Reorganizing a tack room or other storage area can be quite intimidating, particularly if you have been involved in the equine industry for many years or have competed in multiple disciplines. You desire to bring some semblance of order to the mass of bridles and other headgear hanging haphazardly on hooks, and seek a method to sort your grooming supplies, yet still provide easy accessibility. Start by separating supplies and gear according to its purpose. For example, you may create separate piles for routinely utilized grooming equipment, show grooming and bathing supplies, first aid supplies, routine equine wear (blankets, neck sweats, leg protection), riding wear (bridles, saddles, pads), seasonal equipment (winter blankets, fly sheets/masks), or any other category that makes sense to you.

Once you have the initial divisions created, the task of organizing your equipment will be less daunting. You may further categorize by sorting into more specific divisions. For example, if you ride multiple disciplines, split your "riding wear" pile into specific styles (ie. Hunt Seat, Western, Driving, etc.).

With your gear sorted and categorized, you are ready to move on to the next stage of organization - containment.

Now that you have your tack appropriately sorted, you may clearly evaluate the size of container you will need to organize each category and better determine the storage system that will be most suitable. Storage units come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs. Visit the household section in any department store to view a small sampling of the storage supplies that exist. Decide upon a storage unit according to the purpose of what you wish to store. For example, grooming supplies you use often can be kept handy when collected in a container with a handle, such as a tote box or bucket. Winter blankets and other seasonal gear can be kept clean, dry and protected from dirt and rodents in an oversized plastic storage container such as those made by Rubbermaid or Sterilite.

You don’t have to settle for the obvious storage solutions, there are a plethora of other options. Explore your local resale shops or garage sales for inexpensive trunks, dressers or lockers. A coat of paint may be all that is needed to transform otherwise unwanted furniture into ideal storage units. Meander through your local super store, peruse the closet organizer and storage aisles, and wander through the tool and hardware aisles. Tool boxes of various configurations and sizes make excellent organizers for items like clippers, blades and shears. Fishing tackle boxes in the sporting goods department are very useful for small items such as Chicago screws, conchos, chin straps, braiding supplies, etc. Cosmetic cases are great for show ring make-up, but also strategically store hair nets, bobby pins, hair brushes, safety pins, show gloves, etc.

If you possess a more generous budget, consider contacting a specialty business for your storage needs. Cabinet or closet organization companies will often meet with you to create a storage solution that would work best for your individual situation. Contact a well-reputed woodworker with your ideas for tack boxes and other storage units, or order specially-made tack boxes and compartments from a tack box customizer either through your local equine supply store or the internet. With any of these storage unit suppliers, you will gain a custom-created tack room that is tidy, organized, and built for function.

Once you have your gear tidied and stored in appropriate containers, further organization is necessary to place each storage unit in a location that provides appropriate accessibility. For example, a bin of seasonal wear may be stored up high on a shelf or under another box containing everyday gear. It doesn’t matter if its location is a little inconvenient as you will only need to access it a few days a year. On the other hand, you want to have routinely-used gear readily available. Think about how often you use the contents of each container and store them accordingly.

Bridles, lead ropes and halters are best suited hanging on racks on the walls or hooks in a deep tack box, with one bridle or halter per hook. Such an apparatus can be as simple as nails or coat hooks pounded into the wall, or as extravagant as brass adorned mahogany bridle hangers. The hooks will keep the headgear readily available for that spontaneous trail ride and prevents them from becoming hopelessly entwined and tangled. It sure beats rummaging through the knot of leather straps that would result if the gear was simply tossed in the bottom of a tack box. Carefully evaluate where you will place your saddle rack. Location is very important as you do not want to expose your expensive gear to moisture, rodents or other damaging agents. Obviously, you must work with the architecture with which you are provided, but if possible, choose a location where your access to your gear will not be hindered by other storage units or obstacles such as multiple doorways or corridors. Many a cantle has been scuffed while passing through a doorway.

Horse show-related items such as clipper boxes, bathing buckets, tack cleaners, etc. can be collected in a designated area and stored together in a larger container. Not only does this keep all the associated items together, but it proves helpful when loading your trailer for shows...it is just a matter of loading a single trunk (as well as your clothing and tack of course) rather than a multitude of small storage units bearing essential gear and grooming supplies.

Ever try using your library without the Dewey Decimal system? How would you know where to find those educational equine publications if you couldn’t determine their location? The same holds true for your, now tidied, tack room. Your final step will involve devising a system of identification so that you can easily locate the equipment you have just rearranged.

With the plethora of computer labels available at your local office supply store, you should have no excuse for not attaching identification on your storage units. Short, one or two-word descriptions provide a clearly visible, concise depiction of the articles contained inside. A less professional, but still effective, means of labeling your gear would be to utilize a permanent marker or colorful paint pens. Another method to employ to identify your gear would be to use color to coordinate like items. For example, I color coordinate my gear according to discipline. All of my hunt gear is packaged in purple tack bags, while my western gear is in teal. This allows easy identification from a distance, while keeping the gear protected from dust and grime. In fact, I utilize a color identification system on all of my show equipment. Clippers, bathing and grooming supplies, banding kits, etc. are all stored in the teal and purple shades of my barn colors so that I can identify what items are mine and what items belong to those I hauled to the show with me. When the storage units are placed back in my tack room, the coordinated colors enhance the appearance of an otherwise dull room.

It may seem a daunting task initially, but when broken-down into several easily tackled steps you can conquer your tack room clutter. Not only will your tack room appear cleaner and more professional, but it will also be much more efficient. Increasing efficiency results in an increase in available time, and an increase in available time leads to more hours in the saddle…isn’t that what it is all about?