The most critical room in your barn is often the most disorganized. The tack room is the place where equestrians store their most valuable equipment: tack, blankets, brushes, boots, helmets, and grain are all common items that can be stored in a tack room. Though it is one of the most important rooms in the barn it is usually in a state of chaos. Blankets on the floor, helmets scattered around the room, saddle pads shoved in a corner, shelves full of random sprays, ointments, and supplements. If this is even close to describing your tack room you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about tack room essentials and to get some nifty tack room ideas you can use for any tack room.
Tack Room Essential Items
Before we get started, here are some of the items you will need in your tack room that are essential to the safety and wellbeing of your horses, and to that will allow you to ride.
Items for Safety:
- Scissors or Knife hung in an accessible area
- Fire Extinguisher that is easily accessible
- 1 Extra Halter per Horse
- 1 Extra Leadrope per Horse
- Bailing Twine
- Double-Ended Snaps and Screw Eyes
- Human First Aid Kit
- Equine First Aid Kit
Items for Your Horse's Wellbeing:
- Full Grooming Kit
- Fly Spray
- Supplements and Grain (if stored in tack room)
- Blankets
Items for Riding:
- Saddles
- Bridles
- Girths
- Helmets
- Boots
- Extra Equipment (Crops, Spurs, Martingales, Lunge Lines, etc.)
Room Requirements:
- Away from direct heat to prevent cracking leather tack
- Dry with no excessive humidity
- Protected from dust, dirt, and rodents
- Secure to prevent horses from coming in
- Include saddle racks, bridle racks, and hooks
Check out this page with The 25 Top Stable Supplies for more items that could be useful in your tack room.
Tack Room Ideas for the Small Feed and Tack Room Combo
If you are working with a small room that will serve as your tack room and your feed room here are some tack room ideas to help you organize.
Grain Storage
Storing your grain in a safe place where animals, including your horses, won’t be able to reach it is very important. I recommend buying a small lockable feed bin to store your grain. If you feed only one kind of grain you can simply dump it all in if you desire, or if you feed multiple kinds of grain use a piece of wood to make dividers to separate the different grains. To store your supplements and treats in the same feed bin an adjustable metal bath caddy can also be used to add storage.
Utilizing Wall Space
Installing multipurpose hooks for your extra halters or lead ropes near the door area is another convenient way to add some storage space. If you need a place to store blankets during the winter months consider putting stall blanket racks on the front of your horse's stalls. If this isn’t an option you can also use some of the wall space in your tack room to store the blankets. If you only have around four blankets to hang, installing three of the wall blanket racks in your tack room will work fine. If it is more than that consider using a swivel blanket rack.
The wall space can also be used to hang your saddles and bridles. There are many saddle racks with extra hooks on the bottom to save space. The saddles, bridles, and other equipment can be hung from those hooks. These kinds of saddle racks are also great because they allow airflow which helps the tack dry off after you’ve used it. Make sure you space these racks far enough apart to allow the bridles to fully extend without hitting the ground or another saddle. Girths and saddle pads can be over the top of the saddle while they aren’t being used.
If you have some extra space you can also get a swivel saddle pad rack to hang your pads while they aren’t being used. Many of these racks can be placed in a corner against the wall to conserve space. Helmet racks are another item you can use to hang helmets and avoid clutter.
Shelves and Cabinets
If you have medium or high ceilings installing deep shelves or cabinets around the top perimeter of your tack room is a great way to get some extra storage space. These top shelves can be great for miscellaneous items like the equine and human first aid kits, bailing twine, double-ended snaps, and screw eyes, and extra equipment you might not be using. These shelves would also be a great place to store winter blankets during the warmer months.
It can also be beneficial to install cubbies or shelves on one wall to store your riding boots, grooming kits, fly sprays, buckets, and extra equipment.
Finally, when you are organizing your items in the cabinets or on the shelves, consider what items you use the most. Things you rarely use can go in the very top cabinets, while items you use more frequently can live in lower, more accessible areas. If you like having the high cabinets or shelves make sure you purchase a step stool so you can reach everything in your tack room
Tack Room Ideas for the Large Tack Room
Got plenty of space? If you are looking to decorate a large tack room where space isn’t an issue here are some fun tack room ideas to make your tack room look great.
Separate Saddle and Bridle Racks
If you have the room spacing out your saddle racks and bridle racks look appealing when designing your tack room. In addition, structured bridle racks with interesting designs look great in the tack room and help your bridle keep its shape while it is not being used. Girths can also be hung separately on a blanket rack or on hooks. Here is an example of spacing out the bridle and saddle racks.
Blanket Storage
If you have the extra room, giving your blankets more space would also be a great way to up your tack room game. Use heavy-duty blanket racks to completely hang your blankets without folding them. This increases the airflow your blankets get, helping them dry faster and making them easier to hang.
Add a Sink
Sinks can be a great addition to your tack room. It allows you to get warm water, wash your hands, and your tack all in your tack room. If you have the space for a sink it is a very helpful tool for a tack room.
Decorations
Many people like to add chandeliers, oriental rugs, horse pictures, trophies, whiteboards, mirrors, seating, and other decorations to add some spice to their tack room.
Layout
If you are currently in the process of building your barn try to separate the feed room from the tack room to give yourself more space. That way your grain, shavings, hay, wheelbarrow, pitch forks, hoses, water buckets, and other supplies can be stored in a different area.
Separating these two rooms frees up space and gives you a place to store items that don’t belong near tack.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tack Rooms
Here are some of the most common questions about tack room organization answered:
What is in a tack room?
A tack room is a room in a horse barn used to store tack and riding equipment like saddles, helmets, bridles, halters, and more. They are also often used to store things like brushes and other horse care items.
What is the purpose of a tack room?
The purpose of a tack room is to provide a safe and organized space for tack to be stored. Tack rooms should be dry, cool, and free from rodents to protect tack and other important items.
How do you build a tack room?
A tack room can be built from any dry, safe, and cool room in a barn. Many private barns use a stall as their tack room. If you are looking to build one from scratch try to make the space at least 10’ x 10’ to ensure you have enough room for all of your equipment. Depending on what you are storing it could be beneficial to install:
What do I need in my tack room?
You’ll need all of the equipment you use to care for and ride your horse. More detailed descriptions of tack room ideas and essentials are outlined above.
How do you organize a small tack room?
The main way to organize a small tack room is to use all of your wall space. Hang as much equipment as you can. It is also good to look for space-efficient organizers like saddle pad racks and misc hooks to help you do this. If you can install shelves or cabinets this is another great way to organize the things you have. Pinterest is another great resource if you are looking for efficient tack room ideas.
