a good-sized dry erase board on clearance, so I think I’ll mount it vertically and create a dressage court on one side, and leave the other half open for notes (like ride times).

The collapsible baskets are a great idea, I will keep an eye out for something like that.

[showy]

Extra halter

[theresak]

Keep a blanket for humans in the trailer. I kept a kids sleeping bag in mine for years and definitely pulled it out for some cold spring/fall shows.

Extra gloves
Extra boots if you have zippers
If you are like me and still do pull on, stash spare boot pulls and boot jacks everywhere
Black marker and some note cards
Spare bridle number
Extra whip, lunge line, and lunging whip
A few bottles of human water and Gatorade
Bottle/wine opener!
Food knife and utility knife
Scissors
Rubber bands, hair ties, hair nets

I’m assuming you have the horse side of things covered (first aid, electrolytes, etc.)?

[Jump314]

I usually camp out in my trailer (mattress on top of the gooseneck). I just got a Ryobi handheld vacuum because I was tired of changing clothes on a dirty floor then climbing into bed. It’s so nice to have a clean floor!

[DownYonder]

My trainers and friends that are comfortable doing injections (including IV) always pack Acepromazine and Banamine in their equine medical kits when trailering somewhere. They can come in handy when an emergency situation arises and it’s a holiday weekend and the only vet in the area is tied up on another emergency. Ask me how I know…

[LCDR]

Small fire extinguisher. My trainer was traveling with a 4 horse gooseneck and horses from SC to a show in TX when his client’s diesel truck engine began to smoke. They had nothing to put out the fire and the truck ended up gutted. Luckily the client was well-heeled enough to buy a brand new truck from the nearest dealership lot, continue on to the show and then back home with the horse trailer, but perhaps a fire extinguisher would have saved the day for them.

[keh]

A lot of good things here!
Bailing twine
WD40/ball grease
Hammer, screwdriver, eyehooks, etc
Wasp/hornet spray
Flares or reflective markers if you break down in the dark
Tire pressure gage

[LCDR]

Dental floss.

I also copy my driver’s license, insurance cards, vehicle registration, and Coggins, and store the copy somewhere other than the glove box.

A spare bumper pull trailer hitch pin, just in case some idiot decides to pull yours out. My GMC truck also has easily removable gooseneck trailer ball and safety chain attachment rings so I bought a set of spares to keep in the storage compartment under the rear seat.

And a spare truck key. I put mine on the trailer floor, under the rubber mat.

[farriersgirl]

Waterproof mascara (for the rainy days)
Safety pins
Zip ties
Trailer mirror/shatterproof
Membership cards and copy of coggins
Corkscrew

[Samondel]

Ace, dorm gel, dex, bute, banamine, sulfa, antihistamines. I carry them all!

[kateh]

For people:
Stain stick
Pepto pills
Energy bar
Gatorade powder- you have more control over concentration, good for people or to cover “not home” taste in water buckets

For horse/trailer:
Extra hardware- double ended snaps, baling twine, tie ring
Basic tool kit (hammer, flathead screwdriver at least) in case of poky bits in stalls
Hose splitter & nozzle
Extension cord
Laminated contact card for stall front