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

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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Lol was reading this thread and was thinking, 'I'm young, I make do and mend', then saw yours an thought actually 2 isn't all that young now :D
 
I once bought a barnsby saddle for my youngster for £40 because it had gone furry and the brass bits were green. I cleaned it up with a bit of elbow and it looked brand new. Had it for a year then sold it for £120. The hacking about bridle I've got was bought by my oh 15 years ago and I wouldnt part with it, even though it dosent match my saddle and I only throw rugs out when they are beyond repair - like this year when she looked like she was auditioning for thriller and it was missing both leg straps a front buckle and a surcingle - but for £30 it was cheaper to but a new one!
 
I make! And mend as well as buy second hand. i can afford to buy what the boys need but don't like wasting money. Got a fab lyrca hood for 50p at car boot last weekend ~ made me and the oh happy!
 
Have just bought a new girth and numnah or a looming show, both at reasonable prices :) Have made a coloured brow band with lengths of ribbon that was 50p a meter, saw some at the tack shop, and tacky was the only word for them :eek: The price made my eyes water! The saddle was second hand, without a mark on it, was a fortunate find.
 
Ooh, I love making and mending...! That's how I've afforded to keep my horses and compete, by scrimping on all the other things in life, mainly repairing everything or making from scratch.

I'm not know as 'Bodge it and Leg it' for nothing!!
 
I HATE buying new stuff, partly because I can't afford to!!! I'm 25 and a great fan of plaiting thread and duct tape, this thread reminded me that I need to take both down to the yard tonight and TRY and work some magic on their rugs. I think they're beyond repair though. Sadly they're not my rugs or horses as I have a load that would fit all of them.

We have saddles that are older than me. Moms showing bridle is certainly older than me and did the royal show a fair few times! Everything my horses had was something that moms old boy had had and often the mares before him!:eek:
 
As someone else said earlier I use glue and patches from an old rug as I find stitching lets in the water.

Plus there are a lot more equestrian car boot sales now and you can get some real bargains there from people who buy new! lol

Liz
 
I am a mixture - I do have the best tack I can afford, an albion saddle and soon to be elevator bridle, however I also make do and mend in the sense that everything I have is second hand - I never buy new - ebay is my friend :D and I don't replace thinsg unless really needed then :)

Best Bargain - as new mark todd saddelcoth, £7 :D
 
I've always had to make do. Use hand me down rugs, wear them until they literally fall to pieces beyond repair ..... Etc. I don't have the fanciest tack, but I do look after all my horsey stuff. Though I'm practically left with no rugs now so if anyone reading has old 6'3 T/O's send my way :p
 
there is nothing wrong with make do and mend so long as it is safe. i fact there is a lot right with it. less carbon less pollution saving the worlds resources.
 
I really enjoy patching up and reproofing my rugs! I want to see how long I can get them to last.
I was most upset earlier in the year when my old riding boots gave up the ghost. I still haven't thrown them away though as they're sentimental (how sad).
 
Any rug that is beyond its use has the buckles and straps cut off to use on another. When the front got torn of an oldish stable rug I cut the front out of a couple of others and patched it. I have yet to receive complaints from the horses that their rugs don't match!

Halters get the metal pieces cut off to reuse where they might be wanted.

Bailer twine is good but cable ties are better!

I restitch stirrup leathers and other minor tack repairs.
 
hunting mad said:
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!!
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:D That sounds familiar, minus the wine, with literally zero acohol tolerance I'd probably end up sewing the rug to my leg!
 
Emmanash, I have sentimental riding boots too :) They have been everywhere with me and it seems such a shame to just dump them in the bin, doesn't it? :o

Most of my horsey equipment is second hand, or fixed reduced stuff from shops, if it wasn't, then there's no way that I would be able to afford it.

My bridle is made up of parts out of the 'rubbish' box at the shop where I buy my feed, and it turns out that after a good clean, it was all pretty good quality stuff! My rugs are also mostly second hand and repaired and I refuse to accept that they will eventually be beyond repair :eek::D

I went to a horsey tabletop sale the other day and picked up some armadillo boots for £5!! completely unused and still in the bag. I also found a breastplate/martingale combo thing for £2 and loads of other little things that I needed but would have cost a lot had I bought them new :)

I also buy all of the feed in the shops when the bags have damage :o It can be easily stored until I need it, and is much cheaper :p

When I was looking for a spercific type of feed, instead of chancing it and buying a complete bag, email the feed advice people of baileys and the other companies and they will send you a sample!
 
I agree! I used to be a bit of a rug-a-holic and my tb always had lovely rugs! Until I got my other who used to trash them for him!! After replacing a few and them getting shredded within hours again, I have now joined the "make do and mend "club!! Whether it be temporarily with duck tape, sewn up or left with a few holes!!!
 
Haha, Enfys! That's totally true for me too, probably without the wine even. :p. My mother repairs all my stuff for me because I am that cack-handed. I hate new things too, I'm so much happier with a fabulous second hand item, especially leather so it's worn in a little, I get a great feeling of self satisfaction when I have found the ultimate bargain!

I'm pretty sure one of the ponies was wearing a hessian stable rug from nineteen canteen last year too, I did feel remorse about throwing away an old canvas rug that I found with it mind.

I have to agree on 'sentimental' boots too, mine leak for england and have various chew marks on them, but they are Hoggs and I love them...

I'm also only a nipper at 20. I get it from my mother, she hoards things.
 
teasle said:
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.
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yep i think that plays a big part, i'm lucky in that my mum is a seamstress so i learnt to sew before i learnt to read!! i think there was a backlash against make do and mend in the 80's, as a young'un in the 70's everybody had hand me downs, home made clothes were acceptable, all that changed in the 80's and you weren't 'in' if you had second hand or home made stuff:D:rolleyes: And i do admit that i don't do hand me downs for my kids:o, but i'll happily make do and mend for the horses and dogs:D altho with my big girl she came with about 4 bridles, countless pairs of boots and rugs so it will be a while before i run out:eek:
 
Paint Me Proud said:
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.
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Literally just this lunchtime I ordered a sailmakers repair bobbin thingy to repair my rug - I didn't think my normal needles & thread would get through the straps. Looking forward to trying it out!
 
Well I can report back that my Davey Speedy Stitcher from Marine Store Chandlery worked well - took a little bit of practice but it was 'man' enough for the job (had to overlap and stitch together a strap on a rug so double thickness of webbing to get through)
Nearly stabbed it through my finger a few times tho!
Need to source some sturdy waterproof fabric for patches now.
 
I kind of know what your saying, When i was younger i would just make do with whatever i had and be happy with it. But after going onto a large livery yard i noticed alot of competition and "oh i have just bought this and it cost xxx" type thing" It seems to be about having the best of everything alot of the time now but it doesnt always make for happier horses :o
 
For me, unlike others on here, my mum was also very tight, to the point where I rarely had anything nice as a kid (once a year, at christmas until that stopped when I was about 14) and rarely ever had new clothes or anything else that my friends always got. I actually think that it's the reason why I like to have nice things and let my friends envy me for once as I never felt that before. Although I hate buying anthing I could get cheaper online and often cheap out on clothes and things for me (I actually don't even have a mobile anymore as mine finally gave up on me about a month ago and I can't bring myself to go out and buy a new one). I rarely buy myself anything and every penny goes on my horse so he can have nice things, and I know when I go out my horse and I we both have really nice things compared to most other horses/riders. I have actually realised how many nice things he has and doesn't need and am trying to sell them (to no avail).
 
I'm always mending damaged rugs and if I do have to throw a rug away I cut off all the buckles, leg straps, surcingles etc so I can use them for repairing other rugs.

Unfortunately many items are made with planned obsolescence and just get chucked away adding to the huge problem of waste.
 
Unfortunately nowadays, it is sometimes cheaper to buy new than to repair, bought a leather bridle for £10 in Robinsons sale couple of years ago (ok it is probably cheap imported leather), after lots of oiling etc it us still going strong, ideal for hacking! Couldn't get a pair of leather reins repairs for that money. :)
 
Been there and done that for years, while im not wasteful and still use rugs ive had for 10+ years, im at a time in my life now where if i need or want something new for my horse im now in a position to get it, but i always try to give new homes to any decent stuff i decide to change.
If im paying for it,its nobodys business but mine :)
 
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