Tack Trunk Seasonal Essentials

We’ve discussed grooming tools in general, core grooming tools for your trunk or tote, and shedding season grooming tools. This blog covers seasonal things to stick in your trunk that you will find handy as the weather and temperatures change throughout the year. Let’s go through our essentials for every season!

Tack Trunk Essentials for Spring

Spring is synonymous with warm, wet weather—the perfect conditions for growing skin funk, thrush, canker, hoof abscess’, etc. Yum! You can probably go ahead and take home the kettle, extra gloves and petroleum jelly, you might still want that shoulder guard, if you intend to body clip and avoid shedding season.

#1 Fungal Spray– When it’s too cold for a full-on bath and rain rot is starting, you need something quick to try to keep it at bay. Fungasol Spray and Coat Defense powder are my two preferred battle tools when dealing with early Spring skin issues.

#2 Thrushbuster/Coppertox– Wet hooves don’t hold shoes as well as dry feet. My crew has enough issues with shoe pulling in dry seasons! Wet hooves are also the perfect environment to create Thrush and Canker. Allowing hooves to dry out with some stall time and treating any foul-smelling or looking hooves helps resolve and prevent issues.

#3 Abscess Supplies– Are you seeing a trend yet? Hoof abscess’ are common in the spring due to all the wet ground while in the pasture. I keep a zip lock baggie with duct tape, Epsom salt, 3M poultice pads or Epsom salt poultice pads, 4’x4′ pads in my trunk. It’s my little abcess kit. Epsom salt to soak, then poultice pads, 4×4’s and duct tape to pack the foot and wrap. A hoof boot is handy too.

#4 Shedding tools– Spring means the hair is flying and the horses who aren’t clipped are starting to blow out their winter coats. The perfect time to add a shedding block or shedding blade to your grooming kit.

#5 Aluminum Spray– Some horses have sensitive skin and standing in muddy wet fields creates sores on lower legs and patterns. I have had some success with cleaning and drying these areas well and then spraying some Alushield or similar on the back of their patterns to help create a ‘liquid bandage’ so to speak. Keeping the area dry and less likely to develop sores.

Tack Trunk Essentials for Summer

Time for the heat and the bugs as well as lots of barn time for riding and showing! Shedding tools can go home and if your region is drying out the fungal treatments can head out too.

Bathing: This is a great time to get your bath bucket ready! Check the supply of your favorite shampoo and liniment, replace anything empty or outdated. I highly suggest replacing your bathing and tack sponges annually and make sure your sweatscraper is ready for another season!

#1 Fly Spray/Gear– Even if your boarding stable supplies it, you may want to have your own fly spray handy. Be sure to purchase something that also deters ticks as well. It may also be time to break out the fly mask, fly sheet and helmet visor back to the barn for the season.

#2 Electrolytes– For you and your horse! It’s always a good idea to keep something on hand for muscle recovery after a hard lesson or workout. Drink sticks take up next to no room and are great to have on hand. I also keep a tube of electrolyte paste in my trunk, you never know when your horse might need it.

#3 SPF– For you and your horse! If your horse has pink skin on his muzzle, you’re going to want to keep some sunscreen handy to avoid sunburn. It can be your favorite and multi functional for you too! I also like to keep a coat conditioner with an SPF in it handy in my trunk, sometimes it’s an all in one fly spray, coat conditioner, SPF spray. It helps to keep coats from bleaching if they get left out in the sun at times.

#4 Swat or similar– If your horse plays rough in the field, he’s probably going to come in with a scrape or two now and then (Notice how I often refer to “HIM”, the mares I’ve had have just never been much for foolish play. Running around bucking? Heck yes. Wrestling and bickering? Not so much…totally a boy thing), SWAT or another a bug-repelling ointment for these war wounds is helpful to keep the wound clean and bug free. It might also be prudent to grab some caustic powder for those weepy wounds to help dry them out while keeping bugs at bay.

Tack Trunk Essentials for Autumn

Rounding out the final season for your trunk essentials is fall. Much like Spring, autumn can be very wet, but the cooler weather can keep the fungal element at bay. Fly gear can head home and it’s time to break out the sheets and blankets for your horses stall front. Make the best of riding in the rain with these fall essentials.

#1 Equiparent boot covers– These are perfect for keeping your boots clean and dry when riding in sloppy footing. They have a pull on foot, and zip up calf with a small hole for spurs. Whether riding at home or at the show, these boots are a must have when riding in sloppy footing!

#2 Rain Sheet/Cooler– If you are actively competing, it’s essential for your horse to stay fit, which means riding in all temps. A rain sheet or a cooler is an essential item to have on hand to keep your horse from catching a chill after a jump school or tough lesson.

#3 Baby Powder– Powder is great for helping to dry off sweaty areas post ride. Sprinkle on, curry in, brush off and easily keep your horse comfortable under blankets after a tough ride. Dream coat powder also has an antifungal additive. If your beastie is prone to skin funk, I’d keep this on hand.

#4 Quarter sheet– While not necessary, these are really nice to have for those late afternoon chilly flat sessions. If your horse is body clipped he will appreciate having the exercise sheet on while he warms up, and the rider’s legs can stay warm too!

Trunk Winter Essentials

Wintertime in most parts of the United States of America involves cold and wet precipitation. Frigid temps and nasty weather can create a challenge for riders who board their horses away from home. Most boarding stables offer limited space for a rider to keep their gear, so it’s important to make the most of the space in your trunk. This means taking things out that you don’t need in exchange for more needed items.

I’ve lived up and down the eastern seaboard, as far North as New York and as far south as Georgia. Wherever I go, I have found the following items to be very helpful to have on hand this time of year.

Generous tub of Petroleum Jelly Or Non Stick Cooking Spray – this is mostly for regions who see a lot of snow. Packing hooves with PJ or spraying with cooking spray helps keep snow from packing deep into hooves, especially ones that have shoes. Playing at turn out can get dangerous if the snow packs in and freezes.

#1 A sacrifice hard brush – I keep an old one around for the sole purpose of cleaning nasty, muddy hooves when my horses come in at night. Cleaning out all that mud and wet detritus helps keep thrush at bay and allows the hooves to dry overnight when the horse is stalled. Generally this brush gets pitched in the spring because it’s just gross and is beyond the point of washing or attempting to clean.

#2 Spandex shoulder guard – By the time winter sets in, most horses will be wearing sheets/blankets fairly consistently and a shoulder guard will help prevent blanket rubs at the shoulders and withers. Yes, in a perfect world, a properly-fitting blanket would not create blanket rubs, but some horses are just hard to fit and these can help them stay comfortable. I also realize there is a school of thought on whether or not blankets are needed in the winter, but we will save that debate for another day.

#3 Electric Kettle – If you don’t have access to hot water at your boarding stable in the winter, keeping one of these handy is a nice luxury. These kettles are inexpensive and are great for creating a warm mash, adding warm water to cold water buckets or comfortably cleaning minor wounds from rough play at turnout.

#4 Gloves – I always keep an extra pair of gloves in my trunk. I often ended up with wet gloves/hands from cleaning buckets or tack in the winter. Having a second pair on hand to warm my hands back up is super helpful.

I also have an inexpensive pair of heated gloves from Amazon. These gloves offer heating pads on the top and bottom of your hands. They have a generous cord that connects to a battery pack like a cell phone charger with a USB connection. They’re great for warming up around the barn or at shows! There are better quality wireless ones on the market now, but for barn things I like to stay on the inexpensive side. It hurts a little less when the owner’s dog runs off with one or they get swallowed up in the bottom of your trunk.

I’m sure I missed some things, but these are my basic recommendations to have on hand as the seasons change. I’d love to hear what I missed and also what some of your favorite must have products are. Let me know what I’ve missed in the comments!