Lorry Essentials...?

L

lifeslemons

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Joined
12 May 2006
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801
Location
Gloucestershire
www.eventingworldwide.com
Having undertaken the fairly momentous challenge of giving our lorry an ambitious 'Spring' clean, (last year, because we were in it every weekend, the amount of crap accumulated was astonishing,) I now need to re-fill it!

With my mother as my struggling (but nevertheless fantastic) groom - as well as the star that is lil_ponios_rock - anything that would make her life easier would be great! There are so many expensive and seemingly unnecessary gadgets and products on the market - eg magnetic stud dishes - but what really works? Any really helpful time savers, or ices/straps/gadgets for horses that you have become dependent on?

Personally, our 'bucket bags' to shove loads of bottles in etc are great for taking to the warm ups, and I couldn't cope without my duvet for the excessively early starts!

Everyone else?
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I don't have a lorry but in the back of my towing vehicle I keep a box with a spare set of things i'm likely to need. I don't suppose it's what you mean but I have spare stirrup leathers and irons, brushes, plaiting bands, hair gel, girth and saddlecloth. I have a wipe clean check list as well to just run through before I head off.
 
well since you habve mentioned it i love the magnetic dish how manytimes do drop the bugers or they get knocked over and it is most use full for finding studs/ nails dropped in shavings.
most of the other things i cant do without are fairly cheap, a couple good sturdy tool boxes that keep rain, dust etc out of brushes and kit and can be stood on for plaiting.
duck tape- for fixing all manner of things
rucksack- so you can take stuff to warm up (spares, drinks etc, but still have handsfree and keep it dry and to hand)
swarfega- if you must grease at every available opportunity, this is the best thing for swift removal.
empty feed sack- good for pouticing legs, if you do all four (only two bib numbers obviously)
garden refuse bags (tend to be sturdy and tie at the top to keep all dirty washing in one place)
feed bowl i can hook in truck filled with water. saves drowning self as squeeze bucket thro partitions and god for ones that wont drink til done and finished and you are not watching!
Big cool box for ice if your lorry nt got freezer. if it has those cube making bags. Kills me how everyone gets so hysterical at a three day about icing legs (even if creature hasnt touched a twig and i sound as a pound) but they gallop just as far at a one day and they have showjumped as well and cool boots soaked in luke warm water from truck tank is good enough.
Its all to do with what you like though isnt it really. And i should have said these are things that live in the lorry like grooming kit and tack cleaning stuff, which i try to have two sets of so i dont need to worry about forgetting things. and like law said if you have thenm its good to keep a box of spares permenantly in there i think like spare set leathers, reins, girth, headcollar, rope.
 
Sorry mate - I love my magnetic stud dish was well. Those supa studs are v expensive to be losing a couple every week!!

Things to keep in the lorry...

Spare set of shoes
First aid kit (horse and rider)
Spare cooler/headcollar & rope

With us, everything else gets lugged in and out every week as don't have spares!

Fiona
 
Thanks Ready_Teady/Lucretia.
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Have most of those... many many many boxes filled with spair everything. The swarfega sounds great for the bloody greece. I also fear I fall into your definition of those who excessively ice... I apply icetight to above the horses' knees!
 
I have just been told by a very upset CharmingSpottedude that I missed her off my list of grooms... or as I like to call them, my entourage
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I tend to only take spare shoes to three days, stupid really. Must make a mental note to leave them in the lorry all the time.
 
How do you manage to sleep on the way?!
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I have to direct my mother which can be quite stressful we almost always get lost! Luckily im quite good at map reading our way out of the mess aa route finder has got us into !!!
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I have spares of everything, have printed off all the dressage tests (BE) and left them in lorry. I keep all my spurs, boots, stocks, stock pins, jackets spare breeches etc in the lorry.
I will be taking my ipod this year to listen to!!
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I ice tight to the knees and then use the ice blue thingy for the knees up
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Cant think of anything to save space or anything else you really need in there apart from the obvious like food of course!
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well firstly you need to paint it bright lilac
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I've put up salt licks for them when we're stuck in traffic jams (aswell as haylage) and thought that a bit of extra electrolytes/salt wouldnt do them any harm...

Whip rack is v useful...

and a few new horses are also rather useful accessories for the lorry haha x
 
If you do dr, some spare gloves...

I also carry 2 warning triangles, a fluorescent tabard, radiator tape, an 8 ton bottle jack & a wheel brace. (Not for the horse...)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Amy Winehouse CD and emergency tampons
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I might gove both of those a miss in my lorry... Although tampons are great for starting fires with.

Headcollar, waterproof jacket, lorry tyre inflating foam, airline and LED headtorch.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Amy Winehouse CD and emergency tampons
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slightly hope lifeslemons can do without the latter. and dont be getteing comments about ice and icetight mixed up. icetight is far from being essential in any truck of mine. I think you should contemplate changing your horses careers if they hit things above the knee so often you need to icetight that high........
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1st aid kit for horse & rider, headcollar & leadrope, reins
stud kit & magnetic wristband, tendon boots, spurs, hairnets, stock pin, gloves, SJ hat, tack wipes, fly wipes, sponge, assorted brushes.

I have lists depending on what discipline I am going to and anything else I need gets put in either the evening before or the morning as I am frightened my wagon gets stolen
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We always keep a tub of baby vicks in the lorry, so we can put a little dollop under the stallions noses so they cant smell mares in the warm up!

Also, thermatex rug.. bandages.. spare breeches/whip/spur straps... and a lunge line/chifney for loading emergencies!
 
Don't knock the magnetic stud dish (very cheap on ebay) ours has been one of the best things we keep on our lorry, the last thing you need is scrabbling around in the mud looking for a lost stud!
 
I am so excited reading this thread because I am off to buy essentials for Doris the Daf this week
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I am going to buy:
A first aid kit for me and the horses
Kettle
Cups
Spare set of bandages
Spare dressage pad


I have a pile of CDs to keep me entertained on long journeys too
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One the girls on our yard always takes a old shaving bag or feed bag so she can pick up poop the back of the lorry when they arrive at the venue and then it's half done when they get home! Also means they can clean out the lorry at home without havng to trapse up to the yard to get a wheelbarrow. It does assume, of course, that you'll carry broom and shovel on the box in the first place LOL!
 
My new essential for this year is that pressurised water container so you can hose horses off. Cannot remember the website at the moment but fabulous for trailers or lorries without hoses. Its a bargain at £24. A couple of pumps of the handle and off you go may avoid me being kicked this year after xc when trying to sponge off a horse high on adrenalin.
 
Mat_b - watch the Vicks, I think the stuff's great, but it contains Camphor which I believe is a banned substance. Many wash-off products have it in too.

Essentials I can think of: (in lorry drawer, not to be removed) stock pin(s), safety pins, rule book, number bib. (in lorry lockers/body) loads of buckets and sponges, I've put that spongey insulation stuff that comes in a circle (not explaining that very well) around my metal saddle racks as I noticed my saddles were getting damaged, a broom, waterproofs, towels, for legs I use Gold Label Witchazel and arnica gel, and if I'm feeling really keen they get bandages with the eskadron pads underneath.
 
Can you find the site lec, I've searched and can't see a thing like that anywhere. I'm going to ask our box chap if he can fit a hosepipe fitting to our water tank but if he can't this would be an alternative. (we have some weird pumping system that made them mutter when I asked!)
I have so much stuff in our box is laughable, we carry spares of all sorts of tack, enough tinned and packet food to feed us for days, cold drinks/hot drinks/soup/long life milk, spare clothes, spare competition clothes, wellies/shoes/boots/ hats etc, plus all the usual bandages boots and whips.
Having arrived at a competition without girths once it made me stock up the lorry for what I feel are most emergencies!.
Our essentials are the porta potti...a brush and shovel, buckets/feedbowls, a duvet and plenty of cushions and soft blankets so C can get a sleep in if we have an early start.
I sometimes add a portable tv if it's going to be a boring day for me...
The planned work to the lorry this month should make it better to use with external tack locker, new flooring in the living area and more cupboards at head height.
I am hoping to find a s/h driver's seat too as mine is awful.
The worst bit is clearing out the entire thing so they can start work on it, I hope to find my sat nav for a start which I hid somewhere, plus lots of spare cash dropped when rushing about.
I'd love one of those huge lorries with leather seats in the living and proper equipment like a caravan type loo/shower area, but sadly our lanes make having a tiny lorry essential.
One of the things we've found the most useful are sets of plastic drawers from Homebase? They provide waterproof storage for all the number bibs/ties/gloves/dressage sheets in the living bit, and another in the horse area holds numnahs, XC kit, competition hats and chaps.. It saves so much mess in what is essentially a very small storage space..
 
I couldn't leave without my collapseable water bucket, lightweight picnic set, premier boots for my horse - they are so easy to put on, take off and wash.
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Lec - please, please, please try to find the website for the pressurized water container. It sounds really fabulous, exactly what we need for our truck.

Fiona
 
We always have a muck bucket with us (with has a dust pan & poo brush as we call it) inside - as L_D said, it saves time when you get home (which is usually late, the distance we travel!)
And it's also useful to pick up any droppings which the nags have done outside the lorry. IMO it is polite to pick them up!
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& Also to add, someone has already said this but duct tape is a life saver!!
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After all this talk of duvets so the riders can have a sleep on the way there, I've decided the one essential thing I've been missing is........a driver! Any websites you can suggest?!
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Most of the stuff we have is what most of you have said above, we only have a small 3.5 ton lorry so i try to keep it to the minimal, and most of the stuff get's put on and taken off when we go out because of this, i am another who would be intrested in the water container tho, so lec if you find the link let us know
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