Tack Room Organization

Most horse riders are guilty of accumulating lots of tack! What can we say… There’s a thrill in buying and hoarding halters, boots, saddle pads, blankets, and even saddles. With all this extra gear, your tack room is likely stuffed. This new year take some time to get organized and unload some of it. You won’t believe how good it feels to walk into a neat and clean tack room.

Before you can even start the organizing part of your goal, you’ll need to weed out the unused and unwanted items. This can be a great way to earn some extra cash and downsize your collection. It’s a lot easier to organize when you know everything that you have, so take time to go through it all! It can even be helpful to create piles- keep, sell, trash, unsure. 

Tack Room Organization Tips:

Use Your Walls

• You’ll want to maximize your tack room space by hanging things up. Instead of portable saddle racks, get the ones that attach to the wall. You can also add bridle hooks and overhead cabinets. These built-ins can be handy for ointments, grooming sprays, treats, and more. 
• For protective boots, attach a strip of Velcro to the wall. Your boots will stick to it and be quick to grab when needed.
• A blanket rack can be helpful for hanging saddle pads. You don’t want a wet pad on your saddle!
• Hooks can be added so that you can hang your horse’s blankets up vertically. Not only will they be able to dry quicker, but they’ll be easier to identify.

Label Everything

• If you can invest in a label maker, do it!
• Ideally, you’ll want to create a section for each horse’s tack. Dividers or cubbies are helpful for keeping their things together. Make sure their name is visible.
• Little tags can be added to bridles, halters, and even blankets with their name, as well.  
• Some riders like to get matching tack colors for each horse. They might buy everything in green for one and red for the next.
• A file cabinet with labels can be handy for vet, farrier, and training records. You might also want to store special feed instructions or your horse’s registration papers.

Display Essentials

• Seasonal items like winter blankets should be stored in plastic totes or tack trunks. They’re bulky and take up a lot of space, so move them out of the tack room if you can. Make sure to wash and fold them up neatly.
• Clear plastic bins can be helpful! They allow you to see what’s inside, but keep the items protected from dust, cats, and rodents. You can even create shelves that hold your bins, so they can be stacked vertically.

Miscellaneous

• Keeping your tack organized doesn’t have to be expensive. You can find bins, shoe holders, dry erase boards, and other things right at the dollar store.
• A step stool with a lift top can have dual purpose. You can store your grooming and braiding tools in there, and also use it for a step up.
• Get in a habit of regularly dusting and sweeping in your tack room. Try to even dust the ceiling and walls!
• The cleaning doesn’t stop there… It’s smart to have a cleaning station for your tack. It could be as simple as a bucket with a sponge and leather cleaner. Tack should be cleaned regularly!
• It’s also very important that every time you use something you put in back in its original place. That’s the only true way to keep your tack room organized!

The initial cleaning and decluttering won’t be easy! It might take you quite a bit of time to go through everything, but the reward is worth it. There’s nothing quite as nice as a clean, organized tack room. It’ll take you less time to find stuff in the long run, so it’s well worth the effort!

 

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