Cob Jockey

I had a show last weekend, but I'm still getting through the media in order to write a post, so enjoy a series of show gear review posts in the meantime!

After my July show, I posted about what was and what was not working in regards to show organization.  Last weekend, I got a chance to put my new gear to the test. First up, this rolling gear cart from State Line Tack.

Dog for scale

This. Thing. Is. Awesome.  It comes with two saddle racks, a basket, a velcro grooming tools organizer, and a bridle rack - and all of that comes off the cart so you can use it to haul hay and shavings.

There are a lot of tack cart options out there, but I chose this one for a few reasons.  First, it has big pneumatic tires, which will make rough ground easier to handle than solid tires.  Second, all of the attachments are removable so that you can use it as a hay/shavings cart too.  There's nothing I hate more than schlepping individual bags of shavings down the barn aisle at places where you can't get your trailer close to your stall!  And third, it came with some nice extras that not all the carts had, like a 5 hook bridle rack and a Velcro grooming bag.

It has two handle positions and I have it in the shorter one, so it actually can be up to a foot taller than this if you want it to be.

My first trip from the trailer at the show, I hauled 3 bags of shavings and his water buckets.  Next trip, I hauled a hay bale on it.  Third trip was the stuff in the photo above (And my trailer was only parked 30 feet from my stall, so I probably could've condensed these trips more but didn't need to).

Later that evening, I prepped it for the following day by putting my bridle, helmet, saddle, grooming stuff, whip, morning grain and bathing stuff in it before wheeling it up the ramp and into the horse area of my trailer, so that in the morning all I had to do was wheel it to my stall and I was done.

Prepped for day 2 and ready to spend the night in the trailer

During the show day, it worked admirably too.  Honestly I was surprised by what I found to be my favorite feature - that tiny Velcro grooming bag, which I took off the cart and hung inside his stall while tacking up so I didn't have to go back and forth to my bag.






Between this and the backpack, all of my show stuff was easily visible, easy to reach and well-organized.  Two thumbs up to this thing, it saved me a ton of time and reduced my show day stress.




Now on to what I didn't like, although none of these are dealbreakers.  First, the instructions absolutely suck.  I had to sit down and logically think through which screw should go where and why in order to put it together.

Second, the powdercoating is not the best.  Out of the box there were two places where it was chipped and rusting.  Not the end of the world, but it means at some point I'll have to spray paint this whole thing.

Third, it's poorly balanced without the attachments, and will fall over.  This meant I had to lean it against something when I went to put hay/shavings on it.

Fourth, the holes are baaaaaaaaaaaaarely lined up, and it took some real effort to get the handle installed as a result.

Finally, I wish the handle had grips instead of just bare metal, so I'm going to be taking some bicycle grip tape to it at some point.

Packing to go home with the saddle rack removed

Bottom line: If you show off your trailer, this is probably useless to you, but if like me your area more or less requires show stabling, this thing is invaluable in terms of the time it saves and the organization it provides.

What: State Line Tack Rolling Tack Cart
Price: $175.99 list, I paid $123.19 plus freight charges
Where to Buy: State Line Tack