Organizing Your Barn : Tack Room

Organizing the Tack Room

    If you are anything like me, your tack room probably doesn't tend to stay the neatest.  It gets even worse when you throw in other people's tack too.Well, I've been on a quest to have a perfect tack room ( not that it's going to be perfect, but eh worth a try) I have worked at a several barns and seen quite a variety of tack storage (some great, others well um). Hopefully I can shed some light in on some ways to organize a tack room.

Step #1: Get It Cleaned Out

     This sounds pretty obvious, but you really just have to deep clean your tack room in order to keep it clean. This means taking everything OUT. It is a pain in the butt for sure, but you really just have to get everything out in order to get it really clean. You might find some weird things....... I recently cleaned out my monstrous tack room to find several t-shirts, lonely shoes, some random crayons, a can of edible spray paint, a spider nest, and a dehydrated mouse *gags*. Once everything is out, brush down all the walls, light fixtures, and clean the windows. Then, sweep everything out or vacuum it up with a shop vac if you have access to one. Now, you have a blank slate to organize.

Use Your Vertical Space! 

  I cannot stress this enough. Hang everything you can up on the walls. If you want to have an organized tack room, I forbid use of the saddle stands that sit on the ground! Biggest waste of space ever and they are a pain to sweep around. Using the saddle racks that you screw into the walls, you can stack them and save so much space. Just make sure to get the ones that give the flaps of the saddle some support. 

   For saddle pads, a shelf works lovely. Each person can have their own shelf; or can use the other shelves for grooming stuff, helmet, Ect, if it's just you at the barn. Same thing for grooming supplies. Everyone can have a shelf and keep their stuff easy to reach. Much easier than trying to keep all your grooming products in a truck which wastes so much space and is just not practical when you need to get something out and there is stuff on top.

   Most people have the bridle organizing part down, bridle hooks all the way!

   You can get little command hooks for all of your girths to hang on. That way they can easily dry after each time you ride.

   Then there is the great apocalyptic problem. Your horse's never ending collection of boots and polo wraps. Everyone always seems to have these stuck on blanket bars, or buried in a cluttered tack trunk... But not you! I've found the best thing for boots is  handy dandy stacking drawers. They even make them with holes in them so your boots can dry out of sight and still get ventilation. The best part is, when you go to a show they are all separate, so you can just grab the pair or two of boots or polos you need, not the whole shelf. You can get them at that fancy French store...... Target.

 

Step #2: Put it All Back In

  You've got a plan, a clean tack room, and fancy French drawers, now it's time to just throw all your grimy horsey stuff back in, right? NOPE

As you put each thing back in your tack room, be sure to wipe it off and try to get it as clean as possible first. Grooming totes are notorious for having tons of hair and dirt in them. Also, all your bottles of grooming spray and shampoo tend to get a nice, thick dust layer on them. Clean your tack (it probably needs it anyways) and beat the hair off your saddle pads. Everything will look so nice and clean in it's assigned place, but you've got to keep it that way.

Step #3: Keep it Clean

  To keep your perfect tack room clean, you just have to take a few extra, not-so-hard steps each day. Things that help are:

• Get a mat for the doorway to wipe your feet on. Yes, it's a barn, not your house, but this really helps cut back on the amount of dirt that gets into your tack room.

• Keep the door closed. It's amazing how dirty stuff gets just from dusty air. This is also just a smart idea to avoid trying to get a confused horse out of your tack room  when they get those " bright ideas"

•Sweep daily. Just a few quick whisks of the broom every day can really help keep everything clean. 

• Clean your tack after each ride. This is just good horsemanship anyways to have clean tack for your rides and will help your tack last longer. Keep a supply of baby wipes to go over bits and sweat build up after you untack each ride.

•Limit the amount of tack you collect. I know, it's hard to not buy every cute saddle pad and set of polos to match, but keep in mind what you actually have room for in your tack room. 

Organizing your Barn: pt. 1 Charts

Organizing your barn:

OK, so not that our barns are all the fanciest , but having a well kept  barn can really keep you in a motivated, positive, and professional mood. The problem is that having a clean and organized barn is pretty impossible when you have it full of furry, slobbery, sweaty beasts that have a never ending supply of dirt radiating off them in all directions.... Or when you have a tack hoarding addiction ( guilty).... Hopefully I can give you some of my ideas to having a nice orderly barn. I'll try to post another part of this little series as soon as I can!

Tip 1: Schedules, Lists, Charts... Everywhere

   If you can write it on a dry erase board, do it!Having nice, neat, visible charts is very helpful to you as a barn manager or a boarder. Yes, I understand in the age of smart phones and tablets that there is an app for that, but as we all know technology doesn't always comply! Some things that could be written on boards: feed schedules, emergency contact numbers, turnout schedules,or even possibly a riding schedule if you have multiple horses. 

  Feed charts are definitely a must have. If something happens to the main caretaker of the horses, it needs to be at least relatively easy for somebody to step in and at be able to correctly feed the horses. If a sub comes in and gives all your horses the wrong feed, there is a heightened risk of digestive upset or even a severe colic if feed is extremely altered. As riders, we like to avoid the " c word" as best we can, so something as simple as feed chart. Just get a dry erase board and some markers and your all set!  Be sure to list down the volume and type of feed each horse gets as well as any supplements or medication. In certain circumstances, some directions might be helpful too. For example:  if your horses are pastured, you might want to list the order in which to feed them to avoid somebody being run away from their food. Also be sure to list different types of hay if there are multiple kinds at your barn. The great thing about using a dry erase board vs. a piece of paper taped to the wall is that you can easily make changes if a horse's diet changes. Also looks much neater and professional

   Next on the list of importance would be an Emergency Contact Board.  When there is an emergency, whether it be a horse or person is injured, a horse is behaving oddly, or any other unforeseen circumstances, everyone needs to be able to contact somebody for help. Some people prefer to have each owner's number on their horse's stall, but I like having a big board with everyone's on it. Especially in a large barn with lots of stalls. I'd include each owner's number, the barn manager, local vet's number, farrier's number, and the barn hand's number if you have them at your barn. Might be smart to put everyone in your contacts on your phone, but the chart will still be very helpful for less regular visitors.

   Kind of goes along with the feed chart swing, but having the turnout schedule on it's own board is also very helpful. Also eliminates confusion in the daily swing too. Once you pass 15 horses, it can be kind of hard to remember who goes where goes when goes what. Make sure to note what time and which paddock each horse is going to. 

   Lastly, having a riding schedule can really come in handy and quite frankly, put you in that " professional mood". If you have multiple horses to ride, it might be necessary to help you remember. If you only have one horse, however, it still has it's advantages. Planning a week ahead in advanced helps you make sure to get in all the rides and training you need around whatever small excuse for a social life you have as a rider. It's also easier to resist unnecessarily  canceling a ride  when you have a set PLAN for that day. Also really helps you put a structure to your training program which helps you evaluate your progression. I know I make 10X more progress when I plan my week rather than when I wing it .