General advice and guidance for keeping your tack safe and for choosing which unit to purchase.
Consider good physical security as the first line of defence. Check the unit you decide to purchase is up to the job. This should be as secure as possible and the construction of your tack box is very important in this respect.
Ideally made of 2mm steel, fixed firmly into a good solid wall or floor with suitable fixing bolts of at least 10mm Diameter. Hinges and other fixings must not be accessible from the outside.
Mortise locks to doors should conform to BS 3621. All our tack safes are constructed to the same high standard as our shot gun cabinets which are manufactured to BS 7558 and so exceed the standard of other similar units for sale by our competitors.
Where to site your tack safe
- Although our tack safes are secure, we would advise, as with our shot gun cabinets that they be sited out of direct sight of casual callers. If there are any windows or sky lights they should be small and should be fitted with metal bars or a grille to prevent access should the glass be broken.
- Where larger numbers of tack safes are stored, additional protection may be required by the provision of an intruder alarm which should ideally be installed and maintained by a company who are NACOSS approved (National Approval Council for Security Systems).
- Your tack room should ideally be totally self contained. If your tack safe is visible from adjoining stables or buildings over the top of any partition walls, you may want to consider constructing a partition to obscure the view.
- The Tack safe should always be locked when nobody is in the tack room. Where facilities are shared, try to keep the number of key holders to a minimum, and always keep a record of who has keys. If a key goes missing have the locks changed.
- Try not to leave tack and equipment lying around the yard as this is very tempting for opportunist thieves - if it is not in use, it is much safer locked in the tack safe.
- Security devices may not always prevent a theft being attempted, but certainly increase the time taken to commit a crime and therefore increase the chances of discovery.
- Sensor operated security lights are useful, serving to warn of intruders and making their presence and activities more evident. In busy yards however, thefts can occur unnoticed in broad daylight. Be vigilant, and always keep your tack safe locked.
- Strangers on your yard.
- Consider why they are showing an interest in the horses or your premises.
- Are they asking too many questions when they are wandering around the yard?
- It does no harm to be vigilant & suspicious of strangers visiting your premises. Do not feel guilty about taking steps to protect yourself, your horses & premises. Remember you have a right to be there. But never put yourself in any danger.