HI Spy: What item of tack or barn gear would you invent?

What item do you wish actually existed to make your horsey life better?

1-Aug-11

Life improved for stall-muckers everywhere with the invention of the lightweight manure fork. What invention would you create to revolutionize the horse world? Photo: Leslie Potter

As a horseperson, you've likely come to depend on certain items of tack or barn equipment. If you've ever mucked a stall with a heavy, metal shovel, you understand the beauty of lightweight manure forks. Battling moldy leather in a humid climate might lead you to celebrate synthetic tack. For those in the northern climates, what could be better than heated buckets to keep your horse's water in a liquid state through the coldest nights?

Riding and horsekeeping have come a long way since the dawn of equine domestication, but there are still headaches that all riders and horse owners deal with every day. If you could invent one item to make your life as a rider or horse caretaker better, what would it be? It doesn't even have to be completely realistic. Use your imagination, and come up with the horse world's next must-have product.

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HI Spy: What item of tack or barn gear would you invent?

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Reader Comments

Autumn northeast, WY

12/8/2012 11:30:07 AM

I would invent a solar powered heating/cooling horse blanket. It would have a nylon outside, gel middle and soft material on the inside. I would have it be lightweight and waterproof and be very comfortable. There would be invisible solar and control panels. You could regulate the temperature and it would be easy to take on and off.

madison timnath, CO

8/7/2012 11:38:39 AM

i love brushing my horse, but no matter how long i brush i cant seem to get All the dirt out. so i would invent a brush that completely cleans the horse in a smaller amount of time. so u will still have the pleaser of brushing and bonding with your horse without the trouble of spending 3 hours for nothing!

Haily Wausau, WI

7/11/2012 2:13:55 PM

I have four horses and the only one who doesn't mind getting fly sprayed is my 34 year-old Quarter Horse. The others just don't seem to understand that after I spray them, the flies somewhat stay away from them. Apparently they can't connect the two things together. haha. Because of this I would invent a type of fly spray that actually keeps ALL the flies away. Plus, since my horses always seem to freak out when I try to spray them, I would invent a fly spray dispenser/sprayer that wouldn't spook them so that I wouldn't have to take a washcloth and wipe them down for an hour everyday.

Claire Des Moines, IA

3/4/2012 2:19:24 PM

I would make a machine that would dry up all the pasture mud and make it solid dirt again. No more uber muddy horses, and no more boots stuck in the ground!