Outfitting a Horse Trailer

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Dover Saddlery

A woman with blond hair in a pony tail is leading a brown horse wearing navy blue shipping boots and a sheepskin shipping halter up a ramp and into the back of a black horse trailer.

Congratulations—you just got a horse trailer of your own! You and your horse are looking forward to new adventures together. If your trailer isn’t outfitted already with everything you might need for your horse’s safety and comfort, here’s a list to help you get started.

It’s a Tie: Breakaway Trailer Ties

A black trailer tie made of nylon and Velcro with gold colored fasteners at either end

If you plan to use trailer ties, consider a breakaway Tie Safe™ Trailer Tie or attach a regular tie to your trailer’s wall using a loop of twine. A tie should have the ability to release if your horse slips and falls.

Comfort Food: Hay Bags & Hay Nets

A black hay bag holding hay with black nylon at the top and black mesh at the bottom is hanging on a wooden fence.

Horses feel comforted when eating hay. Plus, hay consumption keeps a horse occupied during travel and helps keep the digestive tract moving. Choose a hay bag or hay net that can hold an ample supply of hay for your trips. Fasten it securely at a height at which your horse cannot get a leg entangled in it.

A blue and black pitch fork is being used to dump shavings into a large green plastic bucket with yellow handles.

Clean as a Whistle: Manure Fork, Muck Tub & Broom

To keep your trailer clean, odor-free and less inviting to flies, you’ll need a manure fork, muck bucket and possibly a broom and shovel. Places you visit will love it if you clean up after your horse, too!

Keep Hydrated: Water Jugs & Water Buckets

When you get where you’re going, or if your vehicle breaks down, you’ll want to offer your horse water she or he is familiar with drinking. A water jug is a must-have item! Our favorite Water Can has an extra handle and spout for easy pouring. Take along a water bucket and a second pail if you plan to sponge your horse after riding.

A collection of medical supplies make up a first aid kit including scissors, gauze syringes, first aid ointment, saline solution, a thermometer, and bandages.

Just In Case: Medical Supplies

Pack a medical kit that includes supplies for horse and human use. You can buy a preassembled kit or select a case of your choice and fill it with your preferred supplies. Be sure to add cohesive wraps, gauze pads, cold packs, scissors, a digital thermometer, Betadine®, rubbing alcohol and a set of leg quilts and stable bandages. Also pack an extra halter and lead line in case your primary ones break.

Trouble in Paradise: Roadside Breakdown Supplies

A pair of light up safety traffic triangles at night

Pack a fire extinguisher designed for dousing electrical fires and a Trailer Aid® or suitable jack for changing trailer tires. Better than flares and orange cones, BriteAngle Road Safety Triangles light up and provide strong reflective properties to help make you and your rig easily spotted by oncoming traffic.

A white trailer is covered with a light blue trailer cover. The side door to the trailer is open and the trailer cover is rolled up to allow access.

Protecting Your Investment: Trailer & Tire Covers
You’ll need a tire chock for your parked trailer, and you might want to cover your trailer’s spare tire to protect it from sun and harsh weather. Between trips, a hitch cover can prevent water from seeping into the electrical system, and a trailer cover for long-term storage helps protect your investment.

Is your trailer fully stocked and ready for travel? Share your photos with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery!

Barn Safety: Tips for Improving Your Horse’s Surroundings

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Dover Saddlery

Before you close the barn doors on summer, take some time this September to look around your horse’s stable to identify health hazards and safety issues. You can improve your horse’s environment in simple ways, whether you own and operate your own barn or board your horse. We’ve compiled some easy steps for increasing barn health and safety.

Reduce Clutter in the Barn

An orderly barn is a healthy barn for horses as it is the easiest to keep clean and as dust-free as possible. As added benefits, orderliness saves time during chores and is aesthetically pleasing to riders and guests. Unused or obsolete equipment and extraneous items lurking in a tack or utility room, loft, cellar or even the corners of a barn attract dust, cobwebs and unwanted pests, such as rodents or insects.

Two pitchforks and one broom are propped up against the wall of a barn. There are also two more pitchforks affixed to the wall.

Sort through equipment to weed out items you no longer use. Rid yourself of old tack, horse blankets, supplement buckets and farm equipment you will never use again.
Donate unwanted items in good condition to non-profit organizations, such as a therapeutic riding center or an animal rescue. These groups will put the items to good use or sell them to raise funds for their programs. Or sell items yourself—the hardest aspect of decluttering for many people is letting go!
Keep only tools that are in good working order and that are used regularly. Replace worn-out brooms and repair broken manure forks, which can be refurbished with a new handle or a replacement head.

Clear Spaces for Horses

Take a fresh look around your barn to identify and remove potential hazards.

Clear your barn aisle so that if a horse acts up on cross ties or while being led, it won’t collide with or become entangled in items that could cut or bruise.
Check stall walls for exposed nails, splintered boards or sharp, worn-out feed buckets that can cut. If the plastic caps on a water bucket handle have fallen away, wrap the loops in duct tape to eliminate your horse’s tail getting caught or face being scratched.
Make sure all blankets, sheets, halters, leads and other equipment stored on racks or hooks are out of reach of horses that could become tangled in an item.

A brightly lit tack room with neat rows of saddles and bridles hung on the wall. There is a navy blue tack trunk and green equipment bags in the middle of the room for storage.

Deep Clean

Grab a scrub brush, rags, broom and employ some elbow grease for a healthier environment.

Knock down all cobwebs; they can catch a spark and ignite fire.
Thoroughly sweep storage areas to rid the floors of dust, debris and rodent droppings for a healthier breathing environment.
Wash your horse’s “kitchen”, the walls where he or she eats; scrub water and feed buckets with a mix of white vinegar and water to cut grime.

Install Storage Solutions

Keep things tidy and out-of-the-way. A tack trunk makes an attractive solution for your horse’s multitude of gear but think “out of the box” to add convenient storage.

Put a laundry bag or basket in your tack room for soiled items, which should make it easier for keeping those saddle pads, wraps and towels clean.
If floor space is short, look to the walls for storage. There you can mount saddle and bridle racks, a whip holder and hooks for lunging supplies or other equipment. Wall-mounted wrap and bandage racks use space wisely while keeping items neatly bundled and ready for use.
Add wooden shelving or blanket bars or racks on a wall for crease-free storage of saddle pads.

A brass colored metal and wooden blanket rack

We hope you find our basic steps to a safe, happy and healthy horse barn helpful. Share your thoughts, photos, ideas and personal experiences with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery!

The Art of Personalization for the Equestrian

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Dover Saddlery

A brown horse facing left is shown standing in a grassy field. It is wearing a blue blanket with the word "Nesto" embroidered in white on the belly.

For a sport so thoroughly steeped in its traditions, heritage and culture, a monogram (or another form of personalization) is the perfect embellishment for any equestrian. From a subtle touch with initials on a show shirt cuff to a boldly displayed logo on a tack trunk or your barn name on a gear bag, a beautifully produced personalization makes an elegant statement, exhibits ownership and enhances refinement. Monograms can range from a single initial, a traditional three-letter design, a custom logo or barn name, horse’s name or rider’s name.

“It’s special to be part of this sport, to be part of a barn family, to be among riders who take pride in showcasing their horse’s breed, name, or their own initials on a long-standing and beloved piece of riding apparel or equipment. I especially love adding a monogram to a gift! The wide variety of thread colors and font styles really allow you to create a personalized finish to any product. The perfect present for a special show season or even schooling at home. I think a personalized accent represents a piece of a rider’s journey. It’s a true gift and something special to have or share.”

—Whitney Keeley, Dover Saddlery, Creative Director & Rider

Riders choose personalizations with a distinct sense of pride—pride of ownership identifying gear and tack, pride of place identifying barn, show stable or farm and, in some cases, pride of breed, identifying their horse’s type. Personalization serves a functional purpose: to identify the owner and, more importantly, to allow the owner to show their distinctive style.

A brown garment bag with light blue accent trim is hanging on the front of a wooden stall door. There is a matching accessory bag attached to the garment bag. Both are embroidered with a diamond with the initials "DEF" inside in light blue.

Riders are especially lucky to have so many unique opportunities to add personalization! Embroidered monograms from elegant to whimsical can be created to display on horse and rider clothing. Customized logos are a spirited way to highlight your barn or stable and inspire team camaraderie. Stylish stable décor incorporating director’s chairs, tack trunks and stall drapes with coordinated logos/monograms makes an eye-catching and striking display in a home or at shows. Here are a few distinguishing ways to add your singular style to your equestrian kit with monograms.

Embroider an initial or name on all their gear bags (boot bags, helmet bags, garment bags) as a smart detail and for ease of identification. Choose your embroidery color to match your logo, complement your horse’s color or assert your personal style.

Professional stable and trainers may have jackets, quarter-zips, shirts and other items embroidered to promote their organization and to ensure that their representing riders present a polished uniform look, both at home and on the road

“My trainer and all her students have jackets with her logo on the center back. We all love wearing her branding at a show or clinic to support her business. It’s also fun to wear them even at the home barn—it’s a cool feeling to be part of a team.”
—Liz Russell, Dover Saddlery, Senior Writer & Rider

Add your horse’s name to its dress sheets and coolers. It delivers a sophisticated impression around the show grounds or during transport and ensures that your horse’s items are completely unique. Breed logos are another way to make a bold statement

Monogram saddle pads, polo wraps and stable bandages to further enhance your distinguished style and clearly identify your tack.

Another truly striking personalization addition is to include engraved nameplates on your horse’s tack, or stall. Our gleaming brass or German silver plates lend a polished note beautifully engraved in your choice of classic lettering. Or choose a smart leather bracelet to accessorize your look with your name, the name of your horse or barn. With so many personalization options to choose from and so many ways to mix and match those options, you can create your own look and elevate your presence at any event, show, competition or just at home in the barn. Discover how today!

A wood and brass stall plate with a chain is shown hanging on a metal and wood stall door. The stall plate is engraved with the name "MICROCHIP".

Two leather bracelets, one with a brass plate and one with a German silver plate are shown against a white background. Both bracelets are engraved with the words "Stablemate Bracelet".

To learn more about Personalization, click here.

Shop all personalizable products here.

Have you ordered a customized product for you or your horse? Share your photos with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery!

Spring Cleaning: The Wise Rider’s Way

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Dover Saddlery

The right hand and torso of a person wearing a zip up hoodie is shown cleaning their black dressage saddle with saddle soap. The saddle is sitting on a wooden fence. Next to it are a pile of bridles also hanging on the fence.

Welcome March, the month when some folks embark on home spring-cleaning frenzies. Around here, our idea of spring cleaning focuses on tack. Spring marks a perfect time to thoroughly inspect and recondition your horse’s leather tack, whether you’ve competed in warm places all winter, continued training despite frigid temps, or simply enjoyed downtime with your horse.

If you’re like us, signs of wear or gradual decline in leather condition are easy to ignore in busy daily riding routines, and repairs are easy to postpone. These issues can be addressed best now, with ample time for repair or replacement, before local riding activities gain full swing. As added benefits, reconditioned tack is more comfortable for your horse to wear, safer for both of you, and it supports a maximum return on your investment.

Inspect All Tack

Just as your skin suffers abrasions and dryness from irritants such as sand and sweat, your leather does, too. Regular use can degrade leather even if you diligently wipe away grime as recommended after every ride. Saddles and bridles that have been stored improperly can dry out, grow mold and mildew or be compromised by rodents, sunlight, varying temperatures, and other environmental factors.

Look closely at each piece of your horse’s leather tack for areas under pressure during use or where sweat or saliva may collect, such as:

Reins and cheek pieces where they attach to bit rings.
Saddle billets where they buckle to the girth.
Stirrup leathers where irons and buckles cause creases.
Girths along the full length, from buckles to elastic inserts to linings.
Halters where hardware meets leather.

A close-up of a stirrup iron attached to a stirrup leather is shown. The stirrup leather is dark brown, almost black and the stirrup is made of shiny black metal.

A close-up is shown of a stirrup leather attached to the hook of a saddle underneath the protective flap.

The underside of the crown piece of a blue halter is shown against a dark grey background. The blue leather is cracked and worn.

Any cracked or torn leather may break at the worst time—during a ride or while handling a horse. These areas indicate hazard and necessitate repair or replacement. Check that all stitching is tight and intact; loose stitching on stirrup leathers, saddles or girths also poses risk.

Inspect and touch any surface that lies directly against your horse, such as girth linings or padding in bridles and halters. Although not an immediate safety hazard, any item that feels rough should be budgeted for replacement or repair to protect your horse’s skin from chafing and to ensure optimal comfort.

Note: Some leatherwork professionals won’t repair reins, girths or stirrup leathers as a safety precaution. Saddle billet straps are replaceable, and some bridle and halter repairs are worth the expense. Generally, bridle parts and reins are readily replaceable at any budget to eliminate the need for repair.

Clean & Condition

When you’re satisfied with the quality of your tack, give it a thorough once-over using your favorite leather cleaner. Now is the time to take apart a bridle, martingale or breastplate and remove grunge from creases. Warm water and a soft toothbrush can help you get grime out of crevices. Turn your saddle upside down and clean all nooks and crannies. Once the leather is dry, follow up with a nourishing leather conditioner or leather balm.

Browse our entire selection of leather care products here.

Do you have an example of extreme tack wear? Share your photos with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery!

Guest Blog: Crucial Footing Care with Equestrian Services International (ESI)

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Dover Saddlery

Crucial Footing Care

The Team at Equestrian Services International offers the necessary tools and services for premium footing maintenance

The installation of an arena with premium footing is just the first step in the process of maintaining maximum performance in a riding space over time. At Equestrian Services International, a major component of the team’s mission is to work with their clients to make sure they receive the tools and continued service for top quality footing performance year after year. From some of the world’s top competition venues to private farms of all sizes, each location receives personalized support for the maintenance of arena footing.

In ensuring the continued health of their footing blends, ESI focuses on three major areas of maintenance: regular grooming and surface clean up, proper irrigation, and the annual full tilling and grading servicing.

Continue reading →

The Dover Saddlery Aisle

Discussions From the Main Barn

Category Archives: For the Barn