Tack room organization is the last thing on your mind after enjoying a full day under the sun riding your horse. In the end, proper tack room organization can make setting up and tearing down a breeze. Organizing your tack room gives you freedom to move around, easily see and grab bits and bobs, and, generally, make every step of the horse barn management process a joy.
Whether you have a small shed out back or a huge showroom for all your saddles, bridles, reigns, halters, bits, and other tack, you want to give every accessory its place. Our tack room organization guide will give you tack room ideas from the decluttering pros that include racks, hooks, and bins. Plus, these tack room organization ideas will make you look forward to visiting your tack room every time.
The Importance of Keeping a Tidy Horse Barn
A big part of organizing your tack room or tack area in your barn is the ability to move around with ease without any stuff piling up on the floor. No longer will you step on valuable equipment, bump into things, or scare your horse as your heavy metal tools fall on the ground with clang. If your tack room is big enough, keeping it clean can keep your horse safe and calm when inside.
1. Take Inventory of Everything
Before you apply any tack room organization ideas, you must first know what tack accessories you have in your barn, what you need, and how often you need them. It may sound time-consuming, but it is important to take out everything as if preparing for a big move while keeping your budget in mind.
Keeping an inventory of your tack room equipment gives you a better idea of what type of storage you need. Do you need shelves? What about hooks? A large bin with a lid? Blanket racks? Once you have that in mind, you can work on cleaning up the mess on your floor and putting every single thing in a special compartment.
2. Frequency of Use
Some tack accessories you need everyday or every week, while others may only be used once a month or seasonally. Think of how often you use items and store items of seasonal use in large storage containers or rolling trunks in your barn to avoid cluttering your limited space. Vacuum seal your blankets and fabrics to save space. Plus, tack trunks can double as additional seating. Taking out everything in the beginning can help you see if you can donate or sell extra tack tools.
3. Keep Your Tools Close
When you are getting ready to ride, you want to keep your tools relatively close to you for easy access. If your tack room is in your barn, designate a specific area to keep your tack equipment. From there, you can build out your storage unit with smaller sections meant for different items. Organize tack by theme such as grooming, first aid, bridles and saddles, and more.
4. Let There Be Light
Optimize your tack room with lights to illuminate your space. Install bright lighting to easily see every storage section around your entire room. Lights also keep pests such as rodents, insects, and birds from making your tack room their home. Lighting can also keep you and your horse from bumping into any items.
Lithonia Lighting 3348 Fluorescent Wrap, 120 V, 32 W, T8 Lamp
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5. Lock It Up
Lockers offer a secure and effective way to organize your horse barn accessories. Organize your additional accessories (or ones that do not normally get used) in these lockers that have enough room for more than one rider. They not only keep things clean and tidy, but they keep dust away from your prized possessions.
6. Maximize Vertical Space
Tack trunks and storage bins are a must in a well-organized tack room. However, storing things hidden in a locked container can make finding what you need more time-consuming than if it was hung up on the wall at eye level. On top of your trunk storage, try hanging as many tack room accessories on the wall.
A pegboard can be a base to hang tack room accessories. You can even paint the pegboard to match the color of fixtures. Hangers, hooks, and rods evenly spaced on the board (or fixed to the wall) can provide you a secure spot for your saddle pad, blankets, helmets, and other tools. Velcro strips on the wall are another supportive and easy-to-install organizational tool that can hold on to lightweight fabrics such as fly masks, bell boots, and tendon boots.
7. Shelves and Drawers
Using shelves and drawers (of varying sizes) can be an excellent way to store your saddle pads, boots, hoses, and other essentials. If you are ready to go to a show, you can even load the shelving unit into your trailer for no-fuss transportation. Vertical drawers in cabinets or plastic containers can help keep small and loose items neatly organized and dust-free.
8. Saddle, Blanket, and Bridle Racks
Saddle racks are one of the integral elements of a well-designed tack room. A saddle rack can hold your gear but also add a stylish flare to your room. Choose from portable and collapsible models to bridle racks that can mount to your wall. Bridle racks and hooks are also important pieces that can keep your room organized. When your halters and headstalls are not being used, these rounded metal or wood brackets keep your supplies organized and free from creases.
Free Standing Saddle Rack
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Martin Ranch, Horseshoe Bridle Rack Tack Hangers
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Martin Ranch, Wall Mounted Saddle Rack
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9. Spic and Span
Any tack room worth its salt is going to be a bit messy at the end of the day. That is why, it is important to store a broom and dustpan nearby to sweep up any dirt, horse hair, and other debris regularly. Above all, cleaning up after yourself each day can make it easier on you on your next visit to the horse barn.
Quickie Bulldozer Indoor/Outdoor Push Broom, 18 in.
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10. Clear Containers
Optimal tack room organization requires you to keep your tack tucked neatly away. Clear plastic drawers are an affordable and efficient way to store tack from small knick knacks to large objects in see-through bins. Clear containers allow you to spot your tools, grab them, and spend more time with your horse.
11. Humidity Control
Keep your leather accessories looking like new with proper airflow and humidity control. When storing your saddle pad and saddle, let the damp saddle pad dry instead of leaving it over the saddle which can degrade the leather. A blanket rack is an optimal choice to keep pads dry. Invest in a humidifier inside or near the tack room area to keep your leather in peak condition.
Farnam, Leather New Easy-Polishing Glycerine Saddle Soap
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12. Think Inside the Box
Storing tack room tools in containers with lids is good for long-term storage, but pretty soon, you are going to need those tools again. Then, you will have to create a whole other mess trying to get something down at the bottom. Instead, roll up accessories like blankets and other fabrics and organize them vertically for easier visibility when seen from above.
13. Label Everything
We mentioned arranging accessories in themes, but it is also important to label as much as you can, especially if sharing the tack room with another rider or caring for multiple horses. Adhesive chalkboard sheets and chalk markers are simple tools used to label areas on the wall, containers, shelves, or drawers.
14. File Away
A filing cabinet in your tack room can help keep important documents such as medical records and other horse care documentation on hand. Holding onto a paper trail of all of your horses’ care and maintenance can save you a lot of headaches down the road.
Decluttering Made Easy at Wilco Farm Stores
Explore a wide range of tack room organization solutions at Wilco Farm Stores. We make horse barn management simple and fun. Store all your saddle pads, boots, helmets, bridles, and more with the help from farm supply experts at Wilco stores.
Send us pictures of your tack room ideas! Use #mywilcolife on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tag Wilco Stores.
