I’ve done a lot of shows over the years. NFR, Pendleton Round-Up, National High School Finals Rodeo, Better Barrel Races World Finals, countless barrel races and all kinds of other horse-related events. I had a big, enclosed trailer that I’d converted into a mobile store and it had 48’ of wall space to fill. My merchandising style would be best described as “stuffed to the brim” (lol) so that big trailer took a lot of effort to stock.
All those events resulted in an influx of website sales and my team and I were busier than ever. It became harder to mobilize for events, as website sales and production of inventory had to be prioritized. The big trailer sat idle for a long time and I finally sold it, assuming my days on the road were over.
I was looking forward to staying home. I thought it would be a nice change after so many years of being a vendor. I got a bunch of animals and made my house a home. Then the monotony of production leather work got to me.
I started planning an eventual return to in-person sales. I prefer selling out of a trailer for many reasons, but I wanted something different than the usual. It needed to be fun and memorable. The search began.
In June 2023, I found a 1990 Tru 2-horse trailer on Facebook Marketplace. It needed a lot of work, but it was extra tall, longer than a typical vintage 2-horse and had lots of cool exterior doors. I drove to east Texas and bought it.
The restoration was extensive. First, the trailer was gutted. The dressing room wall and horse stalls were removed. Floor replaced. Sandblasted and repainted. New wiring. The ramp wasn’t going to work out, so that was replaced with new back doors. The tires were the only thing on the underside of the trailer that didn’t need to be replaced.
Finally, the “Tack Wagon” was completed in September 2025 and I soft launched it at a ranch rodeo in Stephenville, TX. The trailer worked out great and I’m looking forward to making a few improvements to it and hitting more events! My vendor game is a little rusty, so I’m going to keep it fairly local for now, while I dial it in.
Happy trails!
Heather