Back to Basics
Four Tips For Better Horse Stall Maintenance
By Andrew Stratton
You love your horse. That’s no secret. Your equine
companion brings you lots of joy and is even a great
friend to you. But as a horse owner, you probably know
the one thing that you don’t exactly love to do when it
comes to your horse: cleaning the horse stall.
The job can be time-consuming and messy, but it is
an important task. The condition of your pet’s lodging
is a strong influence on its health. Exposing your pet
to a dirty area puts it at risk of skin problems, breath-
ing disorders, and other diseases. Your hoofed friend
depends on you for a safe and clean haven.
So how can you keep the stable area clean and safe
while minimizing the amount of work put into it? Use
these four tips for horse stall maintenance to keep your
pet healthy and to keep you happy.
1. Use a mat. While this seems to be a given, a rub-
ber mat can cut a lot of work out of your maintenance.
It will catch a lot of detritus that would otherwise
end up on the floor of the box, so removing it during
cleaning periods will do a lot of the job for you. Rubber
mats also provide great traction for your horse and are
quite cost-effective.
2. Use the proper tools. The type of bedding fork
you use will depend on what sort of bedding is in the
box. If you use straw, then
a pitchfork will be your
best bet, whereas if you
use wood pellet bedding
or shavings, you will want
a bedding fork with its
tines closer together. A
lightweight wheelbarrow
will make your loading
trips quicker and easier
on you. Have a sturdy leaf
rake and a stiff broom
available too, and a muck
bucket will be important
as well. Keep these tools in
a place where they can be
easily accessed and stored
to save you time.
10 • Walking On
3. Make sure the area is dry. A moist, closed-in
environment can breed a fungal disease called thrush.
Avoid this by keeping the space as dry as you can.
After cleaning, push the bedding against the walls and
let the area dry out before letting your pet back in. A
dry stable area will also help make your maintenance
easier over time, as it can prevent mold and pests from
making themselves comfortable there.
4. Give your friend some space. You must remember
that horses are meant to live outdoors. They crave wide
areas, which means keeping them shut in goes against
their very nature. Giving your animal time to stretch
its legs will not only keep it happy and healthy, but it
will also give it less time to dirty the stable space.
Keeping your horse stall clean and neat means a
lot to your equine companion, and a clean area can
improve its quality of life and help it live longer. With
these pointers, you’ll be on your way to maintaining
your pet’s quarters with less hassle and better results.
When searching for more information about horse stalls, Fleet-
wood, PA residents can learn more by visiting http://ebpsheds.com/
Horse_Stalls.html.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andrew_Strat-
ton/83489