Horse barn maintenance is as important as the grooming of any horse. Here are some tips that can help you maintain your barns on a regular basis.
Who can forget 'Seabiscuit' where a gifted race horse along with three men restores hope amongst people with some thrilling antics. 'Seabiscuit' is a very moving story that can truly be a source of inspiration. This is also one of the most popular films amongst most horse lovers.
Well, not everybody is lucky enough to own stables, and live the dream of riding horses, caring, and loving for them at one's own farmhouse.
For those fortunate enough, the experience of owning horses and personally witnessing the beauty of the majestic animals is something that cannot be described.
Stables form an important part, when it comes to caring and tending for your horses. The beautiful and majestic animals need to be groomed well. The barns where the horses are kept need to be cleaned and maintained well.
Cleanliness and hygiene are necessary for both you and the animal.
Barn maintenance tips presented here would help you to clean the barn with more ease on a regular basis, and the barn can become more inhabitable for the horses.
Tips for Horse Barn Maintenance
Regularly check the drainage system of the barn. This would help prevent any flooding or clogging. Choose a nice and bright sunny day to clean the floor, so that the natural sunlight enters the barn, and helps it to dry easily. You must also consult a professional, if any drainage problem persists.
Apart from the dirt, manure, and dust, the chaff (chopped straw commonly fed to horses) also tends to hold a lot of moisture, and this can turn dirty during the wet weather. Therefore, barns that have dirt floors need to have the top layer removed. You may need to add new soil to it. If maintained, you can keep the area clean and free from dirt and stench.
When you clean out all the feedbags and other materials, use a handcart to carry them out, so that nothing spills again on the floor. You won't have to mop the floor again!
Get some rubber mats from the market, as these will prove to be a wise buy. Rubber mats are easy to clean and maintain, and can be used as a base for the horses to stand upon, while you go about cleaning the ground.
Try to keep the barns clean with the help of a power blower, so that you can clean up the place more efficiently.
Buy right tools that are required for barn maintenance. Try to invest in lightweight wheelbarrows or muck buckets, and other such tools, that will help you finish your tasks with great ease. Use bucket hooks on your buckets.
Check out the various types of feed tubs, and pick those that are detachable, and very easy to clean.
Add some panels in easy-to-reach areas. These panels on the walls can help you hang the required materials. This may assist you in the cleaning process, and save frequent trips to the other side of the barn.
Maintain one cleaning routine for the barn. Start from a specific area to maintain uniformity in the maintenance process. Try to maintain a particular pattern, that will help you simplify the way you manage the waste removal process. With this method, you can decide how you can place the tools needed for the maintenance of the barn.
Ensure you clean the loft on a regular basis.
Use a toilet brush to clean buckets and stock tanks.
Use a hose reel to fill the water buckets.
Keep a regular check on the stable walls, windows etc. for any need of replacement or repair. This would save a lot of time when it comes to maintenance.