If your horse spends time in a stall, you should clean it out daily to prevent skin, respiratory, and hoof problems. To clean a stall, you’ll need at the minimum a wheelbarrow or muck bucket, a pitchfork, and fresh shavings.
First, use the pitchfork to remove soiled hay and visible manure and urine spots and toss it in your muck bucket. Then, dig into the bedding and remove any hidden manure and wet spots. Gently shake the clean bedding from the pitchfork as you work, so you’re not wasting shavings. One strategy is to toss dirty bedding against the lower part of the stall wall, which causes the manure to roll to the bottom of the pile, making it easier to sift out. If you find soaked spots on the stall floor, use dry bedding to soak up the urine. Then, discard those shavings.
Once the stall is clean, spread the bedding you piled against the wall back across the stall, and apply fresh bedding as needed. When you’re done, sweep any bedding away from the entrance of the stall, so it’s less messy when you bring your horse in and out. This chore should take about 10 to 20 minutes to complete once you get the hang of it.
Related Reading:
- Clean Stall, Happy Horse: A Beginner’s Guide to Stall Cleaning
- Timesavers: Ways to Make Barn Chores More Efficient
- Equipping Your Horse’s Home: Essentials for Stall Setup
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