Saddles in the living room
“I don’t understand why you don’t want a saddle in the living room!” I exclaimed. My husband started back at me, bewildered and somewhat amused at this statement. His response: “That’s not a normal statement…at least not for most people!” Well, us horse people aren’t “most people” and there’s nothing wrong with that! What sparked this discussion? This thing…
It’s an antique saddler’s stool. Cool, huh? Some sweet friends found it and gifted it to me… the crazy horse person. Upon delivering it to our living room, I made the only logical assumption that we (I) needed to clean up an old saddle and display it in the living room with this awesome stool. Logical, right? So what’s the problem? Saddles in the living room. That’s the problem. Do you find your horsey gear creeping into your home like I do? Saddles, bits, old western pads and even halters all qualify as decor in my book. Growing up, I proudly displayed Dancer’s first tiny halter on an iron horse head hook in my bedroom. I thought it was adorable! What’s wrong with that? Why shouldn’t we display relics of our sport around the house?
If you have a significant other who isn’t as…enthusiastic… about saddles in the living room, here are a few subtle equestrian decor ideas that you can make with old tack you have stored in your barn. (Tip: you should probably dust off, wash and basically make these items spotless…and odorless…before bringing them into the house in order to maximize the effectiveness of your creative endeavor.)
My antique stirrup iron helps spice up one of my many sections of horse books!
- Framing an old bit is a great, subtle way to add some equestrian style to your home without being super obvious about it.
- Old stirrup irons (without the rubber pads) are a fun accent to your bookshelves or other decorative displays.
- Do you have an old blanket in storage? Or just want to add a subtle southwestern flair to a room? Try hanging an old western saddle pad over a bench or chair for something new.
Once you start digging around your tack trunk or storage bins, I’m sure you’ll be able to find creative uses for your old tack. The trick is to just sneak it in slowly and inconspicuously! 😉
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Lauren
I, like you, have to go for a more subtle equestrian flair in my home because I don’t think my husband would like saddles in the living room either.
Erin W.
That saddler’s stool is so cool! My husband isn’t a horse person either. We compromised. He gets his man cave, I get pony decor. 😉
Abigail
Once my husband and I buy a house there will be some serious equestrian theming going on! Poor guy…lol. These are some great ideas! (PS. I can’t quite picture how a saddle fits very well on that stand – seems too wide. But then again, I’m picturing modern saddles. It’s very cool though! If you ever do put a saddle on it be sure to post a picture!)
See Horse Design
Glad to know I’m not alone! haha! He has compromised on a few things, so I have to give him a little credit. But I don’t think you can go wrong with more equestrian decor!