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Chuck was looking forward to riding on this sunny Saturday morning. He felt the tension release from his shoulders when his horse nickered at him from his stall. But then he walk into the tack room and everything changes. The first thing he noticed was that his saddle wasn't where he left it. It was crammed onto a rack in the far corner. It looked like his tack supplies has been rummaged as well. Instantly, anger and tension flooded back into his body. "Who is messing with my stuff", he wondered.
I've been an equestrian since childhood, and have boarded my horse at many facilities over the years. And everywhere I boarded, the biggest source of tension and conflict was the tack room.
People move each other's stuff in order to make more room for their own stuff. If they can't find their hoof pick, they help themselves to someone else's—and typically forget to put it back. Those who own more than one saddle or bridle often are allotted the same amount of space as someone who only ones one of each, so they encroach on other people's space. Arguments break out, owners are called upon to intervene, cliques are formed.
What a mess.
We solved this problem at our facility by installing individual tack closets in our tack room. Here is what they looked like.
I've been an equestrian since childhood, and have boarded my horse at many facilities over the years. And everywhere I boarded, the biggest source of tension and conflict was the tack room.
People move each other's stuff in order to make more room for their own stuff. If they can't find their hoof pick, they help themselves to someone else's—and typically forget to put it back. Those who own more than one saddle or bridle often are allotted the same amount of space as someone who only ones one of each, so they encroach on other people's space. Arguments break out, owners are called upon to intervene, cliques are formed.
What a mess.
We solved this problem at our facility by installing individual tack closets in our tack room. Here is what they looked like.
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They were large enough to accommodate western or english saddles.
Every horse was assigned a locker. Each locker had to be locked with a lock we provided or one that the horse owner provided. We kept a copy of the locker combination or locker key in a locked cabinet in our office. We installed a few more lockers than the number of horses we boarded so that if someone wanted more than one locker, they could have one—for a small monthly surcharge.
The improvement was dramatic. The boarders were thrilled to have a place all to themselves for their tack, and even more delighted that they could lock it up to keep others from meddling with their stuff.
So give your jangled nerves and those of your boarders a break. Install individual tack closets, and go back to enjoying your time at the barn!
Copyright April 30, 2016 Denise Cummins, PhD
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