Taking time out to clean your horse’s stall can be a bummer when all you want to do is ride. However, a clean stall is an important part of your horse’s comfort and health, so this daily chore isn’t one you can skip. By learning how to clean or “muck out” a horse’s stall in the same way each day, you’ll notice clues to how your horse may be feeling that day—you might find manure that’s more loose than usual or hay that has hardly been touched, for example.

Just like when you’re cleaning your room, there’s a difference between cleaning a stall in a rush and cleaning a stall well. Here are eight steps to getting the job done correctly and quickly, making your horse happy while saving you time.

To clean a stall, you need:

◆ Plastic muck fork
◆ Wheelbarrow
◆ Broom
◆ Flat-bottom shovel
◆ Bandana to cover your nose and mouth, if the stall is dusty
◆ Watering can, if the stall is dusty
◆ Fresh shavings
◆ Stiff-bristled scrub brush

STEP 1: Remove leftover hay.

If the hay is still good, scrape it to one corner. If it’s not good, put it in the wheelbarrow.

STEP 2: Remove visible manure and wet spots.

Get these out of the way before you dig further into the bedding.

STEP 3: Choose one wall and turn over bedding along the length of the wall.

Find the wall with the cleanest bedding—you never really know what’s underneath until you start turning.

STEP 4: Toss remaining bedding against the clean wall, about hip height.

As you scoop bedding into your manure fork, you’ll find scoops that are wet. Dump those in the wheelbarrow. For scoops that appear dry, toss them against the wall. As the contents hit the wall, the clean bedding makes a neat pile against the wall, and the manure rolls or falls to the bottom of the pile.

Let the manure collect along the bottom of your bedding pile. After the manure builds up a bit, scoop it up and put it in the wheelbarrow.

Turn over the entire stall in this way—even the bedding from under the water buckets, feed bucket and hay rack. It’s OK for some hay to be strewn through the bedding, as long as you did a good job of removing most of it in Step 1.

PRO TIP: If the bedding is dry and kicking up dust, wear a bandana around your nose and mouth or lightly water the stall with a watering can. It might sound backward to add water to a stall that you want to make dry, but you’re not wetting the bedding, just dampening the dust.

STEP 5: Treat the wet spot.

If you have stall mats or a concrete floor, sweep the wet bedding off of the wet spot and remove it with a shovel. If you have a dirt floor, scrape the wet spot with your manure fork. If the wet spot is smelly, treat it with an odor- and moisture-absorbing agent, like Sweet PDZ or Stall Dry. If you have time, let the spot air-dry before re-bedding the stall.

STEP 6: Re-bed the stall.

Use the manure fork to pull the shavings away from the wall and spread them across the stall. Put this older bedding in the wet areas first.

Spread out all of the bedding, then pick and remove any manure pieces that were still hiding.

STEP 7: Add fresh bedding.

Don’t forget to return the leftover hay to its place.

STEP 8: Remove, clean and fill water buckets.

Take the buckets from the stall, dump them outside, give them a quick scrub with a stiff-bristled brush and refill. This step comes last so you don’t make a mess of the fresh water while you clean the stall.

This process should take about 15 to 20 minutes when you first start out. Every horse’s stall habits are different, and as you learn your horse’s habits, you’ll establish a rhythm and make this chore go even faster. This system can be used in all stalls bedded with wood shavings, so you can teach your friends to amp up their stall cleaning, too!

This article about how to clean a stall appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Stable Skills: How to Clean a Stall appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

When it still feels like fall to you, your horses know better! And they start putting on their winter coats in response to the diminishing hours of daylight, whether there is a chill in the air, and this winter coat is a forerunner of the cold weather to come. Why not spend a few hours—or days—getting your stable and farm ready? It’s a lot more pleasant to do fall and winter farm prep work while the weather is still nice, and there are a few jobs that you won’t be able to do once there is snow on the ground. Here are a few things you’ll want to prepare.

Blankets: Do you blanket your horse in the winter? Perhaps you have an older horse, or one that is clipped or doesn’t naturally put on a very thick coat. Before winter hits is the time to sort through the shelves in the tack room and find these items that haven’t been in use since March.

You did remember to wash them before you stored them, right? If not, a quick trip to the laundromat might be in order. While you’re at it, clean and put away some of your summer horse equipment: fly sheets, fly spray, fly masks, fly traps…you get the idea.

Fence Repairs: The cooler temperatures of fall make for a nice time to work on fencing—a lot better than trying to fix a broken post or rail during a snowstorm! Take a walk (or a ride) around your fencing and make a list of any repairs that will be needed before the chill hits.

For electric fencing, remember that winter can cause grounding trouble (either from dry conditions or snow insulating the ground). You might want to add some ground rods in advance before the soil is frozen.

Watering Systems: Even if you live in a climate with warmer winters, don’t take chances with your barn’s water system. If there’s any risk that you’ll experience sub-freezing temperatures, make it a priority to shut off and drain the water from any exterior valves or hydrants that aren’t protected from the cold.

While heat tape or insulating foam might help for some isolated frosts and freezes, a burst pipe can be a big expense (and a big mess), so it might be wiser to not take the risk.

On the other hand, frostless hydrants or automatic waterers that safely drain water back down below the frostline after each use can stay in service all winter long—even in northern regions with long, harsh winters. You’ll also want to roll up, drain, and store your hoses.

Ice Prevention: You’ll also need a solid plan during fall farm prep for how you will keep your horses supplied with warm, ice-free water all winter. Your options will depend on your climate, but choices include heated electric buckets (these can work very well inside the stall), insulated water buckets, trough heaters, and the previously mentioned frostless automatic waterers or hydrants.

Also, prep for icy conditions around concrete walkways and doors by keeping some salt, animal-safe ice melt, and/or sand on hand.

Medications: While on the subject of things freezing, be sure to put away any equine medications or other items that might be ruined if they get too cold.

Tires: Cold weather has a surprising effect on tires—it condenses the air inside, which can cause the pressure (PSI) to drop significantly.

When the first cold snap hits, be sure to check the tire pressures on your tractor, ATV/UTV, truck, and horse trailer (if you plan to use it in the cold), as well as in tools like wheelbarrows, handcarts, et cetera. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself pushing around a wheelbarrow that seems far too heavy, only to discover that cold temperatures had robbed the tires of their pressure.

Machinery: Any farm machinery that you don’t intend to use during the winter should be “put to bed” properly. It’s often wise to pull the battery and store it in a warm location; this will help the battery hold its charge in case you do need to operate the machine for some reason.

Try to avoid leaving the fuel tanks partially full, as the empty space in the tank can cause condensation to form. A good plan is to top off the fuel tank and then add a gasoline stabilizer to keep the fuel fresh until spring.

Another option is to completely drain the machine’s fuel system (tank, lines, carburetor) and let it sit empty all winter. Simply running the machine until it runs out of gas isn’t enough—you have to actually remove all fuel from the engine for this to work properly.

Pastures: Whether you have snow on the ground or not, winter can be hard on your horse’s pastures. With the grass dormant, overgrazing becomes a real possibility, thus damaging the grasses and promoting the growth of weeds the next summer.

Mud during the spring while the snow melts can also be problematic, particularly in smaller pastures. One option here is to limit your horses’ pasture access during the winter by temporarily fencing off a smaller sacrifice area where they can spend the cold months. Ideally, the footing of this area would be prepared ahead of time and raised higher than the surrounding ground with gravel (not sand), or even geotextile pads.

Also, in the big picture, it helps if the pastures slope slightly (2 percent or more) to promote drainage; sometimes professionally re-grading of the pasture is needed.

Stalls: Proper stable ventilation is one thing—drafts are another. While fresh air inside the stable is critical for equine respiratory health, you definitely don’t want your horse standing in a draft inside his stall.

During fall farm prep, double check your stalls for excessive air movement.

Snow removal: If your region experiences significant snowfall—frequent storms totaling a few inches or more—you’ll also need a snow-removal plan. Simply stashing a couple of snow shovels isn’t enough; in case of heavy snowfall, you’ll need to consider other options.

You can try a snowblower for clearing walking paths and areas in the pastures for your horses to walk, or you could try a snow blade on your ATV or tractor. You also may need a larger snow removal system capable of handling the stable’s driveway and parking areas.

Finally, be sure to take a walk around your entire property prior to the first snowfall to clear paths of rocks, large sticks, or any other objects that might become buried and interfere with the snow removal process.

Once your winter preparation checklist is completed, you can rest easy when the first cold snap hits, knowing that you and your horses are ready to go.

This article about fall farm prep originally appeared in the November 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Fall Farm Prep appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

By Nikki Alvin-Smith, Horizon Structures

Fall is officially here, and with it comes fantastic riding weather. As a horse farm owner it is also time to get your Fall cleanup underway and prepare for the winter season. If you live in a hot climate then preparations will not be the same as those tasks your fellow equestrians in the colder regions of the country face, but a good clean up is beneficial for all barns regardless.

Clean the Barn from Floor to Rafter

The easiest method to clean down both the interior and exterior of a stable building is to use a Powerwash machine. These are actually fun to use and can save a lot of scrubbing of manure stains on walls by hand, especially if you were prudent enough to coat the wood surfaces with a sealant. Obviously avoid hitting electrical fixtures and outlets, and screens should be removed or protected from a harsh spray. If flyscreens are removable, then sponging them off with dish soap and water by hand is the best way to avoid damage to their fragile surfaces. If you don’t own a Powerwasher then your option is to rent one from a local box store or beg and borrow one from friends or family.

Be careful to use a cleaning agent that is safe around horses and that won’t damage metal surfaces. Dawn dish soap is effective and a favorite detergent that can be added to most machines and utilized without damage to building surfaces, but check with your building manufacturer to be certain.

Pay particular attention to flat surfaces, such as the top of dividing walls and rafters, and remove bird nests and insect nests on both the interior and exterior of the structure.

Once the building is clean, it is the perfect time to disinfect the stalls. Use a non-toxic product that is both safe for horses and other animals/pets and one that will kill both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The former are often more difficult to remove, so ask your vet for suggestions for the best products to use if you are unsure.

Once the building is sprayed down, excess water can be picked up with the use of a Shopvac style wet vacuum. Don’t forget to change the filter from a dry to wet type before use!

All windows can be cleaned as insects should now be a non-issue, and grill bars can be sponged down to remove any grease build up.

Fire Hazards

All light fixtures and interior surfaces should be brushed free of cobwebs and dead insects in windows can be dry vacuumed away. A vacuum is a great tool as it won’t spread the dust and detritus everywhere. Be careful to remove all shavings/sawdust/straw or other flammable products from the stall or barn areas before plugging in or utilizing electrical equipment. If possible, plug all electrical equipment into a GFI (ground fault interrupted circuit) for extra safety, and if using extensions, be certain they are rated for the purpose.

This is a good time to check all locks and latches are secure, post an emergency contact board with phone numbers for fire/police/vets/hospitals in clear view, update any barn rules, and to clean any message boards to keep content current.

Fans should be cleaned thoroughly and stored for next year’s use.

If you plan to use any type of water heating system, check all appliances or equipment for wear and tear and replace any questionable units. Ensure that all fixtures to be used are secure and not within reach of inquisitive equine noses or their teeth.

Make sure you have fire extinguishers that are current and operable placed in high-visibility locations. For a center aisle or larger barn, use multiple units, and be sure to place at both ends of the barn and all entrances.

Tack Rooms

Soft furnishings, such as rugs/carpets and chairs/couches, can be removed and brushed clean or vacuumed. Tile surfaces can be scrubbed clean and a quick tidy up replacing summer sheets with heavier weight blankets will ensure you are ready for a change in the weather. Hopefully you had your blanket inventory washed and repaired at the end of Spring, but if not, time to get on it.

Tack should be cleaned and put away and also protected from freezing weather and moisture. Leather exposed to cold temperatures can crack, and excessive heat can dry leather out, so choose a well-ventilated location and make sure the tack is ‘fed and watered’ before storage with an appropriate oil or soap.

Protect Your Potions and Lotions

Fly sprays and other products can become chemically changed to their detriment if subjected to freezing temperatures. It is wise to remove all liquids, potions, liniments, etc. from storage areas that may freeze and store them in a heated area.

Medical kits should be updated with fresh emergency supplies and stored in a handy spot that is also protected from freezing. It is imperative that all medical supplies such as tranquilizers, antibiotics and such are stored at their required temperatures for optimum performance and safety. Check the labels.

Winter Access

Entrances that are free of obstacles such as flower tubs and benches are much easier to snow plow around than those left behind after summer use. Consider removing chairs and tables and garden supplies to another storage space so they are not buried in snow and damaged by the weather.

Bear in mind you will want your barn to be accessible by emergency personnel all season long, so make provision for snow removal and parking areas.

Vermin

The cooler weather will bring with it an array of new residents to your barn, and they will not be paying board! If you do not have barn cats to take care of their arrival strategic placement of mouse and rat traps early in the Fall season is a good option. Do not use poisons or around the horse barn.

Winterize the Pipes

Don’t wait until the weather changes to drain all exposed plumbing fixtures. Wash stalls and unheated bathrooms should be made winter worthy. If you are using heaters inside the building, obviously they should not have an open flame of any kind.

Hay and Bedding Supplies

When all is clean and swept, don’t forget to stock up on your winter feed and bedding supplies. It is much easier to get them in now during good weather than to fight the elements in the winter trying to get them up the driveway and into the mall.

In many areas of the U.S., hay is in short supply due to drought and flooding. The earlier you shop the better quality hay you’ll be able to find and the price will be cheaper than later in the year.

Now your Fall barn clean up is complete, the outdoor tasks remain. Fence repairs, mowing out pastures to top them off for the season, water tanks to be placed with heaters and all that other fun stuff to do.

Being a horse farm owner does make it hard to find time to actually ride, but don’t forget to find the time because after all, it’s what it’s all about!

This article is brought to you courtesy of Horizon Structures Inc., of Atglen, PA, modular horse barn and indoor riding arena specialists. Horizon Structures also offers both residential and commercial kennels, coops, multi-use structures and playsets. Please visit https://www.HorizonStructures.com to learn more.

The post What Fall Cleanup Means on a Horse Farm appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The most important features of stall bedding are absorbency, comfort, non-toxicity, availability and affordability. Here are a few to consider:

Straw

Pro: Offers cushioning

Cons: Can be dusty or moldy; can be palatable, especially oat straw; not absorbent of moisture or odors

Pelleted straw

Pros: Absorbent; low dust

Con: More expensive form of stall bedding

Wood shavings or sawdust

Pros: Less dusty than straw; very absorbent; may be available from a local sawmill for low or no cost; not palatable

Cons: Must ensure no black walnut shavings are included; needs to be picked from hooves regularly

Wood chips

Pros: Very absorbent and comfortable; low dust

Cons: More difficult to keep clean; must ensure no black walnut chips are included in the stall’s bedding

Pelleted wood

Pros: Very absorbent; low dust; transported in small volume and then expands when wet; can contain odor-absorbing additives

Cons: Not appropriate for use on a dirt floor because it will absorb moisture from floor; may be expensive

Sand

Pros: Doesn’t harbor bacteria; very comfortable; not palatable

Cons: Not absorbent; difficult to dispose of; can cause sand colic if eaten off of

Ground corn stalks and cobs

Pro: Offers cushioning when used in volume

Cons: Not often readily available; may be palatable as stall bedding

Back to Muck Mastery >>

This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Stall Bedding Options appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Horses are…challenging on their stalls, to say the least. Between the standard chewing, banging, leaning, and pushing, it doesn’t take more than a few years for your horse’s stall to become a little worn out. And while you may not have the option of moving him to a new stall, you can upgrade, clean, replace, and repair some stall components to help give his place a fresh new appearance. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Replace bucket hooks

Bucket fasteners have a definite fixed lifespan. Metal or plastic, they all wear out eventually. So if you’re tired of that old half-functioning hook that doesn’t keep the bucket flat against the wall anymore and spills water every time your horse leans against it, make plans to make some fastener upgrades. New bucket hooks make life easier, and look much better than many of the average horse owner’s DIY solutions.

Clean stains on walls

For an improvement that costs nothing at all (except effort), you’d be surprised what some simple scrubbing can do to improve the appearance of the stall walls and door. Stains and general smudges accumulate over time without you really noticing, until before you know it, your stall looks a hundred years old. Take back some of the wear with a scrub brush and water (pick a time when your horse can be out of the stall until it dries). You won’t be able to remove every stain, but you can make the stall look much fresher and more welcoming.

Flatten mats

Rubber stall mats are heavy, so they usually stay down pretty well. But after a time, even the best stall mats can start to buckle or flip a corner, making the floor uneven. Fixing this is a job that takes very little time, but eliminates a real “your stall looks worn out” eyesore.

Repair chewed spots

Even if your stall has been equipped with chew guards on the flat surfaces, horses are still good at finding ways around the guards—or finding places to chew that you weren’t expecting. Depending on how your stall is constructed, it just might be possible to remove and replace the worst of the chewed boards—in fact, it can actually make for a pleasant weekend project. It may take some time, but this one way to really make the stall look new again. When you replace wood, consider using screws rather than nails to reattach it, as this will make the renovation process easier next time.

New hay racks

Replacing your hay rack may not be necessary from a functionality standpoint, but if it’s several years old and rusting on the wall, you might want to upgrade to a new one just for aesthetic reasons. It’s just another detail that can help make your horse’s stall look new again.

The post The Stall Fixer-Upper Guide appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

There are very few things as satisfying to a horse owner as knowing your four-legged friend is comfy and cozy for the night. If your horse spends part of his time in a stall or pipe corral, the proper bedding is essential for his comfort, both in terms of cushioning his body mass and absorbing odors to maintain his respiratory health. While some bedding is more regionally available than others, each has its pros and cons.

Shavings

Pine shavings are most often available as compressed, bagged bedding, although you may be able to get them in bulk in some regions. While shavings smell terrific and lighten stalls with their bright color, they can coat the walls, horses and items in the aisle way with a fine coating of dust.

Sawdust

Traditionally available in bulk for either pickup or delivery, sawdust is a byproduct of lumber mills and is widely available. The fine particles do have a tendency to be dusty and can cause allergies in horses bedded on it. It’s imperative to ensure that no black walnut was milled at the same time as the load of sawdust equine owners buy as even minute amounts of black walnut can cause laminitis in horses.

Pellets

Pelleted bedding is sold in bags and is made of compressed, kiln-dried wood and sawdust and is generally less dusty than sawdust or shavings. Typically made of fir, alder or pine, the super-absorbent bedding expands when exposed to moisture. Pelleted bedding works best in stalls with mats, and it can initially take quite a few bags to obtain the depth of bedding desired. Once that is achieved, however, you won’t need to remove much bedding each time you muck out, though cleaning a stall bedded in pellets can be a learning curve. You’ll remove manure as usual, but most wet bedding (except those areas that are particularly saturated) are simply spread back into the dry bedding and allowed to dry. The soiled bedding is readily composted as it is so fine.

Straw

A byproduct of wheat and oat grain production, straw is commonly used on large breeding farms and racetracks, and in areas of the country where grains are produced, driving down cost. While this bedding composts well, it can be dusty and moldy, and it does not absorb urine well, which can lead to a strong ammonia smell in barns that use it. Additionally, some horses will eat straw. Storage can also be problematic as stalls need to be bedded deeply and require multiple bales of straw per week.

Peat Moss

Peat moss is extremely absorbent and soft. The relatively high price is what keeps most horse owners away. Peat moss is also dark in color, so it can look dirty, but it’s a wonderful addition to compost piles and pastures, making disposal easy.

Hay

In some areas of the country, bedding on hay is common. There are no side effects to equines eating their bedding, but cleaning can be difficult and continual use can get expensive as hay prices rise.

Shredded Newspaper

Shredded newspaper is an excellent source of bedding for horses with allergies, if you can find it. It is fairly affordable, but users should be aware that the soy-based ink may transfer onto lighter-coated horses. Additionally, learning to clean a stall bedded in newspaper can take some getting used to.

The post Horse Stall Bedding Options appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Wood shavings are often considered a safe alternative to straw for horses or ponies that tend to consume bedding, but the research shows that overweight equines put on a diet often settle for shavings.

A group of 12 overweight ponies was divided into two groups, each given a different restricted diet of 1.25% of their body weight. They were weighed weekly and their diets adjusted accordingly. The ponies were turned out for 30 minutes daily with muzzles to prevent them from grazing.

By analyzing the manure produced, researchers determined that at least half of the animals had been eating the wood shavings in their stalls. Some had consumed more than 3 kg (about 6.6 pounds) of bedding, and five out of the 12 ponies had apparently consumed more than 1 kg (2.2 pounds) daily.

The researchers concluded that horses and ponies put on a restricted diet should be carefully monitored to ensure they are not supplementing their own diet from non-food sources.

Keeping horses turned out in a dry lot or outfitting them with a grazing muzzle may help keep them at a healthy weight without the health risks associated with consuming wood shavings. If they must be stabled, using bare rubber mats and providing stable toys to keep them occupied may be practical solutions.

Voluntary ingestion of wood shavings by obese horses under dietary restriction. GC Curtis, CF Barfoot, AHA Dugdale, PA Harris,CMcG Argo. British Journal of Nutrition (2011) 106, S178-S182

Further Reading
Obesity in horses is on the rise
A better technique for measuring changes in your horse’s weight
Balancing your horse’s diet to achieve ideal weight

The post Horses on a restricted diet resort to eating bedding appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

A general rule of thumb for how big your stalls should be is no less than 1.5 times the length of your horse. One thing to keep in mind: You can put smaller horses in big stalls, but it’s a lot more difficult to squeeze big horses into small stalls. Just in terms of future marketability of your farm, you might want to install more spacious stalls since bigger seems to be better in the minds of many horse breeders and owners today.

Stall systems are attached to the support frame of your barn and typically consist of a combination of lumber and metal grills or heavy-duty mesh. Grills are generally made of galvanized steel that is powder-coated in a variety of colors. Most stall systems are designed for 2-by-6- or 2-by-8-inch lumber that is fitted, then secured into a metal frame. The board closest to the floor should always be pressure treated.

If possible, inside and outside stall doors should face each other for ventilation purposes, and have latches that are part of the door itself. Overhead stall height without impediment should be a minimum of 10 feet. Feed troughs and water buckets should be separated so that horses can’t double-dip. And, even though swing-out hayrack/feed doors are very popular and convenient, horses are better off eating hay with their heads down.

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