Must Haves on the Road : Tack Room or Set Up

[lindsay.anne]

I’m starting to be on the road more often with clients and sale horses and I feel like some people have some really smart ideas that I don’t remember them all (aka forget to put them as a note in my phone!).

Aside from the basics of tack, care, feed, etc; what are some of the essentials or nice luxuries you enjoy when you’re on the road? Go ahead and name the obvious like fans, white boards, and cable ties, and the only-for-look like mulch and flowers. But do you have a smart hack for living on the road?

I’m talking everything from convenience factors (like mini fridges/freezers) to pretty set ups (rugs for inside your tack room?). Also do you go real flowers or fake flowers?

Photos of set ups and tack rooms would be a huge help. So much time and money goes into these things- go ahead and brag… I want to see it all

[OutsidersOpinion]

I’m just going to list everything our barn has/uses:

Always an extra stall for the setup that we remove typically two sides of for seating
Extra stall for feed room
2-5 grooming stalls depending on how many horses are coming

In the seating set up:
-4-5 patio lightweight chairs. No cushions so you can just wipe them off.
-bench
-table with snacks
-cooler
-fresh flowers around the front of the barn and mulch
-mirror
-our matching tack trunks
-drapes/farm sign/sponsor signs

For the horses/barn staff
-white board that has specific columns for braiding (m&t), lungeing, classes, hacking, meds, wraps, and notes
-each grooming stall has tall plastic shelves and a grooming box mounted on the wall
-freezer and plenty of ice boots
-quality wood saddle racks
-wood bridle rack with farm name that matches trunks
-long rubber mats that roll up for down the center of the barn
-rubber mats for grooming stalls
-med trunk with all meds/bandages/studs
-the thin rubber stall guards to hang blankets on outside each stall door
-quality rubber feed bins with snaps
-two water buckets for every horse with snaps
-boot box with all communal boots for the barn
-meat hanger to hang dirty tack on with its own bucket of water next to it with soap

I’m sure there is more but we leave the majority of it in the trailer so out of sight out of mind for now:winkgrin:

What makes most barns look good is coordination and neatness. Some barns go over the top, but everything should have a place and be out of the way.

[retiredhorse]

This company (I don’t work for them, don’t know how they are to deal with or prices) sells curtains and other set up items, I believe. They have photos of tackrooms https://www.instagram.com/equitexcustom/

-gates & fans for horses are nice and allow a little more airflow

-mats & fans in the groom stalls, shelving/storage for supplies

-staple gun, duct tape, zip ties, baling twine, double ended snaps – all that holds up a barn set up

-not sure when grooms started carrying backpacks instead of grooming boxes, but those seem to be easier to lug around – leaves both hands free for the horse. if everything zips up inside, less chance of losing stuff also?

-I think curtains for every stall is a bit much, but it’s pretty when everything matches (not that I was one to buy coordinating blankets and tack trunks)

-if you get grass, dogs will poop on it. some barns have dog set-up too (like a kennel or two, with shade, fans, and grass or dog beds), so they’re not underfoot

-small seating area with table is nice for people; so is mini-fridge and microwave

-a privacy screen is handy for changing in the tack room, also a (clean) rug/floor mat to stand on and mirror (I’ve seen barn with full length mirror and ones with smaller wall mirror, both work). Some barns line the inside of the client room with curtains – it’s a nice/pretty/more expensive touch, but not wholly necessary

-I don’t know if barns use live or fake plants in their set up (I’m pretty sure I’ve seen both), definitely fake flowers for jumps (some people bring their own flower boxes)

-I’m not a fan of fountains

-some barns have a big carrot bucket up front. I think it’s nice for the horses

-hanging plants can look pretty. so can a few good jumping or candid/win pictures of your horses/clients

Best hack: paying some one else to set up. :lol: (setting up and taking curtains, etc, down was my least favorite part of horse showing and grooming.)

[mvp]

I have a custom combination halter board/saddle rack. Maybe you don’t need this if you have grooming stalls. But I designed it so I could take one or two horses to a show, not get an extra stall and not have to put my tack on the ground or on my trunk somehow. Let me know if you want pictures… I’d have to dig around.

Best hack I have seen are the awnings grooms are building now— think 8’ or so of wood “rafters” zip tied to the rafters of the barn’s roof on a shedrow. Those stick out into aisle and people put that shade fabric that nurseries use up there. It makes a real difference in keeping the horses and stalls cool.

[2DogsFarm]

Nothing to add except this from the Equitex site:
(Gaw-Jusss stuff BTW!)
:lol:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYH2vRRg…=equitexcustom

[lindsay.anne]

@mvp

I have a custom combination halter board/saddle rack. Maybe you don’t need this if you have grooming stalls. But I designed it so I could take one or two horses to a show, not get an extra stall and not have to put my tack on the ground or on my trunk somehow. Let me know if you want pictures… I’d have to dig around.

Best hack I have seen are the awnings grooms are building now— think 8’ or so of wood “rafters” zip tied to the rafters of the barn’s roof on a shedrow. Those stick out into aisle and people put that shade fabric that nurseries use up there. It makes a real difference in keeping the horses and stalls cool.

Would love a picture!

I cant picture that hack in my head, I will have to look around and see if I can spot them

[lindsay.anne]

Thank you all for your responses! Keep them coming. So useful, as I’ve already added things to my list to pick up !

[mvp]

@lindsay.anne

Would love a picture!

I cant picture that hack in my head, I will have to look around and see if I can spot them

Some of the stall set-ups in that lovely, big set of Equitex pictures (linked in one of the posts above) shows those awnings.

[retiredhorse]

@lindsay.anne

I cant picture that hack in my head, I will have to look around and see if I can spot them

This is the added on awning/sun shade, the brown cloth extending past the stall fronts. It does make a big difference when it’s sunny/hot, even tho in that particular picture it doesn’t look like it’s providing much more shade – but you can see the shady part extending from the opposite side of the barn aisle in the shadow.

Here’s another shot of the shade above the horse’s heads. I believe they secure the wood to the stalls with zip ties, and the fabric to the wood with even more zip ties.

Here’s a shot from the front of the barn.

[atl_hunter]

@2DogsFarm

Nothing to add except this from the Equitex site:
(Gaw-Jusss stuff BTW!)
:lol:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYH2vRRg…=equitexcustom

PRICELESS!!!

[atl_hunter]

@lindsay.anne

I’m starting to be on the road more often with clients and sale horses and I feel like some people have some really smart ideas that I don’t remember them all (aka forget to put them as a note in my phone!).

Aside from the basics of tack, care, feed, etc; what are some of the essentials or nice luxuries you enjoy when you’re on the road? Go ahead and name the obvious like fans, white boards, and cable ties, and the only-for-look like mulch and flowers. But do you have a smart hack for living on the road?

I’m talking everything from convenience factors (like mini fridges/freezers) to pretty set ups (rugs for inside your tack room?). Also do you go real flowers or fake flowers?

Photos of set ups and tack rooms would be a huge help. So much time and money goes into these things- go ahead and brag… I want to see it all

I came from showing Appaloosas and Quarter Horses and I have been shocked by how simple the hunter setups are in comparison. Perhaps it is because we had so many tack and clothing changes, and rode in multiple classes all throughout the day, but the tack stalls and dressing room stalls were pretty incredible.

The dressing room stall had curtains all around. We had an A/C system (electric) for the hotter shows so we had a place to cool off. The room had a cot in case anyone needed a quick rest or a nap as the days were really long. Often we would have nice quiet, relaxation music. The room had racks for all the clothing and hats/helmets, so everything was very organized. All clothing and equipment was in custom matching bags with monograms. Everyone’s bags matched and were in the barn colors (trainers were dealers for the company that manufactured items so this helped). There was a floor length mirror and a makeup mirror with lights (you were makeup to show breed so this was important).

The dressing room had the refrigerator and the microwave as the trainer did not want it out in sight. Trainer brought really nice chairs and table to go with all the signage, real flowers (never fake), hanging ferns, etc… At bigger shows we had a sofa and coffee table, and trainers hosted a cocktail night where drinks were served.

Stalls all had a small square stall drape with trainer logo.

Every horse had matching sheets, blankets, etc… All hung on a portable bar on the stall (no bailing twine hanging). There were portable hangers for everything. All horses had Quillen leather halters with brass name plates. Everything matched. It was truly a sight to see!

If a blanket faded, it was replaced and added to the monthly bill (but since they were dealers it was crazy reasonable).

The tack stalls all had saddle racks on wheels, as all the equipment was hauled away at night so it could not be stolen. It made it really easy to get multiple saddles to the rig for the night. Eventually trainers got an LQ so saddles were able to easily spend the night at the show with them. The trainers took care of all saddles and equipment for us, which was nice. It seems in the hunter, no matter what barn I go to I have to take all my own equipment back and forth, which is fine. It was just so nice when the trainer did it all! The rolling racks were amazing for all those big heavy western show saddles - probably not as necessary in hunterland.

All the supplies for the show were on the Rubbermaid cart. This was AWESOME! There was one place to go for grooming essentials, show sheen, fly spray, hoof polish. Everything needed was on that cart. The trainers supplied it all and there we no fees here and there to stock it - it was part of the training bill. I loved that.

Because of this, there were no tack trunks. Trainers determined they were a PIA. They look nice but are heavy to move around. Everything we needed was in their big lightweight rolling totes and were out of sight behind the neatly curtained tack stall.

Horses were groomed in the aisle, not a stall, and they always brought rubber mats for the aisle.

[BrownMareDon_tCare]

I am lucky to be part of a barn that has set up down to a science! My favorites are the plastic shelves in each grooming stall with plastic drawers (think Smartpak drawers) containing seam rippers, ace bandages, hoof packing materials, etc. You always know where they are and they are easy to access. Also each grooming stall has brushes, fly spray, sore-no-more, poultice, etc. for when you don’t want to run back down the aisle to your own trunk.

My very favorite thing, however, are the portable tack hooks that are placed in each tack room with each client’s name put on them with a label maker- each client gets two hooks so you know where your stuff is and it helps with the space sharing. Each horse also has a temporary label on a tack hook so you always know where to go to find your bridle.

[ladyj79]

https://www.amazon.com/Masterplug-Heavy-Extension-Integrated-Outlets/dp/B01N7J2MBX/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1531156956&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=extension+cord+wheel&dpPl=1&dpID=51a%2BIhkXmiL&ref=plSrch

[BAC]

atl_hunter, that sounds awesome. I love the idea of everything being on wheels and taken away at night so it can’t be stolen and also not having those stupid heavy trunks in the aisle taking up space. Really nice that all the supplies were available to everyone on the Rubbermaid cart and that its just part of the showing bill instead of nickel and diming you for everything. Sounds like the H/J world could learn a lot, your barn made it so easy for the client, which is how it should be, especially considering how much it probably cost.