Tips for keeping the stable and tack room tidy

Keeping the stable tidy is a practical habit that makes everyday stable life easier. If all things are at hand, you can react quickly in emergency situations. Cleanliness also preserves the condition of the equipment, headcollars, bridles, saddles etc. You keep track of whether anything has broken and can be replaced or whether medicines and dressings need to be replenished.

In addition, tidiness in the stable promotes a pleasant atmosphere. As an oasis of calm, the stable provides horse owners with respite from stressful daily life. An untidy and dirty stable tends to heat up tempers instead of calming them down. After all, this is not conducive to working with the horses.

Usually, one sets a fixed day for a deep clean and brings some basic order into the stable and tack room. But especially in livery stables, where many horses are at home and countless horse owners come and go, this order can quickly become a thing of the past. That’s why we have lots of tips and tricks here for you on how to keep things tidy and clean.

Deep clean the yard – cleanliness not only in the stall

For the horse’s health, it is not only important that its stable is clean, but also that the rest of the building is as free of dust and germs as possible. Because dust, bird droppings and germs can collect in cobwebs, window sills and on grill bars, which can affect the horse’s lungs. The stable should be checked daily for tidiness and cleanliness. However, a deep clean once a year can bring a fundamental cleanliness to the stable.

When is the best time for a deep clean in the stable? The best time to give the stable a thorough clean is when the horses are turned out during summer. Moving the horses out of the area prevents them from inhaling stirred-up dust. Also, some horses can be skittish about brooms used to sweep the walls and ceiling.

How often should a deep clean be carried out? Once a year is sufficient. More frequent cleaning is only necessary if a change of horses is to take place in a stable. Then the stable should be completely emptied and cleaned from top to bottom before the new horse moves in. Another reason for more frequent cleaning is after an infectious disease or parasite infestation. In this case, however, the entire stable area should be disinfected.

What is involved in a deep clean? For basic cleaning, the stables should be completely emptied and cleaned from top to bottom with a high-pressure cleaner to remove dust and dried droppings. For walls made of concrete, white washing is recommended afterwards. Otherwise, walls and ceilings can be cleaned of cobwebs and dust once a month. If windows and grill bars are cleaned with water and a sponge once or twice a year, this is sufficient.

Keeping things tidy: 5 tips for the stable and tack room

Once you have created basic order among your things, it is subsequently easier to maintain it. Therefore, we have put together 5 important tips for you on how to eliminate chaos and assign a fixed place to each piece of horse equipment.

1. Each piece of horse equipment has its own place

It is not only extremely practical in everyday life if you reach for the desired item without thinking. In the stable, it can even be life-saving, especially in emergency situations, if every piece of equipment gets its assigned place – and keeps it.

If you have a lot of equipment, it can make sense to sort your riding and stable equpiment according to categories and purposes. Set priorities. Things that you need frequently or urgently should be at the front, for example grooming equipment or the first-aid kit. For bridles and headcollars, practical holders on the door are recommended. Items such as leather care products that you only need every few months can be placed further back in the cupboard.

2. Label the horse equipment for better organisation in the stable

It is helpful to label things and places so that chaos does not return after a short time. In a stable community where there are no lockable cupboards, labelling your items is also important. Especially in livery stables, where many horses come together, there are many headcollars and lead ropes in circulation. Name tags as attached charms or screwed-on plaques can be very helpful for keeping track.

But grooming bags, grooming equipment, horse rugs and saddle pads that are hung up together should also have the horse’s name on them. It is not only inconvenient if one’s own saddle pad is suddenly on someone else’s horse. It can also be extremely unhygienic and in the worst case transmit skin diseases.

Signs reminding stable users to clean up, sweep or pick up horse droppings also help to keep the stable clean.

3. Keep your horse equipment protected from dirt and dust

Especially small items, such as medicine bottles, can be stored in transparent, sealable plastic containers. This protects them from dust and you can keep track of what is in which container. Labelling is still recommended.

Horse boots, bandages and bell boots can be stored in their own storage bags, which you can either hang up or place in a drawer designed for them. There are also bandage racks for better ventilation.

Saddle pads and horse rugs that you don’t need seasonally can be washed and dried and stored in large plastic boxes. This will protect them from dirt and moisture until the next time they are needed. Saddle pads and wicking rugs that you will need again and again should be hung up in an airy place, but protected from moisture. Suitable rug racks can be used for this purpose.

4. Keep your things clean

Keep your horse equipment clean and protected from dirt and moisture. Especially before you store them, you should clean and dry them. Otherwise, the dirt in combination with moisture and air exclusion can smell unpleasant and create a breeding ground for bacteria.

• Clean boots, bell boots and hoof boots after every ride – dirt that is not removed can lead to friction in the fetlock area and even cause mud fever. Read more about leg and hoof protection care here.
• Saddle pads should be brushed off after every ride and then hung up in a well ventilated spot. They should be washed when they no longer absorb horse sweat. Read more about saddle pad care here.
• The bit should be cleaned with water after each use. The bridle and saddle should be regularly cared for to keep the leather supple. This prevents accidents that can happen when the material becomes brittle. Read more about leather care here.
• Horse rugs that you no longer need due to the season should be cleaned properly before storage and then left to dry thoroughly. Heavyweight turnout rugs in particular need sufficient time to dry completely. Read more about horse rug care here.
• Keep your tack cabinet clean: Every now and then you should sweep out the bottom of your tack cabinet and clear it of cobwebs. Do not leave bags of feed and treats lying around loose. On the one hand, the feed can mould, on the other hand, leftover feed attracts mice, which has a negative impact on stable hygiene.
  Our tip: It is best to store feed and treats in feed bins, plastic boxes with lids or sealable plastic buckets.

5. Keep only the bare essentials in the tack room

Keeping things tidy will be easier the fewer items you have to stow away. Therefore, only have what you actually need for your horse ath the yard. This will also make it easier for you to keep things tidy over a longer period of time. Make a small check every few months to see what you still need from the existing items and what you can get rid of.

Tips for greater organisation in the tack cabinet

It is often the little things that make life easier for riders and horse lovers. A tidy and well-sorted tack cabinet can be a great relief. With these additional, helpful tips, you can sort your tack cabinet to keep it tidy in the long term:

• Hanging up saddle pads with a system: If you have space in your tack cabinet, you can hang up your saddle pads with the corresponding fly veil on trouser hangers. This way you can not only sort them by colour or collection. It also makes it easier for you to take out a single saddle pad without having to reach into the middle of a pile.
• Hang up a rubbish bag: Before throwing empty packaging, leftover medicines, broken riding accessories into the cupboard, always have a rubbish bag ready.

• Do not stuff boxes too full: When storing horse rugs, do not stuff the boxes too full. Otherwise the material cannot breathe sufficiently and the rugs will start to smell musty. In addition, you won’t drag the entire contents out if you only want a single rug.
• Space management: So that your tack cabinet at the yard does not become too full, only have what you absolutely or regularly need at hand. Everything else can be stored at home.
• Riding boots belong in a boot bag: You should treat and store your expensive riding boots with care. A boot bag is the best way to protect them from scratches, dirt and moisture. The same applies to your riding hat.
• Practical saddle trolley: Do you have a long way to go from the tack room to the grooming area or are you often on the road at shows and have to transport equipment from A to B? Then a saddle trolley is recommended, on which you can transport all the necessary equipment, such as saddle, bridle and grooming kit, at once. This saves walking.

Tips for keeping the yard tidy

• Manure scoops at every corner: grooming area, farrier’s area, washing area, tack room, indoor riding arena and outdoor riding arena. Wherever dirt accumulates, a ready-to-hand manure scoop is worth its weight in gold. A screwed-on manure scoop holder ensures a fixed place for the manure scoop.
• Save time by preparing feed: With small, labelled containers, you can prepare and store feed for several days. This will save you and the person who is providing the food valuable time. Important: keep the food containers as far away from light and heat as possible so that condensation does not form in the sealed containers and the feed does not spoil.

• Stable name plates, warning signs, yard signs: To ensure that the rules and regulations at the yard are observed by all horse owners and visitors. Educational, informative and reminder signs are a good way to keep order. Keep in mind, however, that a plethora of signs tends to have the opposite effect and they will not be read in the first place.
• Rug racks: Even though it should be self-evident. But it often happens that horse rugs are carelessly thrown into the corner. This attracts mould, bacteria and mice, which hope to make a nest in them. With sufficient rug racks at the stalls and near the tack room, you can easily solve the problem.

• Tidy up whips that are lying around: Particularly in the riding arena, whip holders are a good way to get whips lying around out of the way. Crops and whips can thus be easily attached and removed even from the horse’s back. Alternatively, an upright tube or cone can serve as a „whip vase“.