Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Organizing a Tack Room

I've finally moved most of my tack from my horse trailer to the new barn. I've spent a lot of time organizing my corner of the tack room to make room for more stuff, so I thought I'd share some tips and tricks on how I do it.



  • Wall-mount saddle rack: Years ago, my dad picked up several of these racks at a horse auction, and I'm happy to finally put one to use. (Horse auctions were a weekly Friday night outing for my family for several years.) They run anywhere from $11 (at Jeffers) to $25 (at Dover), but Beka at The Owls Approve posted a great DIY tutorial for a collapsible racks last month. Wall-mount racks are great because you can mount several in a vertical line without taking up valuable floor space. Be sure to mount them in a stud, though, or you'll rip a hole in the drywall.
  • Tuna cans: For hanging bridles and halters up, you can't beat clean tuna cans. Dover sells bridle brackets for $4, but why buy that when you can get a can of tuna for $2, eat it, and use it to hang your stuff up? If you want to get fancy, you could spray paint the cans, but I just tacked mine up with a hammer and framing nails. (And obviously no level.) 
  • Tack trunk: This small green trunk was originally purchased for me when I started attending two-week summer camp programs. It was converted to tack trunk duty in high school (so at least 10 years ago).  The trunk is about 30" long, 18" wide, and 15" tall. It's perfect for corralling all kinds of stuff: lunge line, polo wraps, helmet, extra lead ropes, equine first aid kit, human first aid kit. You can put a lock on it, too, if you're concerned about fellow boarders "borrowing" from your trunk! You can buy these at Wal-Mart or off Amazon for about $40. (Stickers optional.)
  • Wash bucket: Even in the dead of winter, I keep my wash bucket at the barn. It's a plastic 5-gallon bucket used exclusively for bathing ponies. I keep all of my bathing supplies in it: pimply rubber mitt, sheath cleaner, shampoo, conditioner, sweat scraper, body sponge, face sponges, towel, etc. I never have to wonder where anything is, and keeping liquids in the tack room versus the trailer helps prevent freezing. (In the picture, it's also holding a bucket of Uncle Jimmy's Squeezy Buns treats and a stud finder.)
  • Grooming tote: You know the grooming tote. You probably have one just like it. This holds the basics for me: curry comb, dandy brush, body brush, hoof pick, hairbrush, pulling comb, scissors, fly spray, hoof ointment, and hair detangler. 
I've been allotted some more space in the tack room since someone moved out, so I'm planning to bring in a plastic shelf unit. It'll hold the horse and human first aid kits to make them more easily accessible, as well as my dressage letter cones, jump cups, and any other loose ends. 

What kind of tack set up do y'all have? Have any neat DIYs?

5 comments:

Carly said...

Love the tuna can idea!

Beka Burke said...

I want to take the tuna can idea, replace it with cat food (because I'm more likely to have that on hand.. I always pitch a fit when the hubs eats stinky fish), and then put fabric or something on it. OH MY GOD. A photo of the horse in the center. Quick, pull this post and let's market this shit.

I got my trunk at Home Depot for about $50-ish. It's got a tote thingy for my grooming supplies and I'm able to shove a lot of stuff in it - like the wash bucket and various liquid things and extra pads. It also came with a lock, for my paranoia.

SheMovedtoTexas said...

Come organize my tack room!

L.Williams said...

haha love the tuna can idea!

Aoife said...

Tuna Cans - brilliant!
Did anyone else have to scroll back up to re-examine the photo when you mentioned not having a spirit level, lol *blush*
On initial viewing I thought you had done it on purpose to have the two outside one higher looks like a sweet curve to me ;-)

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