I feel like I spend endless hours reorganizing my tack box, and still never have enough room for all the odds and ends. Even with separate storage for winter blankets, I feel like shelves might be a better option. Thoughts? Who has a system they absolutely love? I board, so nothing built in. I do not store my bridle or saddle inside my box, nor do I need that to happen.
COuld you get something like a small chest of drawers that takes the same floor space? The only tack box I have is the one I take to shows; in it, I have lots of container storage that saves the mess and uses the space efficiently. Rectangular storage boxes that are the correct size for the trunk.
I have recently started using the Husky Connect Tool System and I love it. It’s a tremendous improvement over the Stanley Fat Max, both because it doesn’t require a TON of real estate to open, and it is imminently more customizable.
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I have an armorie. I know that’s not feasible in every barn but it’s amazing. You can put hooks on the inside of the doors, tons of shelving options if you don’t store a saddle, etc. Mine holds: dressage saddle, 4 saddle pads, bridle, lunge line, helmet, equisense tripod and senors, grooming tote, treats, multiple small storage bins, 2 quarter sheets, and the space on top of it is grea for stacking bagged extra blankets.
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I love using vertical space. Space is tight at my current barn, but I do have half of a tall armoire to keep my daily use items and some less used things. Saddle and bridle are not in my cupboard.
The space is not quite 24” w x 24” d x 5’ tall. The top shelf is for schooling saddle pads, a cooler and a Back on Track sheet. I used self stick hooks on the door to hold my keys and a small basket for chapstick, sunscreen and other small items.
For the main compartment I bought a stand alone metal shelf designed for microwaves that sits at the bottom of the compartment. On top of the shelf are my tall boots next to a couple of plastic shoe boxes to organize random small items like spare gloves, spurs, boot polish, socks because I forgot them one day going to the barn after work. One has some vet wrap, thermometer and Vaseline, gauze, scissors, ointments and betadine. On top of the shoe boxes there is room for my water bottle and a tin for treats. I added a hook to one side wall for my helmet. Under the shelf there is just enough room for my brush tote on one side and bottles of shampoo, fly spray concentrate, liniment, mane/tail conditioner, etc.
There is also a shallow drawer underneath for clean rags and a few tools.
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When I had to keep everything in one area, I used a Rubbermaid closet inside my 24x24 stall. Reinforced the back with plywood and mounted saddle racks. And then I stored everything in totes that stacked. In my current boarding situation I have my 3 tier saddle rack, and next to to it a tote for bareback pad, extra bridles, etc. On top of the tote I have a Container Store single drawer, which is perfect for storing my helmet (I hate the idea of bugs in my helmet!). And on top of that, my grooming box. I don’t take up any more room than the ranch allows, maybe 4 feet wide.
When I boarded, I had good luck with container store type clear plastic boxes that lived inside my trunk. The trunk itself was set up with two sliding trays on top rather than the usual tray + tote, which also helped. I kept my grooming things in one of the cute soft-sided Eskadron bags (like this) which took up less space than a regular wood tote. I also used shallower clear plastic boxes for all the little stuff that tends to get messy - spare spurs, extra keepers, all the little bits and bobs we collect - that kept those top trays organized. The clear plastic boxes under the trays were larger - they held things like wraps, quilts, non-temperature sensitive medications and so on. Probably half the space in the bottom of the trunk had boxes, and the rest was available for other stuff - helmet, tall bottles etc. It worked well.
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I have a ton of grooming supplies. Some might say an excess of grooming supplies. But I don’t like that negativity in my life. :lol: So lots of tall bottles that don’t store easily. I like the idea of a rubbermaid closet, but my box lives under the bridle rack, so I have to be conscious of height too. Hmmmm My dad made me a solid oak box when I was a kid that was great – a shallow, removable tray in the top, and two doors on the front, one side had drawers and the other had adjustable shelves. But it was so heavy and cumbersome and eventually I chucked it. But now I miss it!!
I built a tack locker out of an old kitchen cabinet with space for horse boots in the door and the rest of it covered in pegboard, so I can easily rearrange it as my needs change. I only keep what I need at-hand on a daily basis in the tack locker, and everything is easily visible and not buried under layers like it would be in tack trunk. Everything else (offseason blankets, extra pads, things I don’t need often) are kept in storage at home in a big tack trunk.
For me, I thought about my routine as a workflow: what items do I need to support that workflow, and how do I best optimize getting to those items? This has worked out very well, I’ve had it for about five years now.
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Ditto something vertical if you can. Someone moved out of my barn and bestowed upon me the use of her locker, which has been amazing. I put some plastic stacking drawers in one section to hold random small items and vet supplies. In the other sections, I have a basket for clean saddle pads, enough room for two pairs of tall boots, space for my protector vest, and the rope bag I keep my lunging equipment in, as well as a shelf for all the grooming supplies, extra leg wraps, etc. Sooo much more organized than a trunk!
I use the RIGID system for my marathon box (and a few dressage/cones items) and I really like it, especially the milk crate style box. That one is perfect for horse boots (and driving sneakers which also get soaked on course) . Both get to air out without stinking up everything else. And it’s super easy to roll up into the trailer and work out of (it also doubles as a laptop table at night). But I think it would be a bit of a pain on a daily basis to remove all the boxes on the stack to get to the ones below the top box. However full disclosure, I’ve almost never boarded so my ability to make do with anything less than multiple shelves and tack boxes is highly suspect!
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Down under those of us on social media are getting tack room ideas from this site, which is also searchable.
Horse hacks and budget savers.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/354722648417423/
ddx
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I love my Husky box!
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From a different era, perhaps, a time of small closets, cabinets, etc —I divide “things” by use —daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, once in a blue moon. Clearly, items used daily need to stay in whatever container you have at the stable --or, some at my hunt club keep daily use items in the car or truck. Weekly items --different container. Mine are different colors --years of dealing with kids --“Is the red box in the car?” --Red meant a show day --there was a “vet box” and the seasonally “blanket box” —because it was me and a gaggle of kids, everything was light weight. True, sometimes we carried a few boxes into the stable or venue, but that worked for us. It saved a lot of time not having to dig through “stuff” to find what we needed. Worked for us.
I have a Husky Tool box that is almost 20 years old that is still looking great, if keeping a tack box at your barn is an option. What I found really helps is compartmentalizing “like” items into small wicker baskets, or into bridle/boot bags, with most used items up at top and least used at bottom. I use my Husky tool box to store my odds & ends of tack - some from old or deceased horses, some sentimental, some stuff like grooming items, saddle pads, etc.
Keeping it to small items too - AKA no storage of a saddle in there.
I take an old blanket bag (the ones that blankets come in brand new), and use that to store saddle pads. The transparency of the bag is helpful so you know what is what, but I will label the outside with duct tape and sharpie as well: SHOW PADS, etc. Easy to grab and go out of the box.
In the wicker basket (which I swiped from my parents decades ago – sorry Mom!!) is a make-up bag (clear sided) that has all the “show touch ups” - a small container of shoe buff, rag, a small container of glycerin, of effax, you get the idea. Also in that wicker basket are my grooming supplies, brushes, etc.
Easy to store bridles all in one bag - my caveat here, is always go for cotton lined bags if you can. I have a few non-cotton lined bags and even with desiccants in them, I think they tend to mold up.
At the bottom, I have a first aid kit that is in a plastic tote; it has the basics from the Pony Club First Aid kit list.
Then around it, a bag that has polos, stable bandage wraps, etc.
People are amazed with what I pull out of my tack trunk. It’s enough to outfit a lesson barn.
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Any chance I could see a picture? Curious about this set up.
I also would advocate for vertical space. I’m very lucky tha[ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“left”,“data-size”:“custom”,“height”:“193”,“title”:“279EDE16-7ECF-4F6E-9674-78A6E1807A3E.jpg”,“width”:“193”,“data-attachmentid”:10668903}[/ATTACH]t I’m”‹”‹m able to have a tack locker at my barn but I definitely couldn’t afford to buy one made. Instead I made one with my dad (it was his Christmas present to me). We used some plans that I found online and I think it turned out pretty well. The space is awesome and I love that it’s all mine so I can drill holes and add hooks and things as needed. It’s fantastic for holding all the stuff I need and other than spare saddle pads (which I store in my car) and the extra stuff I store at home it holds everything I need on a daily basis.
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