Back to Basics
How to Create a Barn Management Plan
Whether you have a barn with four horses or a barn with 40 horses, a barn management plan is vital. It is the key to maintaining
a happy and healthy environment for the horses under your care and their people. A barn management plan should cover the
following items:
Horses are the First Priority
If you are a barn manager, you are responsible for the welfare
of the horses on your property 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Their well-being must be at the top of your list at all times. If
you have boarders, be sure to maintain an open line of communication at all times.
Keep a Clean Barn
No one wants to spend time in a messy barn. Clean up your
feed room floor and barn aisles on a regular basis. Keeping
things clean will help limit the number of rodents and pests
that call your barn home. Removing cobwebs, hay, straw, shavings and other debris will help minimize fire hazards.
Routine is Key
Develop a schedule for all aspects of your barn starting with
when you hay, feed and water the horses. Build in stall cleaning
and turnout schedules. Both horses and humans are creatures
of habit that thrive on routine.
Provide adequate Tack and Supply Storage
Nobody wants to deal with moldy leather, so be sure to have
a clean, dry area set aside for tack storage. During the hot and
humid months, you may even want to invest in a small dehumidifier for your tack room. Store grooming and first aid items
in an easily accessible location.
Record Keeping
Develop a system for keeping records for all horses in your
barn. An easy solution is to keep pertinent information about
each horse in a binder. Include vet slips, Coggins, shoeing
records, feeding instructions, insurance information, etc.
Nutrition
A one size fits all solution for what to feed every horse in your
barn does not exist. Consider the individual nutrition needs of
each horse in your barn. If you are at a loss as to what to feed a
horse, consider using one of several online feed selectors.
Manure Disposal
The average horse produces 50 pounds
of manure each day, making its disposal a major issue. Stalls must be picked
regularly and you must also have a plan
to deal with manure in your pastures.
Removing manure will help reduce your
pest population.
Water
Clean water must be available at all times.
Create a schedule for cleaning water
buckets and troughs.
Farm Machinery Maintenance
Create a spreadsheet that lists notable repairs and scheduled
maintenance for each piece of machinery. Use the same system
to keep track of when premises repairs and inspections should
be scheduled.
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Walking Horse Owners’ Association
Champions Strut At
International Pleasure And Colt
Grand Championship
Murfreesboro TN - The 2014 International Pleasure
And Colt Championship Horse Show was held July 27
- August 2 at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Orchestrated by the Walking Horse
Owners’ Association (WHOA), this year’s show was
dedicated to the memories of Jeff Givens, Robert Pollack,
and Sam Stockett. The event attracted a record-setting
1,913 entries from 28 different states competing in 221
different classes. The hard-working judging panel for
what has become our industry’s most prestigious pleasure
horse show consisted of Linda Arnold from Gig Harbor,
Washington, Jason Bachert from Wildwood, Missouri,
and Blair Knight from Princeton, Kentucky.
Several horses walked their way to multiple International blue ribbons this year. Capturing five wins apiece
were Skyjacker’s Mountain High owned by Darby Oaks
Stables, Lil Wayne owned by Jeff Gillespie, and Jose’s
Black Swan owned by Gladney Farms. Six was the magic
number for Contemporary Jazz as he made a half-dozen
victory passes for owners Anne and Nancy Evans. Finally,
topping the ribbon count with seven was 19-year-old
versatility veteran Rebelation owned by Linda Starnes.
Not surprisingly, Rebelation also took home the show’s
Versatility High Point Award.
Other big winners at the International included Best
in Show winners Ferdinand and Maggie Moore for Leek
and Moore and Reserve Versatility High Point Texan
At The Ritz owned by Darby Oaks Stables. Among the
youth exhibitors at the show four came out on top with
Rachel Cowles and Mia Walker placing first and second
in the Youth 11 & Under High Point Division and Shelby
Finch and Madison Drew finishing first and second in the
Youth 12-17 High Point Division. First time International
exhibitors were also honored in the winners’ circle with a
special presentation sponsored by Winners Circle Tack.
Pasture Management
Thriving pastures require a grazing
program with a rotation schedule. Avoid
overcrowding your pastures. Remember the “eat half, keep half ” rule when it
comes to grass.
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