# Tack Room Size



## Trixter'sDelight (Aug 23, 2020)

I may be building a sort of small barn/run-in thing in a few years, and I was wondering if 6x12 is sufficient for a two-horse tack room? It should probably be bigger, right? What is the smallest convenient size? Thanks for your time.
~Trixter'sDelight


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## Fuddyduddy1952 (Jun 26, 2019)

Our stable built last year is 36x36, so six 12x12 stalls. One stall I'm making into a tack room which even just two horses would be about right since we have six saddles, two 55 gal. feed cans, then all the bridles, bits, halters, first aid, blankets, brushes...list goes on. 
It depends on how much stuff you have, but I'm thinking 6x12 is too small.
Today I looked at a 10x12 shed I would put near stable for hay bales. Empty it seems roomy...get all your stuff in there it shrinks!

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## ksbowman (Oct 30, 2018)

Mine is 8' x 12' and it works out great for me. I have 2 stalls, 100 square bale of hay and the rest of the barn houses mowers, welders, a 34' fifth wheel rv, a boat , truck and wood splitter and I can still walk thru. The tack room houses 4 saddles. two large storage cabinets , bridle and halter storage on walls, a small pot belly wood stove, air comressor and folding lawn chair storage. So 8x12 is big enough for me. By the way the barn is 48" x60' and was built by left over wood off construction jobs from my work but the metal siding and roof were bought new.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I am here to tell you that no matter how big your tack room is, you will end up filling it. :wink:

I think 6 x12 is sufficient for one horse, but not two. Not if you are storing your seasonal wardrobe of blankets, your veterinary emergency cabinet, broken tack to be repaired, extra saddles, etc.


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## Trixter'sDelight (Aug 23, 2020)

ksbowman said:


> Mine is 8' x 12' and it works out great for me.





Avna said:


> I am here to tell you that no matter how big your tack room is, you will end up filling it. :wink:
> 
> I think 6 x12 is sufficient for one horse, but not two. Not if you are storing your seasonal wardrobe of blankets, your veterinary emergency cabinet, broken tack to be repaired, extra saddles, etc.


I was thinking if 6x12 was too small then 8x12 would be better. Or maybe I should go for 10x12 or 12x12.
Not sure all what I'm keeping in there.
At the least, basic western tack for one(possibly English as well. I'm learning to ride English this year, so it depends on how English works for me.), medical kit, feed, buckets, grooming tools, halters and ropes, etc. The basics.
I figure the second horse would be gotten as a barn buddy, but perhaps to be ridden if my sister decides to get a horse as well.
As for blankets, the stable we ride at doesn't blanket their horses(they have a LOT, but they may use each other for warmth.) and turns them out in the pasture every single night, even in the winter.
It rarely gets to negatives here, and usually not below 20 except on an especially cold day.
Ah, of course cleaning equipment as well would be stored there, but they could also be stored on the side of the barn depending on what they're made of.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

10 x 12 works for us (2 horses atm, but we had 3 until recently), but blankets not in use get stored in the loft, feed is in the house and a lot of the everyday stuff is hung in our 12 ft wide aisle. 6 x 12 would be small, but also awkward to get in and out of comfortably is someone elses in there.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

My tack feed room is 16 x 14 only two horses. Have plenty of room for 5 feed cans. Two saddles 2 bridle racks. Plus shelf's for grooming supply's. 

Have an unused stall. To store other stuff in so not to clutter up tack feed room. Hay is stored in a separate building. Have another big barn just for storing hay & bobcat.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I went out and took pictures of my tackroom (without cleaning it up!). It's about 11 x 12. 

I am not a tack collector and try to move stuff on that I do not have any use for, but it still accumulates. I have ONE riding horse and a companion pony. You can see that I have lots of floor space because I have gotten everything I could on to shelves and racks. I have almost a phobia about having to brush against, step over, sidle past, or dig through, to get to the needed object, so I have arranged everything carefully so access is easy. 

I have feed cans on one side, with a mixing table, and I've stored my bulky seasonal gear in labeled tubs up on high shelves. Lower shelves on another wall are for currently-used trail boots, leather cleaning supplies, medications, fly repellents, shampoo and the like. 

I have one of those rolling plastic drawer sets for offices, filled with things like miscellaneous bits of cord and leather and fasteners, gloves, etc. You can see my little dehumidifier going, it's kept my leather from molding this summer. I have a winter heater that is only on when I'm there. I have an industrial-type wire rolling cart with labeled tubs of bandaging supplies on it (the result of two major horse injuries in one year). 

The tack room was part of an Amish prefab 3-stall stable that was there when we moved here. It is insulated and has a concrete floor (I put rubber stable mats on it). The insulation is SUPER GREAT. I can keep that room above freezing in New England winter temps and it also stays cooler in summer. The seal on the door keeps dust down. 

You can see in the one picture that I also have a lot of gear on the stable wall outside the tackroom -- one side is mostly stuff I am currently using but don't always, like the longeing gear, the riding fly hoodie and the fly whisk. The other side of the door is the "me" stuff -- my helmet, chaps, barn jacket, boots. My house is enough of a walk from my stable that it's a little discouraging to find that I left something critical back there, so it works better to keep my riding stuff where I will put it on.

I store barn cleaning tools in a nook next to the loft stairs, and there's another little 'extra' area where I can put about 15 bales of hay, and bales of shavings. These are all messy so I'm glad to be able to keep my tackroom separate.


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

My tack room is 10x12 for 2 horses and 1 pony.....I have 4 saddles, I have my horse's grain, dog food, cat food, and chicken food in there, along with a futon that I thought I had to have, and every other horse related item I have.....I believe Im going to trash the futon....but honestly if done right I think a 6x12 would be enough, you'll have to be organized and smart with your utilizing your space right though


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

I have two horses, although one is at the trainer's right now.

I have a old storage shed that's about 10 x 12 - it needs a new roof, so I only store like buckets and stuff I can easily cover or won't get damaged if wet.

My "new" tack room I think is 8 X 10. I got it used from a friend. It had nothing in it, so I had to put up the hooks, etc. Still would like to do something better for my saddles & pad. The 1st COVID shut down gave me time to really get in an organize it. It's really functional now and I love it










































I have since added two more of the baskets on the lower left on the door, to the small ledge above those.

But when I'm showing, I kept that gear in my trailer.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

It depends on how much floor space you want to walk around on and how much stuff you accumulate!

A 6 x 12 area is plenty big enough for two horses if you use the wall space to best advantage and don't keep a pile of stuff that you don't need.

We've always bought cheap kitchen units for storage and racks on the walls for saddles and bridles.

If you use blankets you can fit racks for the ones you're using and store the ones you aren't using in a loft or similar area in a rodent proof chest.

I currently have a 12 x 12 tack room for 5 horses because it was once a stable, but all of the storage is on two walls, the rest is just empty floor space.

All of my blankets are stored in heavy duty plastic chests in one part of the hay loft.


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## marthak (Aug 3, 2015)

I vote for 10x12 or bigger if possible. Mine is 9.5' x 7.5' and full to the brim and then some for 2 horses. I ride western and that tack takes up more room than English with bigger saddles and pads. I have 2 shelving cabinets, free-standing 3-saddle rack, hangers for bridles, halters, leads, and still have to put winter blankets/fly sheets in plastic totes in an unused stall. It's compact, and I can find my way to what I might need, but I'd love to have more room to move around and get things without having to move something else out of the way.

Sorry about the sideways photos. Top photo is looking right from the doorway, and the other two are looking left from the doorway.


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