Horse Shoes, Hay Bale String and Stirrup Keepers

Like most horse owners, I have a lot of stuff just collecting dust in and around my barn and tack room. There must be something to do with all of it.

I have found uses for hay string. Every bale I buy comes with three strings wrapped around it. The strings are an array of different colors. I use the orange strings as bucket scrubbers. I bunch them together and wrap the ends around them to hold them together and scrub out all of my horses' water and feed buckets. I also use them to scrub the dog bowls and they are like a little miracle. They remove all of the algae and hard water stains, even though sometimes it takes a little extra elbow grease, but I don't end up with any chemicals in the buckets and dishes.

I use the black strings to tie saddle bags on my saddle, cargo in the back of my truck and even create make-shift halters as needed. They are some of the strongest strings I've ever seen — I've never had one break.

I've used purple ones to create hay nets when out camping or to give to a friend in need. When they're all you've got, 100 miles from home, they're perfect for many things — dog leashes, collars or harnesses. You can braid them together for a special look and added strength, or if you really know your knots the uses are endless.

I am not a fan of stirrup keepers — you know, those little pieces of leather or nylon with the large buckle on the fenders of your saddle down by the stirrups. They annoy me, so I always remove them. I keep some in my saddle bag, some in my trailer and some in my tack room. They are great for a quick saddle or bridle repair on the trail. I’ve given them to people out on the trail to use as a yoke between the front and rear cinch. I have seen people not use the yoke and I have seen them break and it is simply unsafe to ride with a rear cinch and no yoke. In fact I had a friend get bucked off a young horse because her yoke broke. She only knew it when her horse starting bucking because the rear cinch slipped back on his flank like a bucking strap, — boy he did buck! She’s fine but no one wants to ride a bucking bronco except in the rodeo arena.

Do you have blankets, sheets and coolers lying around in your barn or tack room? If your horse has outgrown them, consider donating them to a rescue or therapeutic riding program. No sense in a good blanket going to waste. They are expensive and I know many folks who’d appreciate such a donation. If they are ripped, sometimes they can be repaired. Of course that depends on the type of material to some degree but it’s worth asking someone who does that sort of thing – unless you sew. If the waterproof type are beyond use or repair I like to keep pieces of the material to use as a make-shift window. I’ve had the glass blown out of my trailer on a horrible washboard road and the material and duct tape make a wonderful window. Polar fleece and cotton type sheets which are no longer of use become great barn rags, trailer rags, fly wipe applicators and wash cloths, for barn use. Fly sheets made of mesh can become screens, scrubber pads or wound wrap. The possibilities are endless.

Horse shoes can be used for art projects, statues, games such as Horseshoes, napkin holders or trivets. Your farrier is just going to have to recycle them so why not have some fun? Your only limitation is your imagination.