Horse Riding Bags & Totes

If you've spent any time in a boarding stable, you know that barns are absolutely brutal on gear. Between horses chewing on things, bags getting dragged down concrete aisles, and the constant moisture, you need something incredibly tough. In our years of managing busy stables and testing different gear packs, we’ve found that anything less than 600D polyester (which is just a shorthand way of saying a heavy-duty, tightly woven synthetic fabric) simply won't survive the season. A tough exterior shell is also your first line of defense against rain rot and ringworm. These nasty fungal skin infections love to grow on tack that gets trapped in damp, unventilated bags. To make sure your bag doesn't rip apart when hung from a rusty pasture fence or a trailer tie, always look for reinforced double-stitching and thick, webbed handles that can handle being yanked around.

Leaving your expensive grooming tools or leather tack loose in a standard open bucket is a recipe for disaster. We’ve all done it, only to find our brushes caked in arena sand, dirt, and mystery barn moisture a week later. That buildup ruins the leather on your fine bridles and dulls your expensive clipper blades fast. A good grooming tote solves this by giving every tool its own dedicated pocket. We highly recommend totes with open tops and breathable mesh panels. They let your sweat scrapers and damp wash brushes dry out completely instead of stewing in a dark, humid bag where bacteria loves to grow. Another feature we swear by is a rigid base insert, a sturdy, removable plastic panel at the bottom of the tote. It keeps the whole bag from collapsing into a sad puddle on the aisleway, preventing your expensive liniments and fly sprays from tipping over and spilling everywhere.

Choosing between an open tote and a zippered bag really comes down to whether you're working daily out of a stall or packing up the trailer for a weekend horse show. Based on our daily barn routines, here is how we break them down:

• Open Top Totes: These are your absolute best friend for daily grooming and bathing. Because they have rigid frames that stay wide open on their own, you can easily reach in and grab a hoof pick or curry comb with one hand while holding a dancing horse with the other. They also feature external mesh pockets that let wet rags air-dry right on the go, saving you from that awful moldy-towel smell.
• Zippered Storage Bags: Keep these for travel, communal tack rooms, or off-season storage. When the wind picks up and blows arena dust everywhere, or when barn mice look for a cozy place to nest for the winter, a fully zipped bag keeps your expensive show blankets and show pads pristine. Just make sure the zippers are heavy-duty nylon or brass so they won't seize up when they get dirty.

There is nothing worse than carrying a bag full of heavy steel bits, iron farrier tools, or thick winter turnouts only to have a strap snap right in the middle of the driveway. The main weak point on cheap bags is where the handles are stitched to the top fabric. To prevent that kind of heartbreak, look for bags with a continuous webbed handle. This means a single, unbroken strip of heavy-duty nylon webbing runs all the way down one side, completely loops underneath the bottom of the bag, and comes up the other side. Our team has stress-tested these bags over countless show seasons, and this design is a lifesaver because the bottom of the bag cradles the weight rather than pulling on a single seam. For extra insurance, make sure those high-stress corner areas are reinforced with a rugged box X stitch pattern so the fabric won't tear during sudden stops in the trailer.

Taking care of your storage bags keeps them water-resistant and saves you from having to replace them every year. In our longevity trials, we noticed that letting sweat crust and arena grime sit on the bags doesn't just ruin the fabric, it actually sucks the natural oils right out of any leather tack stored next to it and jams up the zippers.

Warning: Whatever you do, never throw your heavy-duty barn bags into a washing machine with harsh laundry detergents or bleach. Those aggressive chemicals will completely strip away the internal waterproof coatings, leaving the fabric flimsy and prone to leaking. Always hand-wash them using a soft-bristle brush and a mild, pH-neutral soap like dish soap or a gentle horse shampoo.

Getting the right size bag matters more than you think. If you try to cram a massive, heavy winter turnout blanket into a bag that's too small, you'll stretch the fabric, pop the seams, and ruin the water resistance. We always match our bags to the specific job at hand. Here is a quick breakdown of what we use based on real-world barn applications: