Category Archives: Handy Tips

TUESDAY TIDBITS: TACK MOLD (UGH) AND ‘THE POCKET HOSE’ – DANGER!

Today I was inspired by the nice weather so I skipped out to my trailer to pretty-up my tack and…

UGHHHHHH YAKITY YAK PATOOEY!

Mold.

Yup.

Every season, with all good intentions, I tell myself that I will clean and put away my tack… and do I do it?

A little.

I mean, I get the tack that I don’t use much put away.

But I always seem to leave out my favorite tack for ‘the next sunny day’.

Oy.

I hate when I do that.

Normally I would show you a photo at this point.

And I actually did take a photo of my moldy bridle.

But then I thought better of it. I was embarrassed.

So instead, I’ll show you photos of what works to remove gacky mold.

It is said that this is the only product on the market that truly inhibits mold growth. I found this ‘equestrian sample’ bag and thought it might be a good deal to see if I like it. You can click on the image to go to the page. (no affiliation)

THE ONLY STUFF THAT ACTUALLY INHIBITS MOLD GROWTH

OK, we all know that mold likes to grow in dark, moist areas – specifically for me, my tack room in my trailer during the winter.

What we are supposed to do with our tack when we are putting it away for the season:

–Clean it, BAKE IT IN THE SUN (because UV rays are what kill mold), warm your favorite oil and lay the bridle in a shallow container to soak in the warm oil (the warm oil goes into the leather and kills the spores), LAY IT IN THE SUN AGAIN, when dry, wrap it in waterproof canvas or a towel and put it in a ziplock and then store in a dry place like a tack trunk or a sealed rubber crate.

But, if you fail to do that – like I did – you can purchase these products from Leather Therapy. I’ve never used them but I have read that this is the only product on the market that has been proven to kill mold, not just wipe it away.

Also, another tip is that you never want to use glycerin saddle soap because it has a humectant which actually attracts moisture.

This is the product that is known to kill mold spores… click image to go to website.

MOLDY CHAPS!

I found some chaps at a garage sale that were really nice but really moldy. I had read that you can throw them into the washer with Pine Sol or Lysol liquid and they will clean right up. It worked!

WHAT I LIKE TO USE…

I like to use Skidmore’s leather products. They aren’t proven to kill mold, but I just like the way they feel and smell. And I always leave my tack in the sun to dry. Some wise old Indian (a relative) told me this long ago.

Here is a quote from their website.

Nice.

I use this. (no affiliation)

THE ‘POCKET HOSE’ DANGER!

This warning was mailed to me so I’m passing it onto you.

I had never heard of the Pocket Hose… and, this could all be an urban myth or a disgruntled competitor. I did go onto the site and it says nothing about using it for drinking.

Here is the email:

PEOPLE AND ANIMALS —//DO NOT DRINK FROM THE NEW POCKET HOSE
Please spread the word
This was sent to me by a horse owner.

The following info is included in packaging but who reads packaging! A hose is a hose – wrong!!

WARNING
DO NOT drink from this hose.
The water in this hose may become contaminated and cause serious health effects.

The “do not drink” warning is buried in the product packaging, and it is not posted on the website and needs to be! Their website is pockethose.com, you may recognize it from TV advertising.
Be cautious – rather safe than sorry!

DO NOT DRINK FROM THE NEW “POCKETHOSE” because of the chemicals used in the product that will leach into the water! The “do not drink” warning is buried in the product packaging, and it is not posted on the website and needs to be! Their website is pockethose.com<http://pockethose.com/>, you may recognize it from TV advertising.

I especially want to pass this along to horse people as this looked ideal for filling the horse trough in the winter, because it’s light, compact and easy to drain and bring back into the house so that it doesn’t freeze. I also thought it would be great to store in a horse trailer or camper for drinking water or horse water. I ordered a few of them from the website, and the website does not disclose any warnings. The hoses come in a plastic container with a label, and the caution is on the INSIDE of the label where most people will not look. Each hose has a small instruction tag attached to it, but no warnings there either.

This is exactly how the caution reads:
WARNING
DO NOT drink from this hose.
The water in this hose may become contaminated and cause serious health effects.

I thought the warning might just be because bacteria can grow in any hose, so I called the product’s customer service line, and the person I talked to CONFIRMED that these hoses should only be used for things like washing your car and watering plants. I directly asked him about using it for horse water and he said no, do not use it for animals because of the chemicals that will come out in the water. I am going to push for them to disclose this in their advertising, but in the meantime please help get the word out!

I had never heard of this hose… not safe to drink from or have your animals drink from it. Too bad, it looks very handy… but there is a chemical that creates its use that is harmful to mammals.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

Copyright

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Your purchase with Riding Warehouse through this link helps the Bucket Fund!

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth... if you like this, please pass it around!

January Bucket Fund receipts and Nail Polish – huh? Yup. One that stays ON!

January was a banner month or giving!!

The Horse and Man Group banded together to help rescue and rehome 41 Virginia Range estray horses – including the one foal who was dragged using baling twine.!

In case you missed it, here is the story.

The auction to save the horses was held on January 9th. I sent all the money we had early enough for them to get the funds to their banks in time. Here is the first receipt:

This was the first donation to save and transport the Virginia Range 41

THEN, we continued to collect money to help with the transportation of these horses plus any other medical needs they may have had.

At the end of the month, we gathered another $490 to send to this wonderful group, Let ‘Em Run Foundation, to help situation all of these SAFE estray horses!

Here is that receipt:

This was the residual money that came in after the auction – to help with whatever was needed for these horses who were all saved!

BUT, in the middle of the month, the same group wondered if we could help them purchase an Anderson Glide. They had a heartbreaking case earlier in the month where they were certain an Anderson Glide would have meant the difference for a young horse.

The HORSE AND MAN GROUP came together once again and gifted the Emergency Rescue arm of LRTC with $1650 towards the purchase of the Anderson Glide.

They are thrilled!! Even though we didn’t reach our goal of $1800, that goal amount included shipping. We did gather enough funds for the actual Glide. So, some of the ER members are going to drive down to where they make the Glide and pick it up!

Yay!

Here is that receipt:

The Anderson Glide money!

NAILS!

OK, you are going to think I’ve flipped my lid here – talking about my nails – for criminy sakes!!

Well…. the only reason I’m talking about my nails is that I imagine many of you are like me; you don’t bother to do your nails because with all of your horse work, they chip immediately and look awful.

Money down the drain.

Yup. That was me.

But… I had a big meeting last week and wanted my nails to look nice.

So, I got a ‘gel’ manicure.

I SWEAR TO HORSEGOD, my nails still look perfect a week later!! I swear!

However, as we all know… anything that good has got to be bad.

Yup, gel manicures make your nails brittle. So, I did a little more research and found a healthier gel nail method.

My favorite gal, Deborah Lippmann, has her healthy gel formula. (no affiliation…)