| Do you own a horse? Do you find barn chores | | | | the back corner. This will make it faster to feed |
| overwhelming at times? Here are some tips we | | | | the horse plus eliminate the chance of you getting |
| have learned over the last 15 years. | | | | hurt by getting into the stall of a horse excited |
| Feeding Time | | | | about getting its grain. Do you have a horse that |
| Every horse needs water. Its a big pain to have | | | | is part magician? Can it get out of its stall? There |
| to carry water to the stalls. I highly recommend | | | | are a few things you can do to minimize this. The |
| running water pipes to each stall. There are a few | | | | best way is to have two latches on the stall. One |
| things you have to consider though. For example, | | | | at the top and one half way down the door. Its |
| if you live in a climate where the temperature | | | | hard for a horse to bend its head halfway down |
| drops below freezing and your barn occasionally | | | | the door. Once it figures out that unlatching the |
| dips below the freezing point then make sure you | | | | top one does not allow it to escape it is unlikely it |
| are using some sort of plastic piping. Plastic can | | | | will continue trying. Another trick is to add clip to |
| expand and contract a bit when the water | | | | the fastener. We have the type of door fastener |
| freezes inside it. If you use metal piping then it | | | | that slides across and then latches down. After |
| has a greater chance of bursting. Our barn has | | | | you put it down there is a loop that you can put |
| earth floors and as tempting as it is to put down | | | | a clip on. That seems to help in many cases as |
| concrete the earth floor actually has a big effect | | | | many horses cannot undo the clip. However some |
| on the temperature of the barn. It keeps it | | | | horses seem to have magical lips that can |
| warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer | | | | unfasten anything. |
| so our barn rarely freezes. Another big tip is how | | | | Stall Bedding |
| you disperse grain to your horses. At one time | | | | We've tried straw and wood shavings. If you |
| we used to have 20 - 30 little buckets with each | | | | have access to wood shavings then this is the |
| horses name on it in the feed room. We would | | | | way to go. If you can get cedar shavings they |
| put the exact mix of grain and supplements in | | | | smell great as well. Shavings are great at |
| each bucket and then bring each one to each | | | | absorbing moisture and keeping it in one place |
| horses stall. There is a much faster way to go | | | | hence making stall cleaning easier. If you buy |
| about this. Get a wheelbarrow with four big | | | | wood shavings in bags it can get pretty |
| buckets of all the different feeds you use. Get | | | | expensive. The ideal situation is to find a sawmill |
| some sort of big scoop and then at each stall | | | | and either pay them to take away shavings or |
| dole out the exact amount each horse needs. For | | | | find the person who does it for them. We have |
| example, stall one may have the horse Black | | | | someone deliver a dump truck load to our farm |
| Beauty in it and Black Beauty will get 1/2 scoop | | | | every week or so. This is the least expensive |
| sweet feed, 1/4 scoop beet pulp, and 1 teaspoon | | | | way we have found to do bedding. |
| of vitamins dumped into its corner feeder. | | | | Every equestrian wants to spend time with their |
| Horse Stalls | | | | horse not all day in the barn. Even though many |
| Since I just mentioned corner feeders -- make | | | | people find it relaxing and enjoyable to clean stalls |
| sure you put it at the front of the stall and not in | | | | in the morning no one wants to do it 24/7. |