Horse blankets are one of our core products and we sell a lot of them, we get asked the best ways to store them when not in use. So here are a list of ideas you can use to keep them protected and your tack room organised and stop your blankets from becoming dusty, dirty, damp and homes for mice.

How do you store a horse rug? first thing's first.

First we need to get organised! It is great to have all your rugs safely and neatly packed away but even better when there is logic to the storing so that it makes it easier to find the one you want and not undo any of your hard tidying work.

Organise Them By Their Style And Size. 

Keep all stable rugs together, turnout rugs together, fly rugs together and so on. This way when the weather changes or circumstances arise you have everything in one place and get them all out at once for all your horses without messing up the rugs you don't need right at that moment.

Rugs that are used more often and year round (think fly rugs, exercise rugs etc) these should be in easy to access areas to make it no hassle to get to them and put them away. More seasonal and less used blankets can be put away in more 'out of the way' places.

TIP: It is always best to make a habit of washing the rugs right after use and putting them away so they are ready for the next occasion and not cluttering up anywhere. After washing it ensure that it is completely dry, to lessen the chance of mold or mildew growing while it is stored away. We have full guide about how to clean your horse rugs to help you do it right.

Label Your Rugs

Following on from the organisation point above, labelling your rugs in an easy to read place when it is folded can save a lot of time and hassle when you are looking for a specific rug for a specific horse.

TIP: We recommend labelling it with the horse's name but also the size in case you need to use it on another horse or want to lend it to someone. Permanent marker can wear off after multiple uses and washes so you may need to repeat this step every now and again.

Fold Them And Make It Neat

With all this effort you are doing getting organised don't let your folding skills let you down. A nicely folded rug will not only be more compact but is also better for the rug itself and helps it to last longer.

Ok that is enough of the rules, let's get into where you can put these rugs exactly.

Horse Rug Storage Ideas

Old Deep Freeze

A great way to up-cycle! These are big so can store a good amount of rugs and more importantly they seal shut meaning no rodents or spiders can get in to make homes in your rugs.

If you don't have one or know someone wanting to get rid of one there are people on ebay and gumtree giving them away free for pickup.

Used Feed Bins

Metal Feed Bins or Feed Drums are another perfect up-cycling idea. After all the feed is gone just clean them out and they are ready to go. They close tight enough to stop anything getting in there and more than likely you already have some. If you need more, ask around your friends or even where you buy the feed from they may even have some they happy to give you for free.

Garden Storage Box

These are the plastic boxes you get at the garden centre to put in your backyard and store you tools or garden furniture. They are usually waterproof and some even have castor wheels fitted to them so you can slide them around when you are cleaning.

Vacuum Storage Bags

You can get these from Ikea etc and are surprisingly durable, their biggest advantage is they reduce the bulk so you can fit more rugs. Because you are storing these individually it makes them easier to put right out of the way into a roof space for example. Labelling these is also very easy and wont wear off like writing directly on the rug itself will do.

Plastic Storage Bins

A good option for storing anything, plastic storage bins in a wooden rank is a more work than the options above so is probably the most organised. The clip on lids stop any bugs or critters getting in and many options come with little wheels on them. If you don't want to go through the hassle of building a rank for them they stack on top of each other well. 

There you go, from the list above you should be able to make use of one of the ideas. It is common that with owning a horse you end up owning a lot of equipment and gear. Horse rugs are one of the larger and bulkier items you will end up owning so having a good way to store it can make life a lot easier.