What's Wrong With "Make Do And Mend"?

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MosMum

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There seems to be two really seperate schools of thought in horsemanship in the UK. This is just what I've witnessed so perhaps not everyone is as extreme as what I've noticed so far, though?

It seems that if a buckle gets a bit of rust on it, it shoudl go in the bin. If a fence is leaning, knocking the whole thing down and get post and rail. If a saddle gets a scratch, buy a new one. If a horse won't make height/needs to go off work for a year etc, sell it or trade it for a new one...

What's wrong with scrubbing your tack, riding in a scratched saddle, using mis-matched tack... if you haven't got horses escaping their field or getting injured, and no one is breaking into the field who doesn't belong there, why re-fence?

Sorry a bit pointless of a post I suppose, but I just don't see a whole lot of make due and mend over here, and those I DO see it in, won't buy anything unless its direly important. Is there no balance?
 
I know exactly what you mean!!

I am constantly being given things by friends because there 'broken' because i will fix them or use them (in safe condition). I hate buying new things when you have things that are absolutely fine, just rough around the edges :)
 
I certainly "make do". My hacking jacket is 30 yrs old and still going strong - likewise my leather boots until last year when my calves got too fat. Still use a repaired holey sweat rug. However teenage daughter makes up for my non buying;)
 
Crikey!! I used elbow grease on my saddle to get the rust marks off. The places / most people I know would work hard, re-erect a fence etc. I have seen a few trade a horse in for no real reason other than they "want a new one".

Competition equipment, I will buy what I can afford and try to have it matching etc but for everyday riding, I'll use what I have - match or mismatch - and if I have a little extra money, I'll buy something I simply want for my ponies.

There are instances where you think, "why did you buy that? You have x"

I don't think it's generally as extreme as you say, all over. But, is it on one yard you see that or is it several? There are also the people who have to keep up on the latest gadgets etc and feel that mending something is just not done.
 
Bailing twine fixes everything! :D

I think I'm a middle of the two you described as I will try and fix something and won't buy another unless I have to but at the same time, I like having my tack match and proper posh show kit BUT I do shop for bargains. I buy factory 2nds or used of expensive well known brands and trawl Ebay for bargains. I got a new Stubben bridle with tags for £12 on Ebay once as the seller didn't know what it was (non horsey seller selling it)!!
 
I was really impressed when I bought my Welsh that the young girl who owned him had mended his rugs and headcollar herself. There seems to be so little of that nowadays as you have said. I can and do mend things, in fact I hate buying brand new and would rather buy better quality second hand needing a bit of tlc than cheap and nasty but new.

Mind you that goes throughout my life, my current settee is one that was bought by my grandfather just before my mother was born, two of my dining chairs were made by my grandfather in the 1890's, the pram my babies travelled in was bought new for me when I was born and has done a dozen or so children. My childrens' cloth nappies are still in use as emergency towels / cloths having done for my two children and two of my cousin's. And a skirt my daughter is wearing to a funeral next week was bought by me before she was conceived! Oh and the handbag I'll be carrying to the same funeral was bought before my mother was conceived.
 
i have notice don my yard that when rugs get ripped etc they often just get chucked away and a new one bought.
I always say 'why dont you just stitch it?' and ALWAYS get the same response of 'i'm useless at sewing'.
People wont even give it a go, sewing isnt that hard, they just dont want to bother, it's easier just to chuck it away.

I wanted to buy an inhand bridle but then had a look through my various bits of bridle tack and bobs your uncle cheek pieces from one, spare browband, headstall from another and i've put a lovely inhand bridle together :)

Also at the Just Togs sale i went to there was a beautiful leather headcollar in a box of stuff marked £1 each. All that was wrong was that the throat clip was broken but no-one wanted it. So i bought it, got some wire and a bit of tape and it is great now, i never use the throat clip anyway so i'm smiling all the way!!
 
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Think that people nomdays do not have the skills ,sewing etc to mend stuff, we were taught to darn socks at school. Also to some yooung people broken stuff is "skanky " and they will loose face by not replacing it.
 
This is the result of the modern consumerism society. No wonder youngsters can't afford to buy houses, they don't save or make do and mend, it's all spend spend spend, and has to be brand new. I'm with you on fixing it (see my post above about the Kieffer bridle), I love a car-boot type bargain too.
 
It's certainly 'make do and mend' here..I can't afford to do anything else with my boy's current crop of vet bills!

If I ever do have to throw away rugs, usually after there is more 'mend' than rug, I cannibalise it first, remove leg straps, buckles, straps etc.

I've still got all the rugs from our Sec D that we bought as a foal, ranging from tiny ones to just out of his size.....I said to my OH that it's a shame to see them go to waste, we should get another foal...he didn't fall for it
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I've just bought a pair of jodphur boots off ebay for my daughter for a pound, collected as from the same town as me, which is great because it means I don't have to stick her into her broken zipped long boots everytime she rides, only now on special occasions:D
I think I'm taking tight to a whole new level !!
 
I'm a bit of both - I love the idea of make do and mend, and will quite happily buy good quality second hand stuff (gotta love Catlips!). I have a go at sewing, though ususally end up with more thread than hole, and I got a lovely saddle cheap for my last horse as it had teethmarks on it!

However, I also work in a job where I have to work long hours, which pays reasonably well. Sometimes I simply don't have the time to mend stuff - if my horse rips his rug, then he needs to stay warm and sometimes this means I will just go and buy him something new, quickly. I do tend to keep the old stuff to mend when I get round to it though.
 
My most complimented leather headcollar is an old one that a friend was chucking in the bin. Its beautiful and its not possible to buy one like it now.

Growing up in the 60's make do and mend was a way of life. Tack was always repaired and matchy matchy was unheard of. Boots were sent to the cobbler, socks were darned and clothes were patched when worn out.
Old jumpers had the wool re-used, fabrics were used for quilts etc and just about everything was recycled for an alternative use.

Yesterdays Make Do and Mend was a way of living economically, today its the new ' Environmentally Friendly' without the price tag.
 
I love to make do & mend !! The boy's rugs have nearly no original material left they've been mended that many times, although I have had to finally admit defeat with his fly rug!! Baler twine has repaired everything from gates, fencing, rugs, jumps, haynets the list goes on!! I can't bare it when people throw stuff away just when its looking a bit tatty, so I willingly take it off their hands!! Really can't afford it these days to just buy new for no real reason!!
 
Also come from a make do and mend, and some of my horses rugs come from the "I am chucking it because I can't repair it" stable.
I am still finding it hard to chuck a LW non waterproof rug (no matter how many reproofs are done) even though i have finally bought a new one
 
I'm young and I make do and mend!

My YO just threw one of her turnouts away, it was very ripped but some of it was ok so I asked could I cut it up and keep the good bits so when my rugs need reparing I can just stitch the rug patches on.

I found the "Money saving tips" thread in stable, very good for tips on how to mend equipment!

Also a fan of bailing twine to fix my haynets. My friends Horse sadley passed away, he was the same size as my Horse so she gave me alot of his things, I washed them all and they look good as new.
 
I am a deffinate make do and mend type, if i see anyone chucking stuff away i will ask if i can have it. normally a bit of time and effort is all it takes.
I really cant afford new stuff all my jods have holes in so trawling ebay at the mo for new ones (well secondhand but new to me).
All my tack is good stuff and well taken care of, my rugs get repaired and reused, any spare rugs i happily take i am not proud.
Also off to catlips tomorrow, need a new bit and cob bridle, Well it wont be new it will be used but as i say it will be new to me
 
as i left work one day i noticed a big black tubtrug in the skip. I fished it out and although it has a hole in the bottom it is doing a sterling job of holding all my horse bathing stuff in my tack room!
No one else at the yard seems to do make do and mend so i get some funny looks! :D:D
 
I mend all my own rugs...with plaiting thread!!
Nothing better than sat down of an evening with a glass of wine and the fire roaring with a stinking turnout rug over your legs whilst you sew away!!
 
I'm a young one too but I love the attitude of 'make do and mend' and I really try to look after my stuff well and would never dream of throwing out a rug with a tear in it!

Saying that, a lot of my tack, equipment etc was very expensive..... but I plan on looking after it and it will hopefully last me years and years. I clean my tack after each use (yes really- every use!), wash all my stuff i.e. boots, saddle cloths etc regularly so that the sweat/dirt doesn't destroy the materials- just stuff like that which I think makes a difference to their life span!

I love finding bargains, hunting on ebay or rumaging through friend's stuff that they were going to 'throw away'! I think I strike a good balance as I do also have a stash of saddle cloths, bandages and accessories that I know I don't *need*!! :)
 
Nothing wrong with make do & mend.

I can't sew, but im a dab hand with patches & gaffer tape or puncture repair kit glue ;) My boys don't care if there rugs are patchy as long as theyre warm & dry.

I also strip non repairable rugs before despatching to the bin ;)
 
I have a weatherbeeta rug that came with my horse when I bought him 7 years ago. They gave me 2 rugs, an old bridle and a pair of fetlock boots that we're going to be thrown away as they were too tatty for their new horse. The turnout is still going, but has been fixed a couple of times with fishing line (BEST stuff for fixing rugs - it's super strong!). He'll be living in that rug over winter though as it is still fine despite looking awful - is toasty warm and doesn't leak.

I earn a good wage so have recently bought a new saddle (dressage - already have a jump), a nice browband, saddlecloths and boots, but the things I do buy will be used until they are totally dead! Haven't bought a new rug in years (and by new I mean a 2nd hand one off ebay!) I hate paying out loads of money for things that I can get cheaper second hand and in jsut as good condition after a quick clean! I actually prefer used tack and boots as the leather is softer and broken in already!
 
Do I still count as young? I'm 26 so perhaps young-ish? I hope. *prays fervently someone thinks 26 is young as is depressed at being nearer 30 than 20!*

I try and mend things if I can. If I can't I try and make OH do it. If I can't mend it I won't replace it with something that isn't a total bargain from ebay or preloved or gumtree. Very rarely do I buy anything new in a shop. I'd always rather scout around online for a bargain. If I want something nice I tend to wait until birthdays/christmas.

I'm still miles away from buying a house though! Not my own fault, it really isn't a friendly economy right now. Interest rates on savings are nothing and mortgages need at least 20% deposit unless you're happy with an awful deal and to add to all that we're looking at inflation of 5% soon. I am trying my best though and will carry on scavenging the clips of knackered rugs to fix all the clips BH breaks on my lead ropes in the hope it will pay off one day.
 
Dubsie said:
This is the result of the modern consumerism society. No wonder youngsters can't afford to buy houses, they don't save or make do and mend, it's all spend spend spend, and has to be brand new.
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That's a bit harsh! I am a make do and mend 'youngster' who can't afford to buy a house even though I try to be as fruggle as possible when it comes to horsey stuff. I search around for insurance and hay/feed suppliers and often buy in bulk to ensure I'm getting the best prices.

I buy second hand or knock down price items off eBay and other internet sites. I have a leather dressage girth that someone had dumped in a wheelie bin because it had gone a bit green - cleaned it up, had the stitching checked and it's done me proud for years! My haynets are more baling twine than haynet. All my rugs are patched. All boots and bandages have been repaired at one time or another. I even re-stitch the velcro back onto my over reach boots when the stitching rots.

The budget for our wedding this year is £1500 and we are set to come in under budget because I have hunted around for bargains and am doing a lot of it myself or have asked friends and family to help. Don't tell me it's all got to be brand new and spend, spend, spend!

I can't afford to buy a house (or even a studio flat) because it is going to take me forever to save the £27k it would take in this area to put down the 20% deposit required by most mortgage providers. The only 'youngsters' I know who have a property of their own have it because:

a) they've lived at home way into their 20s (and sometimes into their 30s) paying very little rent to Mum and Dad;
b) 'Bank of Mum and Dad' have given them the deposit
c) they've taken a loan out to provide the deposit they've needed for the mortage
d) they've had a property left to them

Very few people are lucky enough to be able to save that kind of money while they are still considered a 'youngster'.
 
Make do and mend - I buy second hand but good quality. I'd love to be able to afford a new saddle - my GP is at least 20yrs old and looks scruffy but fits my youngster very well. My dressage saddle is a T & T Fulmer and must be at least 40yrs old and the leather on it is far superior to what we see nowadays.

I've been bad in the past - I had a major whole house tidy up and foound that I actually have 8 pairs of good gloves, enough grooming kit and haynets for a dozen horses.

Baler twine and no8 wire is your friend.
 
jesstickle said:
Do I still count as young? I'm 26 so perhaps young-ish? I hope. *prays fervently someone thinks 26 is young as is depressed at being nearer 30 than 20!*
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You are but a spring chick! :) I would love to be nearer to 40 than 30, but sadly passed 40 a couple of years ago. Sob!

I also buy second hand if I can, repair what I can and save anything that could be useful in the future. Helped out my teenage neighbour today as rootled through my bag of spares and found a noseband to fit her horse. Loved her attitude, when asked what colour her bridle is she said "oh black and brown!!!" made my job of finding something to "match" quite easy!
 
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