I sold my Childeric close contact jump saddle today. I had left if off at the local tack store only a week before so when the phone call came that they had a buyer I hung up and found myself almost in tears!
The decision to sell my favorite saddle was due to the cold hard fact that I hadn’t jumped in more than 5 years, my passion has been Dressage for quite some time and I thought it was “time”. But my reaction to the phone call was ”What??!! Oh No, what had I done?”Thoughts raced through my head….”Maybe I made a mistake and I’ll want to jump again…..and….I’ll never find a saddle that will fit me so well” With tears welling up in my eyes I suddenly realized why I felt so sad at my saddle’s final depart. To let go of my jump saddle meant I had to really let go of my once in lifetime mare, Fatima. She had passed away 5 years ago and only recently had I even allowed the horse I am leasing to “borrow” her bridle and blankets!
I think we all have our stories and reasons for “tack Hoarding” – a reminder of a wonderful horse, the day we won that Blue Ribbon or just a day in our lives that seemed perfect. I believe there is something emotional connecting us to that spur that we lost the mate to or the bit that doesn’t fit any horse you currently own. Some of us think that we will find a use for the item or fear that they will be hard to replace from a monetary standpoint. We have good intentions and truly believe we are going to have a use for them someday but then there is always that moment of truth. The rude awakening when we go to put our groceries in the car and can’t fit anything in it because it’s full of an array of tack or dreading the annual ritual of Spring Cleaning your garage because your spouse is going to ask the inevitable question: “Are you going to get rid of all this tack?”
Your relationship to all this tack can be sentimental but know that can change over time. So give yourself permission to get rid of things you once cherished. Whatever your reasons, (personally, I was fearful I would soon wind up on an Equestrian episode of Hoarders !) So I figured I only had 2 choices – spiral into ”tack crack heaven” - (or “hell”) –or find a way to incorporate these sweet memories into my décor.
How to make a towel holder from an old stirrup iron and leather
This simple towel holder will look great in a bathroom, kitchen or tack room. Begin by gathering your materials: a traditional fillis iron and stirrup leather, leather hole punch, goggles (for eye protection when using a drill—safety first!), drill and bits, hammer, and a wall anchor, toggle bolt or molly if needed (available at hardware stores).
Clean your stirrup and leather and remove the stirrup tread. Decide what length of leather you need, and buckle the leather to make it the right length. Next, decide where you will attach the leather to the wall, and punch a hole in the leather so it will hang at the appropriate length when attached to the wall at that hole. Cut any excess leather with a utility knife. (Or, take it to a local shoe repair shop).
Now find a stud in the wall, either with a stud finder or by tapping on the wall and finding the point where the sound changes from hollow to ‘solid’. Wall studs are generally placed about 16 inches apart. If there isn’t a stud where you plan to hang the stirrup, use a toggle bolt or molly to ensure that the towel holder won’t pull out from the wall with use.
Using the drill, attach the leather with a screw (and molly if needed) through the hole you punched.
Hang a pretty hand towel from the stirrup and admire your work!
This next project will use some of those extra bits your trainer said you just “had to have”
Bit Scarf Holder
A Jointed bit works best. For example, a French link loose ring, a jointed loose ring or D-ring. Large rings allow you to hang the scarves while the French link or jointed bits let you hook the bit over a nail or screw. The hardest part will be to decide where you will hang the bit (or bits) and determining the length of the scarves you chose to see how they fill the visual space on the wall. A grouping of three bits looks especially nice.
Ideally find a stud and drive the nail at an angle into the stud. If there isn’t a stud in your chosen spot, you might want to use a molly to secure the bit to the wall. Hang scarves in complimentary or contrasting colors, knotting or looping them through the rings.
Spur Drapery Tieback
Turning a pair of spurs into drapery tiebacks takes only minutes and are a subtle way to add an equestrian touch to your decor. Use a spur and spur strap (clean it first!) or if they are in the condition of most of my spur leathers, use a pretty ribbon in lieu of the strap that coordinates with the drapery fabric. Simply buckle the spur strap (or tie the ribbon) around the drapery as shown in the photo. Voila!
Check back next week for more ways to give your old tack new life!
Mary Cox is an equestrian interior designer who has accumulated a ridiculous amount of tack. She welcomes your ideas and creative solutions for using all that tack. Contact her via her website at www.equestrian-interiors.com (where you can also view entertaining videos of these projects, and more). Mary’s blog at www.blog/equestrian-interiors.com features thoughts, ideas and resources on equestrian home décor and design tips.
Fatima & Mary in the infamous saddle !