Tailored Sportsman Taste on a Piper Budget

It’s no secret that horses and everything that goes along with them is expensive. I’ve always known that I’ve had a champagne taste on a beer budget since back when I was drinking juice and since the prices of everything equestrian is far from cheap, I’ve had to become the ultimate bargain hunter. Why spend $180 on breeches when you can find them $70? So many riders fork up the cash or rack up their credit card when they could have saved some money and their credit score.

Utilize Facebook Groups

Who doesn’t know about these already? Facebook has become a platform for buying all of you favorites for a steal and selling the I’ll-never-use-this-again junk at the bottom of your tack trunk. You can post an ISO for all your equestrian desires or search for something specific and try to snag it before someone else does. Some pages like Ogilvy Equestrian Addicts and Tailored Sportsman Breeches for Sale only allow posts about certain brand, while others are more open, like English Tack Trader and High End English Tack. Also, make sure to search for sales pages specific to your area.

Pay attention and Have Patience

Most shops have sale patterns. Near me, Dover Saddlery has their Tent Sale in September and April and I can usually guess the weekend it will be on before they send out their flyers. The Smartpak retail store always announces their Dot Sales only a few days before the start date, but you can be pretty sure about when you’ll see that email in your inbox because of their previous dates. And it is a known fact that shops have deals because of holidays. If you need something immediately, then go ahead and pay full price. But if it is something that you don’t need right this second, wait for a sale on it.

Go Early

Yes, I am advising you to be extra annoying by getting to the tack shop early and standing outside the door, in line, on sale day. It is so worth it. Most places restock throughout the day but only at certain times, so if the sale starts at 9 and you get there at 9:30, all the early-o’clockers have snagged the deals you want and you’re stuck waiting until they restock at noon. Plus, some stores occasionally open their doors early.

Dig

Sure you don’t need anything from the spare parts bucket but for all you know, the pieces to the bridle you’ve been lusting over are right inside. If you’re in the clearance section, things get tossed around, moved somewhere else, or shoved to the back of the shelf. The best deals are the ones you had to dig to find. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found full sets of matched boots in the mismatched boot bucket.

Happy shopping and BUY ALL THE THINGS…on sale.

-TC