HOLY GRAIL PRODUCTS

[FizzyFran]

Hi,

Finally able to buy my first horse. Was wondering what are some of the products you can't live without? Or wish you had bought sooner!

Thank you!

 

[Jellymoon]

A saddle that actually fits and is really comfortable for the horse!!
Rugs that actually fit and are really comfortable for the horse!! (Horseware ones for us)

 

[Spotherisk]

Headcollar which does up on the nose, not under the chin. Means you can put it on over the bridle easily.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

V-bandz mesh quarter sheet.

 

[FizzyFran]

100%! the first thing I'm doing is getting a good saddle fitter out!

 

[meleeka]

Decent tools. No cheap shavings forks or teeny wheelbarrows for me.

Decent rugs are an investment. They’ll last for years and are more breathable than cheap ones so the horse will be more comfortable in varying conditions.

 

[mini_b]

A big wheelbarrow

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

A husband with a bulging wallet
(the latter is on my wishlist, I have the former!)

 

[GreyDot]

A great farrier!
Basically, as the previous posters, don't scrimp on the essentials. It will be worth the while in the long run.

 

[CMcC]

The perfect broom for sweeping the yard. Someone borrowed it and ran it over. Still searching for a replacemen.

 

[FizzyFran]

A husband with a bulging wallet
(the latter is on my wishlist, I have the former!)

Omg I love it ?

 

[Batgirl]

A two wheeled wheelbarrow.
A saddle that fits the horse AND me
Garden sprayer attachments for Coke bottles - means I can put fly spray, show sheen, hoof antibac in a come bottle, pump and the spray steadily, much easier to 'spray paint' the fly spray on than 'squirt, squirt, squirt'

 

[Nudibranch]

Red horse field paste for their feet.

 

[katastrophykat]

The short answer is- the best of everything you can afford the first time, and a contact list of handy knowledgeable people to help you make those decisions… ?

Aside from that… my everyday essentials are tools (lightweight, wide bases for ease of use) grooming kit (pick and mix to get the right things that I wanted), feeding equipment (buy a good storage box!), tack and rugs- if you get them right first time, the rest just adds on. If you don’t, you end up in an endless cycle of selling on and losing money.

 

[Jellymoon]

100%! the first thing I'm doing is getting a good saddle fitter out!

Very good idea. Worth doing a lot of research on who to get out and what brands they stock. Eg. If your new horse is wide, you will need a brand that covers this shape, which are notoriously hard to fit. I have wasted
So much money over the years on saddles that don’t fit, it would be scary to add it all up. Good saddle fitters v hard to find.
same with rugs, I have a pile of cheap badly fitting rugs I’ve had to stop using due to rubs, leaking etc.

 

[fredflop]

The short answer is- the best of everything you can afford the first time, and a contact list of handy knowledgeable people to help you make those decisions… ?

Aside from that… my everyday essentials are tools (lightweight, wide bases for ease of use) grooming kit (pick and mix to get the right things that I wanted), feeding equipment (buy a good storage box!), tack and rugs- if you get them right first time, the rest just adds on. If you don’t, you end up in an endless cycle of selling on and losing money.

wouldn’t necessarily agree with this first bit. I’d certainly say you don’t need a £50 saddlecloth to start with.

with stuff like bits, saddlecloths, and girths I’d start by seeing what’s local and cheap on Facebook marketplace. A simple french link snaffle will get you started and will be a good idea if your horse likes that sort of bit before you move on to something more suitable.

girth… I wouldn’t go spending £££ on a new girth either. I’ve just got a new saddle, and had to go through several girths to find the right shape/length. All have been secondhand. If id had bought new each time it would have cost a fortune.

saddlecloth… again a cheap one off Facebook will get you going. No need to spend £60 on the latest air cooled one

 

[littleshetland]

I just splashed out on a mohair string girth. I'd say it was moderately priced - not to cheap, not to pricey. It's really well made and does seem to suit the horse better. I'd forgotten how nice old fashioned string girths are! Best things to buy for getting started would definitely be a well fitting saddle, the right bridle and bit and the right feed. If your going to be giving hard feed, I'd say grass/fibre nuts are a great place to start. A lot of people bring home their new horse and rather enthusiastically start feeding them all sorts of conditioning mixes etc etc.....keep it simple!

 

[saundersmarshall]

the horse is lovely and the saddle fits him very well.
Egg Shockers

 

[katastrophykat]

wouldn’t necessarily agree with this first bit. I’d certainly say you don’t need a £50 saddlecloth to start with.

with stuff like bits, saddlecloths, and girths I’d start by seeing what’s local and cheap on Facebook marketplace. A simple french link snaffle will get you started and will be a good idea if your horse likes that sort of bit before you move on to something more suitable.

girth… I wouldn’t go spending £££ on a new girth either. I’ve just got a new saddle, and had to go through several girths to find the right shape/length. All have been secondhand. If id had bought new each time it would have cost a fortune.

saddlecloth… again a cheap one off Facebook will get you going. No need to spend £60 on the latest air cooled one

I’ve reread that and realised how it sounds- I totally agree that the best isn’t usually the most ££- and that buying second hand is well worth it in most cases- but if you buy the right thing second hand, rather than the first thing you see, it’s more economical in the long run.

When I started with my first mare, it was a wintec saddle and £30 bridle… and I was lucky enough to borrow about 30 bits before we found the right one for her eventually… well before the years of the bit bank! But I bought her a good wicking fleece in the sale, and a couple of Weatherbeeta rugs that she still had and wore 10 years later when we lost her.

I have this discussion regularly with a friend who buys cheap rugs and replaces them year on year… most of mine only ever get replaced when they’re past repair- which is thankfully very rare!

 

[katastrophykat]

the horse is lovely and the saddle fits him very well.
Egg Shockers

Are you the seller by any chance? ?

 

[Lipglosspukka]

I think its always worth getting a saddle checked, even if it looks like a nice fit or if the previous owner had it fitted professionally.

It really isn't very expensive and you want to start off on the right foot together. It's surprising how much they can change shape through the seasons.

 

[saundersmarshall]

Are you the seller by any chance? ?

Oh no. you misunderstood me

 

[Alibear]

Honestly, as I'm assuming this is currently a happy in-work horse who has passed a vetting.
Then change as little as you can, I'm assuming you are moving the horse to a new yard but if you can buy tack off the current owner great as the horse must be comfy in it to be going well enough to be sold (if it's from a dealer skip this bit as horse won't have been in their tack for long). Find out what feed and supplements horse is on currently and stick with that for a good while too. Find out the current routine, bedding, shoeing cycle, rugs no rugs, etc and copy as much as you can. Moving them is a big enough change on its own. Once the horse has settled in and assuming you are getting along well, then you can start to change things if you want.