On a horse show day, having all of the supplies you may or may not need can take a lot of stress out of the equation. Check out our list below and see how we put together this DIY kit. Our DIY horse show essentials kit for riders holds more than 2 dozen different supplies and accessories that are helpful to have on hand.
Horse Show Prep
Ask pretty much any horseback rider and she will tell you – the more you can pack and prepare AHEAD of horse show day, the better.
Horse show mornings are typically very early days and they can be filled with nerves and stress. We always pack our horse show bag and horse show survival kit the day before the show. Doing this usually ensures that we have everything we might need at the show.
The other day we picked up a small hanging organizer and had the idea to put together a bunch of the items on our horse show packing list into a smaller “horse show essentials” kit. The kit ended up filled with lots of things that might come in handy for riders.
The organizer bag has clear zipper pockets which make it really easy to see everything in the bag and find what you’re looking with a quick glance. The hanger at the top of the bag makes it convenient to hang on the trailer, truck, or even a tree with low branches!
Small Organizer Bags for Horse Shows
I took a quick spin online to look for bags. I could not find the exact bag that I used, but I did locate some similar options. Take a look at these and see if any of them might work for you:
- PAVILIA Hanging Foldable Toiletry Bag
- Freegrace Hanging Jewelry Organizer Revolving Hanger
- Hanging Jewelry Organizer 47 Pockets (Set of 2)
- Anizer Travel Foldable Jewelry Bag
- Angelina’s Palace EZE Jewelry Hanger Organizer
- Bardic Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag Polka Dot
Here are some more pictures of my bag, before filling it.
Using the ruler below as a rough guide, you can see that our bag is pretty small. It is just about 2 feet long when rolled out. I like the small, compact size. One drawback to the size, however, is the limited space for supplies. There were a few other items I might have added to our bag, but the pockets (except that bottom row) are all very small squares.
Horse Show Essentials for Riders
Here is a list of the supplies that are in our bag:
- Spare black string for horse show back numbers
- Hairnets
- Hair elastics
- Safety Pins
- Shout stain removal wipes
- Purell antibacterial hand wipes
- Alcohol swabs
- Hand sanitizer packets
- Hydrocortisone stick
- Tums
- Band-aids
- Tylenol
- Aleve
- Benadryl
- Cough drops
- Horse mane/tail elastics
- Peacock bands for stirrups
- Lifesavers Mints
- Listerine breath strips
- Cash
- Travel sewing kit
- Chapstick
- Moleskin
- Eye drops
- Triple antibiotic cream
- Liquid IV
- Tissues
- Sunscreen
Notes about why I chose these items
Here’s a quick note about why I chose some of these items. Obviously I won’t give you reasons for things like cash and sunscreen, LOL. Those purposes should be pretty obvious!
Spare black string for horse show back numbers: I have been to more than a couple shows where they either forgot to get strings for back numbers OR they had run out. It never hurts to have a spare string or two in your bag. Black yarn works fine, too!
Hydrocortisone: Summer shows mean biting bugs. If you have the bad luck of getting an itchy bite, have a hydrocortisone stick on hand for quick relief.
Shout Stain Removal Wipes: It never fails – stains happen! Whether you drop some ketchup on your jodhpurs or spill coffee on your show shirt, a stain removal wipe comes in handy! Wipes help to keep the stains from setting until you can get them in the washer or to the dry cleaner.
Horse mane/tail elastics and peacock bands: These two items love to break at the most inopportune times! Having some extra replacements on hand is always a good idea.
Lifesavers Mints/Listerine breath strips: Horse show nerves sure are real! I have found that even as a parent, I get nervous at horse shows until my kid finishes her classes! Having some spearmint or minty options on hand usually helps to settle our nerves a bit.
Moleskin: Breaking in a new pair of leather boots? Hopefully you won’t get a blister. Use moleskin on the areas where your boots rub your skin. This can help to lessen a blister’s development.
Eye drops: After a long day standing in or next to a dusty riding ring, your eyes can become dry and itchy. Having eye drops on hand can keep them lubricated and less irritated.
Liquid IV: Add a packet to a bottle of water for rehydration. They are easy to pack, shelf-stable, and really work to replenish electrolytes when you are dehydrated!
I hope these tips are helpful to you as you plan what to pack for your next horse show!
Do you take some of the same supplies with you to shows? Are there any must-haves on your list that I left off of mine? Please drop us a comment and tell us about them!
