Tack rooms are the collision of horses, organization, and interior design – at best. For those just becoming acquainted with horses and horse ownership, a tack room, as the name implies, is where one stores their tack: saddles, headstalls, sport boots, saddle pads, blankets, grain… it’s your horse’s closet and pantry. Here are some tips and tricks you might find helpful as you set yours up…
Tack Storage
Saddle racks that can be mounted to the wall are especially useful in freeing up floor space. I’d recommend metal ones over homemade wooden racks, just for the longevity and strength of metal over wood. They are built differently for English and western saddles, so be aware of this when you’re ordering online.
Racks for English saddles will have a high rounded end, which helps the saddle maintain the integrity of the tree, since the cantle is elevated. They are often shorter in length than western saddle racks. Here is one I would recommend:
Western saddle racks are either straight and flat or have some elevation toward the front in order to support the pommel and gullet. I’d recommend this one:
There are a variety of headstall hooks available online, like this one:
I’d recommend this one; we have it in our tack room and really like that you can hang a headstall on top and have a hook underneath (which I usually use to hold my breast collar). I like that it’s made of metal as well. You’ll find many options, like this same design but coated. I would not recommend the coated ones; I’ve seen the coating peel off and expose sharp metal underneath. Plus it saves you a buck to get the plain metal ones!
Another option for headstall storage would be to save tuna cans. The first tack room we had, we saved about 20 and painted them red. We used a strong and durable adhesive to get the cans to stay on the wall, open side facing the wall. They were a fun pop of color and rather inexpensive to make. You could even label the cans if you wanted to.
Next, let’s look at saddle pad storage: options that allow for air-drying are the best. Some people mount PVC pipes on their walls. You can find some swiveling storage options like this one:
A general rule of thumb I try to follow when setting up a tack room is to utilize wall storage as much as possible. For this reason, I really like the saddle pad wall mount storage system. It also makes it more difficult for mice to nest in your saddle pads when they are hanging up, rather than stacked.
And, for sport boots, we prefer to have an option that allows air drying, similar to our saddle pads. You can buy adhesive strips of Velcro and stick them to a wall. Your sport boots will be easy to find, air dry, off the floor, and away from mice! I’ve seen people do this on the wall in their trailer tack rooms as well. Here’s a roll of Velcro as an example:
Grain Storage
When it comes to grain, this can be one of the largest attractants for pesky mice! They’re cute until they bring Hantavirus, which is contagious to you and your horse. For this reason, we have always been conscientious about keeping our grain sealed. We have a large Rubbermaid container that holds a bag of grain and a few small bags of supplements. Others might use metal trash cans with lids that are kept on tight with bungee cords. For supplements that are purchased and kept in smaller batches, I’d recommend keeping them all on a shelf in plastic cereal bins, like these:
Plastic Supplement Storage Bins
These particular ones even come with materials to label them. All my organizational junkies, this one’s for you!
First Aid Supplies
We have found over the years that having first aid supplies on hand is crucial – horses seem to get hurt at the most inconvenient time, and to have items on hand could quite literally save your horse’s life. We bought a plastic tool box, like this one:
We keep a thermometer and a small jar of petroleum jelly in ours. The jelly only costs a few bucks, and your horse will greatly appreciate that when it comes time to take his temperature! We also have a stethoscope, similar to this one:
Vet wrap is a must! I’d argue that you can never have too many rolls, but a good stash would be at least five rolls. They’re about $2 a piece and can be found even in the pet section at most Walmart stores.
We have a small package of baby diapers on hand to wrap abscessed feet. Size 5 is usually the best, because it is large enough to cover the coronet band. When wrapping an abscessed foot, one begins by soaking the clean foot – add a bag of Epsom salts and a designated clean bucket to your list – and then proceeds to wrap it once the medicine has been applied to the affected area. The diaper goes on first, then it is gently wrapped with vet wrap, and finished off with strips of duct tape. We always keep a roll of duct tape on hand for this reason. (But let’s be honest: duct tape has a million uses at a barn.)
Band-Aids are helpful to keep in the top portion.
An all-natural general antiseptic spray for small wounds is always a plus.
Tool Storage
More on wall storage: tool hooks! We love these and have them all over our barn. Here’s an example:
We used to toss all our tools in a bucket, but the tines would get twisted up and it would be an endeavor to get out one tool. This option saves floor space, looks better, and makes it much easier to access the tools you need.
And the tools for grooming your horse:
We use a gardening bucket with pockets on the outside. We put our brushes on the inside, and the outside pockets we use to hold mane rubber bands, hoof picks, and mane combs. This is similar to the one we use:
Thanks for reading! Have any other suggestions? Comment below! We’d love to hear your feedback!