does anyone clean anything anymore?

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katymay

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went to a ponyclub tack sale last night, got some bargains which im pleased about, but loads of stuff there hadnt been cleaned at all, dirty boots, tack, clothes and they were expecting top price for them, if I were to sell anything I would make sure it was spotless! Rugs I dont expect to be clean but everything else I do.
Also bought an unwanted grooming kit (have a brush habit so have lots) I would have sterilised it all anyway before use but this stuff was filthy!

Am I being fussy? is it the norm for people not to look after their stuff?

I would buy new if it was for me but it was for my children and as they grow out of it so fast second hand will do :)
 
i do but it seems to be an unusual thing to do these days.

i clean my grooming kit (and the ones at work) but have never seen another person do that for years-i dont see the point in brushing dirt with a dirty brush.
 
Totally agree, not to be snobby but even selling stuff aside I see people at competitions with filthy kit and it doesn't sit right with me. For a start when it is filthy you can't check it's safety.

I also agree that if you are selling stuff and expecting decent money a good clean is in order!
 
I noticed this at a tack sale we went to last year. I think it is the economics of selling second hand stuff. If you sell a rug for £15 it isn't worth having it cleaned for £12, however if you can find a good secondhand rug that fits your horse it will be worth having it cleaned when you have tried it on. £15+12=£27 - still a cheap rug.
Grooming kits, old leather tack, body protectors and buckets etc, yes everything was filthy. We sold lots (our stuff was clean) but other sellers were complaining that no one was buying. I wonder why?
 
I would only sell clean stuff. However, buying tack that hasn't been cleaned in years gives a very good barter point.
I bought a good quality leather breast plate for £4 - it was as stiff as a board but, once cleaned and treated with Race saddle soap it is supple and well used!
 
Buying from ebay, I've had filthy bits, dirty hoof boots, and a minging hackamore so far. I could not imagine risking my feedback by sending out filthy stuff..
 
I can't bear dirty tack and try to regularly clean mine but its noticeable that the younger members of the yard don't do theirs quite so frequently. When we were younger, it was drummed into us that having ponies was not just about the riding - it was doing the associated chores as well.
 
I don't think there is any point in getting rugs cleaned to sell only to put the price up (unless it was an especially expensive rug in the first place) as I would rather buy it unclean cheap and wash it myself, especially when they've just bunged it in the washing machine and its about as waterproof as a fresh fluffy towel!

All other stuff yes it should be clean or expect to sell it for pittance. I have bought boots and chaps for a pound each at a tack sale and cleaned them myself, was happy with that! As long as they are honest about the condition then its up to the buyer whether they can be bothered to clean it. I've never bought anything lice ridden or anything like that though!
 
When I first buy things, I keep them in immaculate condition. Then, I'm in a hurry and forget to hose boots down, or clean a brush.
Then it's all downhill from there :o

I couldn't sell dirty items though, unless a rug that would cost more to clean than sell.
 
I once bought a bridle on ebay, no pic advertised as 'needs a bit of a wipe down'. It arrived and was utterly disgusting, green with mould, so bad that when I opened the package i had an asthma attack :(

Another time we bought a horse that came with tack and rugs. All expensive stuff, which the previous owner had bagged up in black bin bags. Got it home to find everything caked in poo and urine, leather all broken :(

I'm no clean freak, but each of my horses has two of every rug, one on clean, one in the wash. I could not put a stinky urine soaked rug on a horse!
 
We went and looked at some second hand rugs in a local shop that washes rugs but these were filthy. I commented knock £12 off the price so you could wash and reproof at least !
 
Pink_Lady said:
I can't bear dirty tack and try to regularly clean mine but its noticeable that the younger members of the yard don't do theirs quite so frequently. When we were younger, it was drummed into us that having ponies was not just about the riding - it was doing the associated chores as well.
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This. The rule where I rode when I was younger was: If you don't look after your horse and tack, you don't get to ride your horse. Basically, like you, it was drummed right into our heads that taking care of your horse meant taking care of the items you use on your horse as well, or facilities you and your horse use. If our gear wasn't clean, we didn't get to go out until it was. We didn't have to be obsessive about it, but we did have to do a proper job of it. I hated it when I first started out, but as I got older I really appreciated the responsibility that one rule taught me.
 
I cant be doing with dirty tack and kit, I'm old school and it was drummed into us from an early age that everything should be cleaned on a regular basis. Personally I couldnt sell somethng that was dirty, thats a reflection on me after all.

I brought a filthy leather head-collar off ebay the other day for pennies and gave it a good clean last night and its come up beautifully so im really chuffed. One more good going over and it will be ready for use :D Now just have to stop buying horse stuff when i dont have a horse at the moment :o
 
I bought a "virtually new" stable rug off eBay last year. It was worn, tatty, covered in stable stains, and smelt bad enough to stink the house out when I opened the parcel :o

I don't tend to clean turnout rugs to sell (but they're advertised as such), or other rugs if they're reasonably clean. However, everything else (especially stinky stuff :eek: ) is hosed / scrubbed / washed. Not unreasonable, really.
 
I always clean my tack regularly, particularly saddle pads, births and bits. I can't stand the thought of my horse having a dirty bit in his mouth. But this was drummed into me after four years working for various people as a working student and dirty tack was never acceptable. I only nave my rugs washed about twice a year though as it's so expensive here and I am bad for neglecting my grooming kit .... It's just one of those things that's easy to slip your mind.

However, if I was selling anything I'd be so embarrassed to hand it over filthy! Especially at Pony Club where one of the things they should be teaching is the importance of clean equipment.
 
Orls said:
However, if I was selling anything I'd be so embarrassed to hand it over filthy! Especially at Pony Club where one of the things they should be teaching is the importance of clean equipment.
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Have to agree, can not imagine what would have been said when I was a PC member, everything started with a tack check to make sure it was clean and safe before we could ride, so why sell dirty ! Ugh!!

Wonder if people who never clean tack or grooming brushes actually remember to wash their feed and water bins and buckets etc ??
 
I hate it when people don't look after there stuff :mad:
I always wash and clean my bridle everytime its used, i don't have a water connection down the field so i bring it home and wash it at home, pain in the ass yes but if you want things to last you have to look after them! plus dirty tack/bits can rub ;)
 
I agree, I know its not horsey but I brought a dress for my baby on eBay recently, it said worn once and was stained and faded, and a pair of jeans for me stunk of cigarette smoke and had hair on, yuk.
I must admit I only wash my grooming kit a couple of times a year, rugs get washed every year and if I sell anything its in good clean condition.
 
Oh and I remember having it drummed into me too about cleaning my tack. I used to bring it home and sit in the lounge cleaning it for hours, getting soapy water over my mums carpet! :)
 
This is what I couldnt understand, it was a pony club sale, when I was young enough to be in the pony club we were all taught how to clean tack properly and look after our stuff, I cannot imagine that nowadays anyone is so rich that they can afford to just buy new once they have wrecked it!
I bought a few bits for a friends little girl who is riding our pony now and then, Im washing and scrubbing it all before I pass it over :)
When I worked for a short while at Andrew Nicholsons yard we had to clean the tack daily after every use!
 
I do not clean my tack every time its used but when it is cleaned its done properly.
I had a pony back off loan that went with 2 Horseware rugs, I asked last winter if he needed new one and they said no. So he come back in September, first time to put it on the front clips are bust. Fortuately I had bought him a new rug any way. Also his tack was ingrained dirty. I have notice that when ponies go away to someone else their rugs and tack always come back broken or filthy, I think they are never taught how to look after things
I do not sell much on e-bay but I sell it in as new condition. Jackets are dry cleaned and boxed with tissue paper. I once received one in a tied up Tescos bag.
 
I also sold a lot of horsey items and each and every one was washed, leather was cleaned and greased. I would never sell items that are dirty, is it really that hard to clean stuff ?

I have received a few dirty items from ebay though :(
 
We have loads of tack sales by us, don't mind a dirty rug but a filthy one ponging of sweaty horse... Yuck . People get more if they clean it too. Ok agree washing a rug is empty money but why not hose it a bit? Had tons of bargain though!
 
I've noticed that nobody seems to clean tack anymore (not even at shows); strange since PC drummed tack cleaning into us. I LOVE cleaning tack, it's my guilty pleasure, but modern leather processes are better than years ago and it's really not necessary to clean every day - in fact you can over oil and/or soap leather and it becomes gummy. I still like cleaning tack, 'tho :-)
 
katymay said:
went to a ponyclub tack sale last night, got some bargains which im pleased about, but loads of stuff there hadnt been cleaned at all, dirty boots, tack, clothes and they were expecting top price for them, if I were to sell anything I would make sure it was spotless! Rugs I dont expect to be clean but everything else I do.
Also bought an unwanted grooming kit (have a brush habit so have lots) I would have sterilised it all anyway before use but this stuff was filthy!

Am I being fussy? is it the norm for people not to look after their stuff?

I would buy new if it was for me but it was for my children and as they grow out of it so fast second hand will do :)
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No, not fussy at all . . . I keep my boy's stuff clean anyway and if I were selling it it would be immaculate . . . rugs included . . . it's not just good manners but also good husbandry.

P
 
My earliest childhood memories are of Sunday afternoon tack cleaning: every item dismantled, cleaned, oiled, buffed up and put together again. In summer it was done out in the sunshine, on the basis that the warmth helped the saddle oil penetrate. In winter we did it by the fire.

What astounds me is the anecdotes of people selling filthy rugs etc. If that is the condition of items they're selling for money, I shudder at the thought of the state of anything they send to charity shops :(

Edited to confess: no, I absolutely don't do all the above weekly anymore. Only when I feel like it, though I'm obsessive about very clean bits and saddle pads...
 
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