Spring Cleaning

The days are getting longer and the grass greener, sure signs that spring is almost here! And what a better way to kick off spring than to have a SPRING BREAK! This is especially helpful for equestrians who have lots of preparations to make for the good weather and growing grass. Plus what a great time to ride horses in cool, sunny weather!

Let me just say that that is what I wish spring break looked like for me- 100% horses!! However, my break is usually 100% snow, because my family has gone skiing every spring break I can remember. I love to ski, and was super bummed when my once a year snow vacation was cancelled due to the corona-virus outbreak. But hey, at least I will get to ride horses all week! Yet to my dismay, rain is on the forecast for EVERY day of spring break! I am determined; however, to still get things accomplished despite the dreary weather. So instead of conquering the snowy slopes, I will be conquering my tack room!

We all know how it is. You go into it every day, you see the mess, but everything else seems to get in the way of cleaning your tack room! Well, I plan on using this rainy week to tidy up my tack shed and use the small space to its full potential. So here’s some things I did, hopefully you can use them as inspiration for your own tack room! 

Putting winter stuff into storage

Putting your winter accessories away during the warm season frees up valuable space. Make sure that you clearly label your stuff and store it in a way to keep it in good condition- away from bugs & rodents. The rain subsided some, so I took the opportunity to wash Charles’ winter blanket so I could store it properly. I also brought my sprays and soaps back to the tack room. *had to bring em inside for the winter so they didn’t freeze.* 

Medicine and chemical storage 

Speaking of soaps and sprays, I had previously stored my spray bottles in a box container. Caring for seven horses means you have lots of bottles and the box is currently over flowing, so I started to look into other ways to store my show sheen, fly spray, wound spray, and detangler. I haven’t decided which route I am going to take yet, but for now the box will work. I did found some cool ideas on the web. *Maybe you have a unique way you store your sprays! Feel free to share it in the comments!*

I also have several senior equines and a partly lame horse, so I have a few medicine bottles, pills, and some syringes that needed storing. I put them into a cool, little teal plastic box to keep them separate and easy to find. 

Ask yourself two questions: Do I need this? Do I use this? 

Of course as an organizer I also swept, cleaned up trash, and went through some stuff. Equestrians just accumulate A LOT of stuff: bits, girths, random lead ropes, brushes, you name it! With such a small space for my tack room, I don’t have room for unnecessary tack. So as you clean and tidy up, have a bin/pile to put stuff you don’t need or use. *Personally, I had a bottle of spray paint, some random hocks, and two old brushes that I relocated out of my tack house.* 

Location matters 

As I looked at the outline of my tack room, I realized I needed to do some relocating. I needed to make the stuff I use daily more accessible and easier to get to. I placed the halters I use the most on the hocks nearest the door, and rearranged the feed bins. *I also spent part of the morning at the store getting a month’s supply of feed just in case. I don’t want my horses to go hungry because of the corona-virus outbreak.*

In all, though it was wet and cold outside, I had a productive morning cleaning my tack room. Hopefully you can take the time this week and tidy up your tack space too! You’ll apprentice having a clean, neat space to store your tack!

Tails & trails,

Reese