If you're in the mood for a weekend tack shopping expedition, there are several within driving distance of each other in Ohio. I'll highlight a few that we were able to include on our spring trip below.
Equine Affaire (Ohio Expo Center)
Address: 717 E 17th Ave, Columbus, OH 43211
Equine Affaire (EA) typically runs from Thursday through Sunday towards the beginning of April. Judging from past experiences, we figured traveling up there on opening day would mean less traffic & parking headaches, as well as less crowds to fight through in the shopping areas. It was typical EA weather - cold, overcast, and spitting rain - but that didn't slow us down.
There are hundreds of booths set up within the trade show in addition to EA's Marketplace, an area where other horse owners could consign gently used tack, equipment & clothing. TIP: Always check out the consignment areas for good deals! We found an almost-new winter blanket for only $20!
We worked our way through the rest of the trade show, working through our checklist of items and taking breaks between shops to go unload our purchases into the back of the SUV. During one of our breaks we sat in on a clinic with Dan James, who did some awesome tricks with a horse while long-reining (or ground driving as I prefer to call it.) Then it was back to the shopping.
By the end of the day, our purchases included a new slow-feed haynet for Hank, dewormer for the herd, three winter blankets, lead ropes (which always get chewed through or go missing at our barn), clothes, and some supplies for the barn.
Address: 12751 Worthington Rd NW, Pataskala, Ohio
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Keith's Saddle Shop is located about 15-20 minutes away from the Ohio Expo Center. Keith's normally has a booth set up at EA, but didn't make the trip this year. Since a new saddle was on my shopping list, we decided to head up the road to see what we could find.
This tack shop had something for everyone, with quite the selection of boots, apparel for both the english and western rider, horse care supplies, and a nice variety of both western and hunt tack. The customer service was also great! After perusing the rest of the store, we made our way up to their western saddles on display. I tried out a few different saddles, and happily brought home a Billy Cook reining saddle.
We'll definitely be adding Keith's Saddle Shop to our list of stops for our next Ohio trip.
Address: 8255 E Washington St, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
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Friday morning we grabbed our breakfast to go and headed north toward Cleveland, OH. It turns out there's another hot spot of tack shops up near Lake Erie! The first shop on our list was Schneider's Saddlery (or SS tack if you shop online). Normally Schneider's is towards the top of our list in the trade shows at EA and Quarter Horse Congress in the fall. We've ordered supplies from them for years online, but had never made it to the actual store itself.
Located in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, the store front resembles that of an elegant stone barn. Their selection of boots, apparel, tack, and supplies also did not disappoint. We restocked our supply of blanket straps, tail bags, and Mom got a great deal on a new straw hat. On to the next stop!
Address: 9440 OH-14, Streetsboro, OH 44241
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Next on our list was Big Dee's Tack and Vet Supply, in Streetsboro, OH, about half an hour south of Schneider's. Imagine a Walmart or superstore-sized building. Now imagine it packed full with horse supplies! (Not the place you want to take a horse-crazy person with money to spend!) Mom quickly grabbed a shopping cart and we spent an hour making our way through several aisles of horse supplies and apparel. To top if off, they were having a special spring sale, so several of the items we purchased were on sale!
Our purchases included whitening shampoo, plenty of cowboy magic, a purple zebra-print slinky (on clearance!), a brand new pair of boots for me, some treats for the dogs, and more.
But there was one last stop to make before we called it quits. As we approached Columbus, we decided to swing by Rods just to see if they had deals in the store that weren't available at Equine Affaire.
3099 Silver Dr, Columbus, OH 43224
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Rods is another must-stop for any western rider. They have a great selection of clothing, boots, gifts, and home decor. This is another store that we typically order from online, but it was right along the way on our trip home, so hard to pass up. Mom was able to find a pair of Twisted X shoes that she is slowly falling in love with, and I invested in a new belt for the show ring.
Do you plan special trips to tack stores? If so, what are your favorite locations?