Getting a new barn may not be high on your priority list. Maybe you don’t have the money to invest in some new digs for the four-legged kids. Or maybe your current barn just needs some sprucing up. So how can you turn your current barn into a better functioning living and working area?
The answer is to get creative and use some basic things you can organize your barn with. Over the door hangers, bookshelves and other household items are a great way to give your barn a pick-me-up without breaking the bank. All the items suggested here you can find at your local stores.
So, are you ready to get organized and give your barn a facelift? Check out these ideas.
Organize your tools and tack.
Tired of tripping over the shovels, rakes, and brooms in your barn? Is your tack needing organized? Try an over-the-door hanging organizer. Check to see if your tools have holes in the top of the handle. If they do, thread a zip tie through the top, leaving a loop long enough to hang on the organizer. You can also use them to organize your tack so that you can see where everything is and save time because it is already untangled. These organizers are easy to install and a great way to neaten up your barn.
Keep your tack dust-free.
For some reason, tack always seems to accumulate dust and dirt. Once you have organized it all, hang a clear shower curtain above your tack hooks. The shower curtain will help keep your tack from getting dirty while still allowing you to see your gear. It will save you time later from having to clean your tack before using it.
Adding tack room storage.
Do you know those cube storage units that are so popular? They are perfect for adding storage to your tack room. You can mix and match them since they come in a single cube to 25 cubes in one unit. Stand them vertically if you have limited wall space or horizontally to give you an extra work area. Add canvas “drawers” to neatly store small items. If you don’t want to use wooden cube units in your barn, then consider cube units made of wire. They are just as handy and provide the same amount of storage space without working about damp conditions warping the wood. What’s great about using cube storage or even bookcases is that you can also use them to divide areas of your barn while giving yourself extra space.
Even a plain bookcase works well when looking for extra storage space.
Stop piling your pads and blankets.
Purchase a long closet road and a set of brackets and hang the rod across one end of your tack room. Wrap the rod with some vet tape – older tape that you don’t use on the horses works great – to provide a good grip and then hang your blankets and pads over the rod. Now you don’t have to worry about mice making a new home in your blankets while giving them a great way to air out.
Make a safe bathing area.
Sometimes bathing our four-legged friends can be a challenge, especially when they want to get tangled up in the water hose. To keep that from happening, purchase an overhead carwash boom. This will keep the hose off the ground and allow you to move around your horse without either one of you getting tangled up in the process.
Organize your grooming supplies with an over the door shoe rack.
Do you have any barn hacks you’d like to share? Drop us a line and let us know! We’d love to hear about the creative things you are doing to keep your barn and tack area clutter-free!
