Keeping Your Tack Room Organized

I have been in the horse world since I was 5 years old and the one thing that always made my heart happy was having a clean and organized tack room.

There is nothing worse than going to ride with someone and their tack room is a chaotic mess! Trying to find what you need and having to dig through piles of stuff can make for a stressful time. Not to mention the critters that like to hide in these dark piles (ewe!!) It makes your life so much better when things have a place and everything is clean and put away.

Depending on what kind of facility you have, this can be a challenging task. If you have a barn that has just a few horses, keeping the tack room clean and organized can be a lot easier. Having a barn full of horses and a lot of people coming and going makes it more of a challenge.

Whether you have just a couple of horses and a small tack room or you board/lease horses or manage a barn team, keeping things organized will keep everything flowing smoothly and make your tasks much easier. Regardless of what you do with your barn, it is very important to take pride in the presentation of your tack room and make it easy for the daily tasks to happen.

The first thing to remember is to have a well laid out tack room. Strategize where things should go to make it quick and easy to get to them. Think about having cubbies so that when people come weekly for their lessons and training, their name can be labeled on the cubby and everything they need is in one place. Also, make sure everything is labeled clearly for each person. Bridles with their saddles and pads etc.

Try using Tupperware drawers to store brushes, hoof picks, leg wraps, and any other necessary barn supplies so they don't get lost and can easily be put away.

Try setting up your tack room in a horseshoe-shaped traffic area to maximize use of the space. There are also a few clever ideas for storing things. Try a tack cleaning hook to hang helmets all in one place. Get a 5-gallon bucket to keep all of your longing whips in one place and easy to grab and make sure you install a locked cabinet up high for medicines and client owned supplies to be kept.

Have a small refrigerator to keep your vaccines and treats and a small freezer to keep a bag of ice and some ice boots to aid with injuries.

If you attend horse shows regularly you can think about having a traveling tack trunk that you can grab easily and won't have to pack every time.

Have a central location for people to be able to leave notes, keep your lesson schedule and rider paperwork. Also, keep a large whiteboard just outside the tack room for clear communication and scheduling.

Just a few final notes. Make sure to have a fire extinguisher clearly visible in the tack room and have it serviced yearly by the Fire Department. Keep trash picked up daily and don't let clutter start to form. Install a good lock or alarm on your tack room to protect your client's tack and equipment.