Whether you board your horse or plan to move your horse home your everyday essentials matter. From first aid kits to pasture management, here is the honest list of barn essentials we use daily, and the expensive gear you can skip.
There is a specific kind of magic in looking out your kitchen window and seeing your horses grazing in the morning light. For many of us, bringing horses home is the ultimate dream; the culmination of years of lessons, leasing, and boarding.
But when I made the transition from boarder to property owner over a decade ago, the reality check was swift. I quickly realized that the pristine, well-stocked barn aisle I was used to didn't just appear by magic. It was the result of carefully curated equipment and endless maintenance.
Over the last 10 years of caring for my horses on my own property, I’ve bought gadgets that gathered dust and discovered humble tools I now can't live without. Whether you are currently boarding and organizing your tack trunk or preparing to bring your horses home to your own barn, navigating the gear list can be overwhelming.
Here is my honest breakdown of the non-negotiables, the everyday lifesavers, and the things you can honestly skip.
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The Boarding Essentials: Portable Peace of Mind
When you board, your footprint is limited. You need to be organized, efficient, and mobile. During my boarding years, my entire equestrian life had to fit into a tack trunk and a grooming tote.
The Daily Necessities
If you are boarding, organization is your best friend. A chaotic tack trunk usually leads to lost equipment.
- Halters: I always keep two types. A sturdy leather or breakaway halter for travel and cross-ties (safety first!), and a rope halter for training/groundwork.
- Grooming Storage: You need a grooming tote that can take a beating. I have used many over the years: wood and plastic totes to tote bags. I lean towards the plastic and wood totes only because they are easier to wipe dust and dirt off of. However, there are many different kinds you can find at our curated Essentials for the Everyday Equestrian. Grooming totes should hold brushes and grooming tools upright with separate compartments to help keep your grooming kit organized.
- The "Clean Up" Crew: Two things I use daily are a sweat/ dirt scrapper and a hardy hoof pick. I have several in fact!
The Wardrobe
Your horse’s clothing needs will depend on your climate, but the basics usually include a turnout sheet (waterproof), a medium or heavy blanket, and a wool cooler for cooling out after winter rides. In the summer, fly masks and fly sheets are essential for comfort. https://amzn.to/4ahbHf0
The Equine First Aid Kit
This is where I see many boarders, and even barn owners, fall short. You don't need a mobile hospital, but according to the AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners), you must be able to handle an emergency while waiting for the vet.
My first aid kit always includes:
- Thermometer: This is the first thing a vet will ask you for when you call with a sick horse.
- Leg Care: Cotton rolls, gauze pads, and leg wraps for inflammation or stocking up.
- Wound Care: Saline solution for cleaning, Neogen AluShield (an aerosol bandage that keeps dirt out of cuts), and antibiotic ointment.
- The Basics: Vet wrap, sharp scissors, latex gloves, and Epsom salts for soaking hoof abscesses.
- Emergency Info: As a boarder I always kept a laminated card on my stall door (and inside my tack trunk) with my vet’s number, farrier’s number, and insurance info.
Bringing Them Home: The Landowner’s Reality
Moving your horses to your own property changes the game. You stop being just a rider and start being a facility manager. The list of "must-haves" shifts from tack to infrastructure.
Feed and Hay Storage
Rodents are the enemy of the backyard barn. I store all grain in metal or heavy-duty plastic barrels with locking lids. For hay, never store it directly on the ground; it draws moisture and molds. I use wooden pallets to keep my bales elevated and aerated.
Manure Management
You are now the pooper-scooper-in-chief. You need:
- Wheelbarrow: Invest in a two-wheeled variety if you can; they are much more stable with heavy loads.
- Pitchforks: I keep a plastic fork for shavings (it sifts better) and a metal fork for cleaning paddocks or moving hay.
- The Compost Pile: You need a designated area for manure. Proper composting requires heat and turning, so location matters. If you do not have a good space on your home farm then consider compost bins that help cultivate compost.
Things break. Fences sag. It’s part of the lifestyle.
- Fencing Tools: Always keep spare fencing materials and temporary fencing solutions like fence tap, insulators, a fence tester, and extra No-Climb Wire or Electric Tape on hand for emergency patch jobs.
- Stall Mats: These are non-negotiable for joint health and saving on bedding, but they are incredibly heavy to move for cleaning. I highly recommend Feroca Heavy Duty Stall Mat Grippers—they will save your back and your fingers.
Pasture Management
To keep your property from turning into a mud pit or a dust bowl, you have to manage the land. I highly recommend investing in some kind of mud management whether that includes investing in all weather footing for paddocks and high traffic areas or mud control grids and mats that keep mud manageable.
- Sacrifice Area: Also known as a dry lot. This is a small paddock where horses go when the pastures are wet or need rest. It saves your grass roots from being destroyed.
- Tractor or Zero-Turn Mower: You must mow weeds before they seed.
- Water Troughs: One for every pasture. Scrubbing these is a weekly chore, so place them within reach of a hose.
Organization: The Tack Room
When you own the barn, clutter expands to fill the space available. To keep my sanity, I utilize vertical storage.
- Saddle Racks: I use the Eccliy Pine Wood Saddle Racks because they provide good airflow for the leather and look classic.
- Bridle Storage: Hooks that support the crownpiece of the bridle are essential to prevent cracking. The PercyEffie Bridle Racks are great for this.
- Blanket Storage: A wall-mounted rack like the JUNE SIZZLE Blanket Rack helps dry out damp rugs and keeps them off the floor.
The Everyday "Little Things"
These are the unsung heroes of my daily routine—the items I reach for constantly.
- Feed Scoops: Get one for every bin. Don't share them to avoid cross-contamination.
- Buckets: You can never have enough 5-gallon buckets. I also use 1-gallon buckets for supplements.
- Hay Nets: Slow-feed hay nets reduce waste and keep horses occupied, which is great for their digestion.
- Brooms: A heavy-duty push broom for the aisle and a corn broom for the corners.
What You Don't Need (Save Your Money)
In the age of "Instagram Barns," it’s easy to feel like you need high-tech everything. Here is where I draw the line to save the budget:
1. Heated Water Buckets
While frozen water is a pain, electrical cords in stalls make me nervous due to fire risk. Instead, I use insulated bucket covers. They keep water liquid much longer without the electricity bill or the hazard. (Though, a tank heater for the big outdoor trough is often necessary in freezing climates). Here is our full step by step guide on keeping water thawed without electricity!
2. Automatic High-Tech Feeders
I prefer to feed by hand. It forces me to look at my horses twice a day. Are they eating? Do they look bright? Automated systems can fail, and they remove that critical touchpoint of daily health observation. I also feed my horses separately. I own a 17.1 hand thoroughbred who eats high fat and high protein diet, along with free choice hay. His diet looks extremely, different than my 14 hand, metabolic mustang who eats mostly forage with a ration balancer.
3. Manure Removal Services
Unless you have zero space, you don't need to pay someone to haul manure away. Composting is surprisingly easy if you manage the pile correctly. Plus, once it breaks down into "black gold," local gardeners will often come pick it up for free, or even pay you for it.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are boarding or building your dream barn, the goal is the same: safe, healthy horses and a happy rider.
The "Must-Haves" are simple: Good quality feed and hay, clean fresh water, safe fencing, and the basic tools to keep the environment clean. Everything else: the color-coordinated grooming boxes or the fancy bridle brackets, is just icing on the cake.
Start with the essentials, prioritize safety, and build your collection as you go. Your horses won't mind if the wheelbarrow is scratched or the buckets don't match, as long as you show up with dinner on time.
You can find many of the specific storage solutions, first aid items, and grooming tools I mentioned in our curated Everyday Equestrian Essentials list here.
