| If you're thinking about getting a pony or horse, | | | | out to pasture. Take out all the food and water |
| check out our quick guide to mucking out. First | | | | buckets and make sure your wheelbarrow and |
| off, you'll need some essential tools including: a | | | | tools are at hand (make sure the wheelbarrow is |
| pitch fork, shovel, gloves, a wheelbarrow, mucking | | | | pointing in the right direction you want it to go in). |
| out clothes and wellies. | | | | A pitchfork is the simplest way to pick up the |
| Keeping a horse in a stable or stall for any part of | | | | used bedding, simply shovel away until your |
| the day or night means you have to keep it clean | | | | wheelbarrow is full and dump the soiled contents |
| for the sake of the animal. Unclean stables can | | | | in the manure pile (paper horse bedding can be |
| attract health problems and insects as well as be | | | | spread on land directly as fertilizer). Once you've |
| unsightly. Ammonia from urine saturated bedding | | | | removed the soiled horse bedding, spread your |
| can pose a problem for your animal's lungs. | | | | fresh bedding evenly. Opt for a light, easy to |
| Mucking out should be a daily task. | | | | carry bedding - paper horse bedding is ideal - so |
| If you hate thee idea of mucking out, think of it | | | | you can easily carry it to the stable. In winter, it's |
| as a positive (and cheaper) alternative to the | | | | worth adding a little extra bedding for insulation |
| gym. It takes around 20 minutes to clean out a | | | | from the concrete floor. |
| stable. Gloves can help and make sure you wear | | | | As well as daily maintenance, every week you'll |
| rubber wellies (rather than your expensive riding | | | | need to sweep your stable clean and put down |
| boots). Muck out when your horse is grazing or | | | | disinfectant. |