Anyone who has horses knows that cleaning stalls takes the longest out of any barn chore to complete. Are you looking to cut down your hours of cleaning and increase your quality time with your pet? Here are a few tips to decrease horse stall maintanence time!

You really want to design your stall to where it is easiest to maintain while also being good for the animal. The most common way to do this is to pick up some rubber mats and install them. Don’t worry about your base, a mat will do its job on both a dirt or concrete-based area. The traction they provide is very beneficial to your mount and his legs. These products are also incredibly durable and very porous, allowing for proper urine drainage with less mess. You will find that these can save you a ton of effort in upkeep.

Your choice of bedding is also important. Certain materials are more likely to soak up urine and are more simple to pick through. For instance, shavings are great because they absorb wetness well, but are still easy to sift through. Pellets and sawdust are both also good choices in terms of making the area easier to keep maintained while also doing its job well for your equine.

Every job is more difficult without the right tools. Imagine a painter with no brushes or accountant with no calculator! Make sure you have access to picks, wheelbarrows or muck tubs, and that they are functional. Keep any equipment you need in working order. Use the most efficient device for the job at hand. If you are picking up after a pony, don’t use a horse-sized pick, use one designed with ponies’ smaller droppings in mind!

When you do it every day, especially if you have a larger herd of horses to care for, it can become harder to want to spend the time doing it the right way. Implement some of these suggestions to help yourself out. The consequences of poorly maintained stalls can be dire for your equine. They can develop skin diseases from the bacteria, as well as respiratory issues from the ammonia. Something else to worry about is the breeding of mosquitoes in the buildup. They can carry West Nile virus, among others, and we all want to avoid that!

If those were not reason enough to inspire you, there is also another big danger to your equine friend that comes from standing in too much moisture for too long. You guessed it! That detriment is called thrush. Bacteria enter the hoof, cause infection, and makes the frog literally rot. It comes with a great stench. If it is not handled quickly, you could honestly be looking at lameness and other issues.

Using some of these tips will help you in many ways. It will cut down on time and effort of either yourself or your employees, which saves you money. There will be less cost to start with in terms of prolonged maintenance. Who doesn’t want a little extra money when they own horses?!

There you go! Start using a few of these tips to decrease horse stall maintanence time today! Spend less time working and more time riding!

Looking for a cost-effective stall mats for your horses? These environmentally-friendly rubber mats may be just what you need. Rubber stall flooring provides comfortable support for your horses, and helps to relieve joint pressure by absorbing shocks.

Tags: Horses