I got a really great condition Phoenix West Trunk from a pawn shop for $100! The vinyl was a decent color and I only had to replace the front panel with my own monogram for $120. Great great find.
Bonus was the trunk was full of Triple Crown custom coolers and scrims. Great for use around the barn!
My Craigslist find was a practically brand-new Wintec AP saddle, just a little dusty, that I picked up for my daughter for $40. It came with a cover and a full set of gullet bars, too!
Another one I found at a garage sale was a pair of very good condition Ariat Volant boots, Ariat boot bag, and Herm Sprenger spurs. Paid a total of $75 for all. I sold the boots for $250 and the boot bag for $75 and gave the spurs to my trainer. Not a bad return on investment. I think this guy used to buy storage unit contents and sold it at these huge yard sales. He clearly didn’t know what he had.
You’ve just reminded me of the time I stumbled across Calabasas Saddlery during one of their swap meets while vacationing out there! (As in, we saw it from the highway and made a quick lane change over to the exit ramp). My mare didn’t have a job that required tack at the time, though, so the opportunity was a bit wasted on me. But it was SO much fun to wander around!
3 pairs of gently used, newer model Kerrits winter weight breeches (in my size)….$1.99 per pair!
Found in a thrift store that sometimes gets pet supplies!
From Middleburg tack exchange: Charles Ancona coat for $300, several pair of Pikeur tan euro seat for less than $100, New with tags equiline breeches for $80
Another Turn: Voltaire anatomical girth for $100, Jacks Whirlpool boots for $125, Equiband system for less than $100
Oncourse Consignment: never bought personally but they have a lot of cool stuff come in but they go fast! (airplane boxes, wall boxs, high end riding brands, etc)
From facebook marketplace: FREE rambo supreme medium weight and sheet! Dyon hackamore bridle for $100, Custom colored equifit dteqs for $150
An Electrogroom vacuum (the big, rolling one with two levels of suction) for $150.
These used to be $799 new and are now $999 new, plus shipping. But they have tortoise-length lives.
And I have looked for a used one for decades. If you could find one of these for $350-400, it was a score. But you never could because they got snapped up.
So in December of 2018, I stop bitching about the bad horse market I was in and moved to Aiken, SC. A pro having a barn sale in March of 2019 was selling hers. She set the price. I asked if she was sure she wanted to part with it. She said all her horses were clipped and she didn’t use it that much. I wrote her a check on the spot.
I considered this vacuum (and also a guy who sold me the right piece of land because I found him on the assessor’s website and wrote him a three sentence letter), the sign from God that I had made the right decision.
I remember the way you could see Calabasas Saddlery from the freeway. More than one horse girl has crossed more than one lane of traffic to get there. Of course, this is L A, so that’s not considered bad driving.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
