Rodent-Proofing

 If you store your tack in your barn, you may be fighting a running battle with rodents. Mice have a taste for anything salty or sweet and are always on the lookout for nesting materials. the sheepskin lining of your saddle or a cinch laced with horse sweat are engraved invitations. How do you keep your tack and feed free of mice? Try a few of these rodent-ridding measures.

Make an enclosed tack room a priority. Richard says that the first building project he completed on their property was an insulated rodent-proof tack room. It'll save you time and money in the long run if you have a place to store tack without the worrying about mice making nest in your equipment.

If you have a tack room, but mice are still finding their way in, check for any small gaps that might be servicing as a rodent runway. When building their new barn, the tack room was not quite finished and we found that mice were able to squeeze under the tiniest opening under the door. Richard took a wide piece of rubber belting, and screwed it to the bottom of the door. The edge of the belting lightly brushes the floor, making for a rodent-tight threshold that's still easy to open and close.

Build an enclosed space within your barn specifically for saddles, bridles, saddle pads and other mouse magnets. Some home improvement stores sell small storage sheds that may be workable.

Try building a closet or creating one with large ready-made trunks. We found a huge, wooden trunk designed to store deck furniture. Made up of wooden slats. It's ventilated but there aren't any spaces large enough for a mouse to wiggle through. Set it on end so that the lid opens out like a door, instead of up like a trunk, and attach the back to a wall in your barn. Then attach a metal saddle rack to the inside. Add door hardware so that you can secure it, and you've created a space that's ventilated and mouse-tight.

Consider investing in a saddle trunk. Check tack and horse supply companies. Some offer large, heavy duty trunks made specifically for saddles and tack storage.

Try your trailer, if your horse trailer is parked conveniently near the barn, consider using the tack storage area in your trailer as a rodent proof splace to keep your gear.

Get a barn cat (or tow). Give them a comfy spot to sleep nicely located near your gear.

Store your grain and feed securely and separate from your tack. Use Rubbermaid garbage cans, rodent tight bins, and other containers to keep from inadvertently feeding the rodent populations. Regularly sweep spilled grain.

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