Excluding all the essentials I know I need at a show, like, you know, a saddle, I’m liberally interpreting “need.” Amanda wants to know everyone’s top 5 horse show essentials. I ride at an h/j barn that brings along pretty much everything for the clients, so my list may look deceptively frivolous to many of you, but I take my brut rose seriously.

Brut Rose

Nerves building up over the course of a long day on the show grounds? Stop taking it so seriously! This is your fun thing to do, so have fun. If you are of age, pour yourself a flute of something pink and fizzy. But don’t overdo it, of course. You still have a course walk and you don’t want to weave while walking the lines. And don’t forget to eat.

Checkbook

Not everyone in h/j land takes plastic yet, so don’t forget your checkbook. I’m not sure how much longer handwritten personal checks will exist, but for now I keep having to write them. You can’t pay the braider with promises, Starbucks, and doughnuts, even if it seems like it.

Diaper Pins

Jumper ring necessity. Bonus points for Disney characters. You can’t glue your number to your saddle pad. No, you really can’t. Please don’t.

Towels

The number of towels I can go through at even a one-day schooling show … towel the horse, towel my tack, my tall boots, use a towel to hold my horse’s hoof while cleaning it, towel the horse’s muzzle specifically, all these things require their own towels… Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is not wrong on this one.

Spray Bottle of Rubbing Alcohol

Lifts stains, dries quick. Can’t live without it if you have a horse that likes to lounge in his own poop. Especially if that horse is a gray.

I’m sure I missed a few things that should have made a top 5 list, but I definitely use every single one of these things at shows a lot. Well, not too much of the brut rose–that’s more fun if you share.