Equestrian Writer

With winter in full swing in the northern hemisphere, riding time is limited. But that just means that you’ve got more time to clean out that tack room and sort through all the unused junk that is lurking in the corners. Rather than just throwing it all away though, some of that junk can be repurposed for other uses. Here are 4 common tack room items that can be reused for other applications.

1. Old saddle pads

You know those crusty old saddle pads you’ve got lying around in a corner somewhere? Maybe they got too worn in places to protect your horse’s back anymore or maybe they’re the old synthetic ones you used to use before you knew better. Either way, if you’ve been in horses more than a year or two you’ve probably got one or five lying around that aren’t likely to see the back of a horse ever again. So, what do you do with them? You could just let them sit there collecting dust and getting mouse-chewed or you could dust them off and give them to your dog as a nice new bed. They especially like the thick pillowy ones. They’re just as thick (or thicker) than most commercial dog beds and they come with the added bonus of no new-product smell that so many dogs hate. Ok, so it may smell a little like the barn, but so do your boots when you come inside after a long day of riding and you don’t hear your dog complaining about it.

2. Leather split reins

What about those leather split reins that haven’t been used in over a year? A pair of leather split reins can yield up to 16 feet of good leather that is already broken in and ready to go. You can repurpose that leather to make your own dog leashes or dog collars. If you don’t have the capabilities to sew leather you can just use rivets or chicago screws.

3. Torn blankets

Don’t throw away those torn blankets that your horse mauled. They may be too far gone to repair and use as horse blankets, but there may be enough material left to repurpose them as dog blankets. The straps and hardware are just as salvageable as the material. Tough, waterproof material is hard to come by and expensive, so salvaging it from your old horse blankets is a great way to ensure that Fido is just as well protected from the elements as your horse.

4. Horse shoes

Old horse shoes are good for a lot of different craft projects including:

• coat hooks
• bridle racks
• book ends
• wall decorations
• paperweights
• small picture frames

The list goes on. Of course, the number of uses also depends on the size of the horse shoes you have available. Horse shoes from a pony or a mini will be slightly less versatile than those from a larger horse. Shoeing your horse is ridiculously expensive, so why through those shoes away after only a few weeks of use. Get your money’s worth out of them a repurpose them into a variety of uses. You can rest assured knowing all that money isn’t going to waste and impress all your friends with your horse shoe craft projects. Who knows, maybe you can even make a little of that money back by selling some of your innovations!

Cover Photo by ElisaRiva