Packing My Tack Trunk: A Complete Checklist
Packing for a horse trial is one of those jobs that looks simple until the weather changes, a boot disappears, or your horse decides to cover every clean item in mud. A well-organized tack trunk cannot prevent every surprise, but it can keep small problems from becoming expensive, stressful ones. It also gives the rider a familiar routine before dressage, show jumping, and cross-country begin.
My own packing habits have become less about fitting in the most equipment and more about knowing exactly where everything lives. The goal is to open the trunk at the trailer and find the item I need without digging through spare clothes, grooming tools, or half-used rolls of tape.
This checklist is designed for eventing, but most of it works for schooling days, clinics, combined tests, and local horse shows. Adjust the quantities for your horse, the length of the trip, and the facilities available at the venue.
Start With The Day's Plan
Before packing the trunk, check the competition schedule and write down the order of the day. Dressage may happen early, show jumping may follow several hours later, and cross-country could be the final phase. Each discipline calls for different equipment, so the order matters when deciding what should be easiest to reach.
A simple written plan can include arrival time, horse inspection details, tack changes, warm-up windows, feed times, and your own meals. Add the stabling information, parking location, and any restrictions on bedding or feed. The competition schedule is useful for building this timeline before you begin filling the trunk.
Separate “must have” items from “nice to have” items. A correctly fitted bridle, girth, helmet, medical armband, and horse paperwork are essential. A fourth pair of breeches may be comforting, but it should not take priority over spare reins, rain gear, or a first-aid kit.
Build Zones Inside The Trunk
A tack trunk works best when it has zones rather than one large collection of supplies. Use smaller bags, clear pouches, and labeled containers to create separate areas for tack, grooming, first aid, rider clothing, and repairs. Even an old tote bag can become useful when it is assigned one clear purpose.
Keep the items needed immediately after unloading near the top. That usually includes a halter and lead rope, grooming brush, fly spray, water bucket, hay net, and basic stall supplies. The competition bridle and clean saddle pad can sit in a protected section until you are ready to tack up.
Heavy items belong low in the trunk, while delicate or clean items should stay above them. Wrap bits and metal hardware in a towel or boot bag so they do not scratch helmets, leather, or polished surfaces. Use waterproof pouches for items that could leak, including shampoo, hoof products, liniment, and sunscreen.
A small inventory card taped inside the lid helps when packing at home and again when loading to leave. Mark each item as packed, in use, or returned. This prevents the familiar end-of-show problem of driving away with a borrowed sponge or leaving an important piece of tack beside the wash rack.
Pack Tack With The Horse In Mind
Start with the tack your horse will actually wear. Pack the dressage bridle, jumping or cross-country bridle, reins, saddle, girths, breastplate or martingale if used, saddle pads, and any approved protective equipment. Check that every piece is clean, correctly adjusted, and free from cracked leather or loose stitching before it goes into the trunk.
Bring at least one spare for the items most likely to fail or vanish. Spare reins, stirrup leathers, stirrup irons, girth billets, keepers, and a humane replacement bit can save a competition day. Do not introduce unfamiliar tack at the show, though. A backup should be something you have already used safely and that fits your horse.
Saddle pads should be packed in separate bags if possible, especially when one is reserved for dressage and another for jumping. Add towels between stacked pads to protect clean surfaces. A saddle cover keeps dust off the leather, while a bridle bag makes it easier to transport the bridle without tangling the reins.
Training details matter when deciding what to bring. If you have been working on balance and rhythm, revisit the exercises in canter training drills and pack any familiar schooling equipment your trainer has approved. That might include poles, cones, or a lunge line, but competition preparation should reinforce your routine rather than turn the showground into an experiment.
Cover Horse Care And Rider Needs
The most useful checklist includes the horse, the rider, and the unglamorous items that keep both functioning through a long day. Use this comparison as a starting point, then adapt it to your horse’s habits and the venue’s facilities.
| Packing Area | Essential Items | Useful Spares Or Extras |
|---|---|---|
| Tack | Bridle, reins, saddle, girths, stirrup leathers, irons, saddle pads | Spare reins, spare girth, replacement bit, extra keepers |
| Grooming | Curry, body brush, dandy brush, mane comb, hoof pick, towels | Extra brushes, shedding blade, sweat scraper, stain remover |
| Horse Care | Halter, lead rope, hay net, water bucket, feed, supplements | Spare lead rope, electrolytes, extra buckets, labeled feed bags |
| Protective Gear | Boots, bell boots, schooling wraps, approved cross-country equipment | Backup boots, spare straps, replacement studs if appropriate |
| First Aid | Gauze, cohesive bandage, antiseptic, scissors, thermometer | Saline, wound dressing, gloves, instant cold pack |
| Rider Clothing | Helmet, boots, breeches, show shirt, belt, gloves | Rain jacket, spare socks, extra gloves, warm layers |
| Repairs | Duct tape, electrical tape, zip ties, hole punch, multitool | Leather string, safety pins, wire, spare boot fasteners |
| Paperwork | Entry details, numbers, medical card, rule-required documents | Printed maps, emergency contacts, facility information |
For grooming, pack products according to the conditions rather than bringing every bottle in the tack room. A damp event may call for extra towels, detangler, and a soft finishing brush. A hot, dry day may make water, electrolytes, fly protection, and sunscreen more important. Label feed and supplements clearly so nobody has to guess which container belongs to your horse.
Rider supplies deserve their own bag. Include your helmet, boots, gloves, raincoat, warm layers, sunscreen, water bottle, snacks, medication, phone charger, and a change of clothes. A small towel and a pair of comfortable shoes can feel as valuable as any piece of tack after several hours at the venue.
Prepare For Weather And Unexpected Repairs
Weather should influence the packing list before the trailer leaves home. For rain, add waterproof covers, extra towels, a dry rug or sheet, plastic bags for wet clothing, and a way to keep clean tack off the ground. For heat, increase the supply of water, cooling towels, fly protection, and breathable clothing. For cold conditions, pack blankets, hand warmers, gloves, and extra layers for both horse and rider.
The repair kit should be compact but capable. Duct tape, zip ties, scissors, a multitool, safety pins, baling twine, leather laces, and electrical tape can handle an impressive number of temporary fixes. Add a hoof pick, screwdriver, pliers, and a small flashlight if your trunk has room. Store these items together in a brightly marked pouch so they can be found quickly.
First aid is another area where organization matters more than quantity. For the horse, pack clean gauze, cohesive bandage, antiseptic solution, saline, gloves, scissors, and a thermometer. Keep your veterinarian’s number and your horse’s medical information with the kit. A human first-aid pouch should include blister care, pain relief you normally use, bandages, antiseptic wipes, and any personal medication.
Check competition rules before packing protective equipment or medications. Some venues and phases have specific requirements, and a familiar item is only useful if it is permitted. Put rule-dependent items in a separate labeled bag so they are easy to inspect before each phase.
Create A Load-In Routine
The final check should happen in stages instead of all at once. Pack the trunk at home, review the checklist, and then do a second inspection when the trailer is loaded. Keep the following recommendations visible on your phone or printed on a card:
- Place essential tack, paperwork, helmet, and first-aid supplies where they can be reached without unloading the entire trunk.
- Pack a separate “first hour” bag with a halter, lead rope, grooming tools, water, hay, feed, and stall supplies.
- Photograph the packed trunk and label unfamiliar bags so family members or helpers can find things quickly.
- Put wet or dirty items into dedicated plastic tubs or washable bags instead of returning them to clean storage.
- Recheck every item before leaving the venue, including borrowed equipment, number bibs, buckets, and clothing hung near the stall.
At home, clean and dry anything that became wet before storing it. Wipe down bits, empty grooming bags, restock the first-aid kit, and replace supplies used during the show. Tack-trunk maintenance is much easier when it happens immediately rather than several weeks later, when the next event is already approaching.
I also like to keep a running note on my phone during the competition. If I wish I had packed a second cooler, a different towel, or another set of gloves, I record it while the experience is fresh. The next packing session becomes more accurate without relying on memory.
A good system should reduce mental clutter, not create another performance test. There will still be nerves before the start box, muddy boots beside the trailer, and moments when the plan changes. Knowing that the practical details are covered leaves more attention for the horse, the course, and the partnership that brought you there.
Save this checklist with your eventing documents, tailor it to your horse, and use it before the next schooling day or horse trial. A carefully packed tack trunk will not make the dressage score, jump the course, or steady your nerves, but it will give the day a dependable foundation from the first unloading to the final load home.