Tacking up

[polo_han]

Hi everyone, but do people tend to tack up at home and then load/travel tacked up; or tack up when they arrive at the meet? I am going out soon for my first time and don't want to do the wrong thing either way!
(sorry if this is a silly question..!)

 

[DollyDolls]

Really depends. I'd say about 60% are fully tacked up, whereas 40% aren't.
I choose to travel with everything on except the saddle. So i travel in boots and bridle, but add the saddle when I arrive. I dont want my saddle wrecked if something happened in the lorry. I find that sticking it on doesn't take very long.

However, I travel home in no tack.

You wont be judged if you prefer to do either.
Have a great time.

 

[Honey Pony]

Hi we used to travel tacked up, it is not always easy to tack an up an excited horse, also quicker. But it depends on your horse!

 

[polo_han]

Thanks for your advice!
My horse is a bit of a nightmare to tack up as she has to walk and walk while we do her girth up which might be difficult in a new environment when she is excited. We only have 20 mins to travel so I may try to travel tacked up...I could always try a test run and see how she is. She usually travels very sweetly so fingers crossed will be OK! Thanks again!

 

[JenHunt]

depends on your horse... Ron is nice and calm so I tack him up when I park. If he was a stresshead then I'd probably tack him up at home!

 

[huntley]

Always tacked up - far too much stress to do it at the meet!

 

[CrazyMare]

I used to travel tacked up, but once went with someone else, and my mare hated her trailer and nearly trashed her expensive saddle. We now travel untacked up as she struggled to get over it.

Shes dead chilled - I put the bridle/breastplate on in the trailer, then take her off, and put the saddle on. She stands rock still weather she can see hounds or not

 

[olderthanshelooks]

I travel tacked up as I only hunt my mare so that's the onlly time she goes in the trailer so as soon as she sees it the excitement starts. So by the time we arrive she is even more wound up.

I come home untacked and washed off as mare lives out so by the time we get home she is dried off so just have to unload, change rugs, put back in field and feed.

 

[GinaGeo]

I travel mine not tacked up. I'd be terrified of him damaging his saddle, it wasn't cheap! But he's a real chilled boy. I too put bridle and breastplate on in the trailer, then pull boots, tail guard and rug off. Throw saddle on and we're ready to go. If I had a lorry where I could allow the extra width then maybe. But not in a trailer where the partition isn't that wide to start with!

 

[doodleberry]

i travel mine tacked up girthed up tight but without making too much effort and also flash nosebands done up unless we are travelling more than 3/4 of an hour then i leave the flash loose! when we arrive i do the girth up or readjust the saddle if for some reason it has slipped back then off they go . Coming home i tend to untack completley as long as they have had a decent warm down then i can just arrive home put them in their stables to do whatever they need to do before i wash them off i.e have a drink, wee, bite of hay roll etc if leaving the saddle on i always take the bridle off as i just think its nicer for them . If you have a chilled horse thats easy to tack up there then fine but nothing worse than trying to do a noseband up or get the saddle on straight when a) your fingers are freezing and your horse wont stand still and b) if your horse is moving about and you r late and everything is rushed and therefore probably not correct!!

 

[polo_han]

Good point; my saddle isn't fancy at all and I have been thinking of getting a new one anyway, so if it was damaged I wouldn't be very upset at all!
I think as I will be nervous at my first meet anyway I shall arrived tacked up to save that extra stress for me and horse!