It is no secret that horses come with a lot of stuff, and it can be very hard to store and organise all of this equipment. This can lead to overwhelm and street as well as wasted time looking for things and wasted money replacing things you already have but can’t find. Not to mention expensive equipment getting damaged as it has not been properly cared for. But do not worry we have put together a guide to decluttering your tack room to get you organised and on track.

• Start by making a list of the equipment you need and use on a regular basis, that you could not be without. This is your important stuff that you need to keep at the yard.
• Take everything you own out of the tack room and put into a huge pile, sort through and remove all of your essential items from your list you made. Now go through everything else and sort it into 3 piles. 1 – Keep 2 – sell/donate 3 – throw away. Be ruthless here, all the old rugs that don’t fit your horse but you are keeping ‘just in case, sell them or donate them,there will be horses out there that they do fit, who can get use from them. Do this for everything, tack, head collars, boots, bandages and saddlecloths etc
• Once everything has been sorted into piles look at what you have left to keep, and then look at the space you have available to keep it in. Now you want to utilise all of that available space, one of the best ways to do this is by using the height. Racking is your new best friend. You can buy it cheaply from eBay, amazon, wowcher or groupon. most DIY shops also have it in stock. Put the least used or seasonal items on the highest shelves, them the most used items at eye/waist level, use the bottom shelves for heavy items. It is also worth putting the items on the lower shelves into plastic boxes swell, to help prevent mice and rats etc.
• Clearly label all the bags and boxes you have stored things in so you know exactly where everything is without having to root through.
• Try and store similar equipment together for ease of use. For example saddlecloths and bandages, fly rugs, fly masks and fly spray, overreach boots and brushing boots, your whip, hat and gloves.
• if you are short on space think about other places you could store seasonal equipment, such as keeping winter rugs in the lorry or trailer, or your garage, loft or shed. again make sure to put them in clearly labelled bags or boxes and put a reminder note somewhere for yourself, so you know where to find them when you need to use them. If you can, look at getting some storage outside of your stable for essential items such as turnout boots, overnight bandages, grooming kit etc.
• Make sure you assign all of your equipment a set place and make sure you put it away after each use. This will ensure you keep everything tidy, organised and accounted for. Saving time, space and making life much easier.

We hope these tips will help you to get your tack room more organised and under control.

The tidy tack rooms team

This winter has been particularly wet and we are now heading into the art of the year when the weather starts to get colder and freeze. this can bring with it a whole host of new problems, however we have put together a handy guide to help you combat the cold and keep the yard running smoothly.

• Stock up on rock salt and place it in buckets around the yard ready use. place a scoop inside each bucket and after sweeping the yard spread the salt around to stop the ground getting slippery. Remember to keep putting more salt down each day, especially if during the day the ice melts, as the water will dissolve the salt.
• Insulate taps and exposed pipework. You can get specialist covers from most DIY shops, or you can easily make your own, by wrapping insulation material around the pipes and then covering it over with tape.
• Turn the water supply off at the mains overnight, and after it has been turned off run the taps to removed any leftover water from the pipes. If you have automatic water drinkers you will not be able to do this for their water supply.
• To stop stable and field waters freezing you can wrap the buckets in a foil blanket (available from camping shops/Amazon/eBay) then cover with an old rug and wrap empty feed sacks around, finish it off by taping it all up. This will provide some insulation and help to stop the water freezing. You can also put hot water into the cold water last thing at night, to bring up the water temperature and again help slow down / prevent it freezing.
• Leave hoof picks at every gateway so you can pick out the horses feet if the ice/snow has balled up in them. You can also try putting vaseline or a petroleum based hoof oil into he horses feet before bringing them out, again to help slow down the ice/snow balling in the hooves.
• Put some WD40 or other oil on to the stable door latches, gate latches and hinges, tack room door handle, toilet door etc so they are easy to open, and you are not having to fiddle about with freezing cold hands.
• If you are changing your horses rug everyday think about putting a summer sheet on underneath, that stays on, so when you are putting the new rug on it is not going straight onto the horses back, as the rug may be quite cold.
• Before riding give your tack a quick soap over to supple up the leather, as it can go stiff in the cold, also look at storing tack in bridle and saddle bags to help stop it getting too cold. Try to dunk the bit in a bucket of warm water before putting it in the horses mouth, again to warm it up so it is not so cold when going into the horses mouth.
• Remember to check any equipment or veterinary supplies that need to be kept in a warmer temperature and bring them indoors so they are not compromised.

It is not long now and spring will be on the way. This is the final push. If you have any other hints or tips for helping through winter please share them with us.

The Tidy Tack Rooms Team

Well we are now into the last few weeks of winter, however they do feel as though they last forever. It is cold, dark, wet and muddy. This is the time of year when most of us struggle and its hard to keep pushing through. We have drawn up a few tips to help keep you kicking on and motivated through these last few weeks.

1. Go easy on yourself, this is with out a doubt the worst time of year to be outside looking after horses. So if after a hard days work you don’t want to ride in the rain, then don’t. Finish the horse for the night and go home and relax. Your horse will not mind one bit, as long as they are fed and have seen you for a few minutes, they will not be upset that you didn’t ride.
2. Do bulk jobs in the daylight at the weekend, to make the week nights easier. Make up all your hay nets in advance. Get a load of buckets and make up a weeks worth of feed in advance. If you need to soak hay invest in a few big buckets and fill them with water at the weekend, so all you have to do is pop in the hay net during the week. Look at deep littering through the week and doing a full muck out at the weekend. At the weekend put in loads of clean bedding and bank it up around the walls, then through the week as you muck out pull down the clean bedding, and save a trip to the barn.
3. Invest in a wheelbarrow extender and cover, these will allow you to fit more on the barrow, so less trips to the muck heap, and they stop everything blowing everywhere, so less sweeping up.
4. At the weekend fill up loads of water canisters and leave them by horses water trough in the field, then just pour in to top up when its running low, save you lugging water canisters about in the dark.
5. Buddy up with someone else and take turns to do each others horses, so you can have an evening off or only go once a day.
6. Start planning your activities for the spring and summer, book competitions, holidays, camps, clinics and lessons in, so you have something to look forward to. Start planning your training and fitness programs for your horse so you are ready to go when the lighter evenings come in and the weather turns.
7. Spend some time with your horse, grooming and scratching etc to help build your bond and remind yourself why we do it all.

If you have any other tips to help get through the last few weeks of winter please share them with us.

The Tidy Tack Rooms Team.

Gifts over £150

The mini Travel Case. This has graced many Christmas lists and its easy to see why. Beautifully designed and easy to use, the mini travel case is the only accessory you need when going away with or with out your horse. Th movable shelves will hold so much equipment from clothes, riding hats to brushing boots and stirrups. The straps and mesh cover on the other half are a perfect fit for riding boots, back protectors, rugs or saddlecloths. With loads of extra pockets and a whip holder on the outside there really is a place for everything. The mini travel case can be carried like a back pack or put onto a trolley and pulled along. Available in a variety of designs £185

The Travel Bag – This is the mini’s big brother. Designed to carry a full set of tack – event eh saddle, and yes they do hold dressage saddles, there is also one for a western saddle. The Travel case will hold everything you need for riding your horse. A set of tack, boots, saddlecloth, rugs, quarter sheets, hat, rider boots and more. The large pockets on the outside allow for all those last minute bits to be added quickly and easily. It can be carried as a back pack or put on the trolley that comes with it. The trolley can also be used for moving bedding and water etc. The travel case is fully waterproof and also has a cover to go over it too. It fits nicely in the car or front of a trailer, and is a great alternative to a tack locker. Available in a variety of designs £295