Tack room essentials

[myheartinahoofbeat]

I am in the fortunate position to deck out my own tack room, for the first time. I'm in my fifties and so happy to finally be living out my dream of having horses at home. The tack room is in a stone building with a radiator and a sink with hot and cold running water. The floor is old and stone and very uneven, so I am going to have to put up shelving,saddle racks, etc. Are there any of you who have decked out your own tack rooms that can give me any tips please for essentials?

 

[dorsetladette]

Lots of storage - you accumulate lots of 'stuff' when you have somewhere to keep it.

I like having a table and a chair (folding) that I can sit on/at while I clean tack. It's nice to have a table to do things like mix feeds, sort grooming kit boxes, get poultice stuff ready etc.

Hooks by the door for headcollars and hoof picks etc.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I have a big old chest of drawers which is really useful and found some great garage shelving on Facebook. It’s strong, sturdy and perfect for folded rugs.
Depending on how many saddles you have I’d try and find a freestanding saddle horse type thing. My metal racks fall randomly off the walls and I’m terrified of one getting really damaged so no longer use them.

 

[asmp]

Not pretty but I use old large chest freezers to store rugs in having had rugs chewed by rats in the past.

 

[Griffin]

A kettle is a must ;-) Also those hanging hooks on chains to clean bridles on are very useful for hanging things up to dry.

We have open shelves in our tack room and I quite like them because it makes you be a bit tidier. All first aid stuff is kept on a separate shelving unit at eye level for quick access in an emergency. We also have a ready stocked emergency box to take out to the field.

If you have the space a small fridge/freezer is useful to keep ice packs in for injuries (can you tell that I only ever own accident prone horses?).

 

[Keith_Beef]

You mention the floor being very uneven... some shelving systems have feet whose height can be adjusted by screws and locknuts. Or you can sometimes add levelling feet to existing shelves, like with these DeWalt feet.

You mention that this is a stone building... is the inside plastered or plasterboarded with some kind of insulation? Many shelving systems are intended to be secured to the wall, to reduce the risk of them toppling forward when unevenly loaded. You might not want to or be able to do this, in your tack room. You might find a way to brace the shelf uprights against the ceiling or beams.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Keith_Beef Great point about the walls and screwing stuff in, i'll have to double check before we move in.
Also, I LOVE your tag line. It's a great mantra

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

A kettle is a must ;-) Also those hanging hooks on chains to clean bridles on are very useful for hanging things up to dry.

We have open shelves in our tack room and I quite like them because it makes you be a bit tidier. All first aid stuff is kept on a separate shelving unit at eye level for quick access in an emergency. We also have a ready stocked emergency box to take out to the field.

If you have the space a small fridge/freezer is useful to keep ice packs in for injuries (can you tell that I only ever own accident prone horses?).

Great advice. kettle has to be a must. I've got a hefty first aid box but as my horses are on livery at the moment there hasn't been enough storage at their yard to keep it all there but I have accumulated a lot of stuff. I even found some in date bute the other day!

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Not pretty but I use old large chest freezers to store rugs in having had rugs chewed by rats in the past.

Good idea!

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

I have a big old chest of drawers which is really useful and found some great garage shelving on Facebook. It’s strong, sturdy and perfect for folded rugs.
Depending on how many saddles you have I’d try and find a freestanding saddle horse type thing. My metal racks fall randomly off the walls and I’m terrified of one getting really damaged so no longer use them.

I've just bought 4 racks to screw on the walls. I'm panicking now after reading your post

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Lots of storage - you accumulate lots of 'stuff' when you have somewhere to keep it.

I like having a table and a chair (folding) that I can sit on/at while I clean tack. It's nice to have a table to do things like mix feeds, sort grooming kit boxes, get poultice stuff ready etc.

Hooks by the door for headcollars and hoof picks etc.

Yes, I'm already commandeered a garden table and an odd chair from the house but what is this tack cleaning thing you speak of!!! Hooks, yes another good idea

 

[Blanche]

Have somewhere other than your tackroom to dry turnouts, you don’t want to make the tackroom( and your tack) damp and mouldy. I have in the past used a large chest freezer to store rugs. I would store them by size and type in either plastic storage boxes or those bags you suck the air out of. I would label them and stand them on end with label showing, this way you don’t have to sort through everything to find the one you want. Also more storage than you think you could use.

 

[Squeak]

I've just bought 4 racks to screw on the walls. I'm panicking now after reading your post

I've never had the problem of racks falling off walls. Maybe it's just the certain type of wall that's a problem?

I would love to have a proper wooden standing saddle rack for cleaning tack though. Also if it's possible I prefer not having feed in the tack room to try and help keep things out of the tack room.

 

[EventingMum]

A free standing saddle horse is great when cleaning saddles as is a hook for cleaning bridles but make sure you can secure it out of the way when not in use so you don't walk into it!

 

[daffy44]

Old filing cabinet for storing boots, bandages etc, and I have a kitchen unit that has the sink set in it and its another useful storage place, basically you can never have enough storage space!

 

[Red-1]

I use metal feed bins for rugs. Mouse proof.

My shelving has see through plastic lidded boxes on, so far the mice have left them alone.

I have old metal lockers from a factory (Preloved purchase) for my jackets etc. They are also mouse proof (and lockable).

I used to have the saddles on the wall, but the wall is a bit damp, so now the saddles are in a metal locker too. It locks and is padlocked to the wall on a chain.

Oh, I am scrupulous with spilled feed. Feed is in bins and any spillage s cleared straight away.

I also have rat/mouse bait stations.

 

[splashgirl45]

if you have the racks that arent just a single pole you may find they mark the saddles so i always put a piece of carpet on the rack first and then a blanket so the saddle is sitting on a sort of horse shape. when i kept my tack at home my OH made wooden saddle holders which fixed on the wall and their shape was like the old wooden saddle horses that are really useful for cleaning tack..

 

[Keith_Beef]

if you have the racks that arent just a single pole you may find they mark the saddles so i always put a piece of carpet on the rack first and then a blanket so the saddle is sitting on a sort of horse shape. when i kept my tack at home my OH made wooden saddle holders which fixed on the wall and their shape was like the old wooden saddle horses that are really useful for cleaning tack..

Like these, ?




Where I ride, the tack rooms have these along the walls; next to each is a hanger for the bridle.

 

[pansymouse]

If you want to go top end luxury put rubber matting on the floor - it's obviously more comfortable for you and also I think helps suppress and dampness rising through the stone floor. I have a brick floor tack room and haven't yet put rubber down but I do have all my storage up on pallets (also helps when the water pour through the back wall and floods it because the YO is too tight to repair the holes).

 

[cauda equina]

Have somewhere other than your tackroom to dry turnouts, you don’t want to make the tackroom( and your tack) damp and mouldy. I have in the past used a large chest freezer to store rugs. I would store them by size and type in either plastic storage boxes or those bags you suck the air out of. I would label them and stand them on end with label showing, this way you don’t have to sort through everything to find the one you want. Also more storage than you think you could use.

I do dry turnouts in my tackroom but have a dehumidifier going full time so nothing gets mouldy

 

[Cocorules]

Not done a proper tackroom, but when I moved house there was a walk in larder by the back door so we converted it into a bootroom. My horses live in a field a few miles away and live out so they have relatively little stuff.

Anyway we had the walls plastered and I put in a wall hung saddle bracket, bridle hook, hat holder and body protector. We also have a narrow but tall shelf unit which has room for torch, battery charger, riding gloves and woolly hats. We put photos of horses on the walls. In addition we keep coats, shoes and sports bags in it. Vet stuff and headcollars live in boot of car. I keep tack cleaner elsewhere in the house.

I spent hours working out exactly how to fit it in and it is my favourite room in the house!

 

[J&S]

Wooden free standing saddle rack, takes two saddles, hooks above for bridles, set of hooks on back of door to take any thing that will hang up, big old metal feed bin, dexion shelving which is open for rugs (clean) and numnahs. A free standing, strong, wheeled dress rail which is great for hanging damp rugs on and can move out into the sun/wind easily. Table, electric point/lights, I do have a tiny fridge which could go in there for cold stuff/medicines but I haven't got it in there as yet. I also have a couple of wheeled trolleys that have a miriad of uses for holding grooming stuff and moving them between stables/yard etc.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

A free standing, strong, wheeled dress rail which is great for hanging damp rugs on and can move out into the sun/wind easily. .

love this idea, we have some that we won't need in the new house so I can put them in the tack room

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

I think I'm going to need some metal lockers. We do cats though so perhaps they could do a good job in preventing mice. I do have another room where I could keep the feed

 

[emilylou]

Good ventilation and a dehumidifier in winter

 

[Polos Mum]

Sadly in addition to good ideas above a really quality lock / locks, check door hinges and even ceiling construction - we've seen a few break ins through roofs locally. My tack room has metal plated ceiling to stop people cutting through it!

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Best item for our tack room is a metal lockable cabinet for our saddles.

In Sydney we have a few visitors in our tackroom that I want to keep off our saddles. Roger the diamond python summer used to curl up on a half breed saddle we had. Nearly crapped myself every time he did it. Then if he wasn’t there I used to wonder where he was and creep around the tack room looking for him but hoping I wasn’t going to find him.

And then there are the red back spiders.........but they are seasonal as well and we don’t get them if the tack room is spotlessly clean.

Shelves, see through plastic tubs for rugs with lids to keep vermin out, hooks and a quality broom to sweep the dust out.

 

[Spotherisk]

Good lighting, kitchen worktop at sink height, dustpan and brush. Bait stations (start before you have a problem!)

 

[scats]

I like those big plastic garden chests for storing saddlecloths etc in.