Tack Room Renovation Tips

Renovating a tack room in your horse barn can be a simultaneously challenging and exciting project. Unfortunately, tack room renovations are typically overlooked or continuously postponed for later. Therefore, you might be in for a lot of remodeling and repairing. Of course, the renovating possibilities may vary considerably depending on your needs, size, structure, age, and condition of the tack room. For this reason, we will explore a few tack room renovation tips to help you improve your horse property by executing the renovation flawlessly.

Consider the space and structure of the tack room

You might want to consider the current structural characteristics of your tack room. Look at the space carefully. Can you divide it more conveniently? Use this opportunity to finally organize your tack room in accordance with your needs, ease of access, and the size of the room.

A few questions to consider:

• Is the tack room conveniently located near the barn aisle so that riders can easily move tack in-and-out?
• Is the room large enough to accommodate all necessary tack and equipment?
• Are there additional locations where unused, or old, tack can be stored to prevent the tack room from becoming cluttered or overcrowded?
• Is there a good location for emergency medications and first aid kits that can be easily accessible and placed in a logical location?
• Do you need to add more outlets so that you can have a refrigerator for medications, ice, water, and supplements?
• Do you need to add a bathroom, washer and dryer, or sink that will require a water connection but make daily chores easier and more efficient?

Determine your needs and renovate accordingly

If you need more space than what you currently have, consider enlarging your tack room to fit everything inside safely and comfortably. With additional space, you might even rent or share your tack room with other riders.

If you decide to expand your tack room, note that the construction work might last for a few weeks. This is especially true if you want to do more advanced renovation work such as insulating, repairing your wiring, or other electrical installations.

If the contractors need a lot of time to finish, you can use a portable storage unit for storing items while the reparations occur. Some people even switch to portable storage units for storing equipment if the tack room is irreparable. Another option is to invest in separate tack boxes that can be locked if you plan to split the tack room with other riders.

Alternate tack room uses

You can repurpose some of the space at your disposal for something else besides storing your equestrian equipment. Perhaps your tack room could accommodate a small lounge corner where you can gather with your friends and other riders on breaks. Some people even like to designate a trophy corner at the gathering spot in the tack room.

Add a storage island

Some people opt for adding a storage island where they can keep grooming boxes, riding boots, tools, longing equipment, and other essential items. So, just as in your kitchen, you will be able to stack your tack in baskets, boxes, hooks, and bins inside the island.

This addition, although advanced, will significantly improve your tack room layout and make the space more organized. More importantly, you will free up a lot of space that numerous crates and boxes would unnecessarily occupy.

Add racks 

Racks are a much more space-efficient option for storing tack in comparison to boxes and crates. Although you can fit all sorts of things inside a box, the downside is that you do not have a clear overview and access to your equipment.

Once you expand or free up space in your tack room, you can place racks for all sorts of things. Therefore, the perfect way to make use of your wall space is to add a special cleaning rack where you can promptly clean your equipment from dirt and mud. Next to the standard racks for storing saddles and bridles, you might even want to add a separate shelf for riding boots, where you can clean and hang them for easy access.

Blanket holders are functional wall-mounted structures that can help you keep your tack room tidy. Stable blankets are really heavy and hard to keep clean. Hence, a strong blanket holder made of iron will make their cleaning, drying, and storing much more manageable.

Tack room renovation tips for eliminating mold

Is the current air stream in the room good enough? You might want to expand or build a window or a ventilation shaft to prevent mold. If you happen to have an inherited mold problem from the previous occupant or owner, consider adding a dehumidifier. This will be a quick fix before you start the tack room renovations. Also, be sure to take care of any leaks that might have shown up. Mold is very detrimental to your health.

Tack room renovation tips for eliminating vermin

You need to check for possible entryways where vermin might enter the tack room. This is especially important if you do not go to the stables too often. The last thing you want to have in your tack room is a colony of mice, cockroaches, locusts, or other vermin that could ruin your equestrian equipment. You should never store hay and other foodstuffs in the tack room because of this.

Conclusion

So, be sure to take this and other safety factors into account when you start planning the tack room renovation. After you refresh the room, you can rest assured your saddle, reins, and bridles are stored securely so that no amount of water, mold, or rust can damage your prized tack. We hope these tack room renovation tips have helped you plan your project!