| It's a great feeling when stalls have been cleaned | | | | scummy over time and smell. Thus said, I can |
| and all the horses have been grained, hayed and | | | | swear on my horse's life, that I have never had |
| watered. The halters are all hung outside the | | | | scum so foul and so strong that a simple swishing |
| stalls, the aisles have been swept. It's a beautiful | | | | with a brush could not alleviate it. So why, oh why |
| morning, not cold, not hot. It's just right. The birds | | | | are we scrubbing them to death with bleach? |
| are singing. No flies yet. There's an underlying | | | | A barn that has a contagious disease is one thing. |
| antiseptic scent in the air. You take a breath and | | | | I'm not downplaying conscientious attempts to |
| sigh. All is well with the world, at least inside your | | | | irradiate that disease. I am referring to the caring |
| barn. You hope. | | | | horsemen and horsewomen who are exposing |
| You've done everything you can to create a clean | | | | their horses to bleach residue imbedded in plastic |
| healthy atmosphere for your horses. But have | | | | and rubberized water buckets day in and day out, |
| you done too much? Are you guilty of over-kill? | | | | under the assumption that it is the right thing to |
| Horses are animals, remember. Yes we are, too, | | | | do. It puts me in mind of the hand sanitizers that |
| but that's the problem. We have placed our | | | | are so popular right now with our attempts to kill |
| human standards onto the backs of our horses, | | | | all contact bacteria, a practice which is now being |
| and rumor has it we are not doing them the | | | | touted as possibly paving the way for even |
| better for it. | | | | stronger bacteria, the super bugs. |
| When was it decided that we should routinely | | | | Give your horse's water bucket a good cleaning |
| bleach our horses' water buckets? I'm not talking | | | | at least once a week and even more often than |
| about using a brush and just cleaning them well. | | | | that. Clean it daily if you like; just don't use |
| I'm referring to the practice of adding bleach to | | | | chlorine bleach unless chlorine bleach is actually |
| the cleaning water and scrubbing like crazy. I have | | | | called for. Simply dump your horse's water bucket |
| seen horsemen so diligently cleaning their buckets; | | | | and give it a swish with a brush and rinse. Horse's |
| it looks like a bicep/triceps workout. Why? | | | | like fresh water. Make sure they have access to |
| Because we think we're getting out the germs. | | | | water at all times. Don't count on moisture in the |
| Horrible germs lurking in the water, for the very | | | | grass when you turn them out on pasture. I |
| same animals that graze off the ground, where | | | | shudder at practices like that. Give them water. |
| dirt, bugs, slugs and all sorts of "icky poo's" dwell. | | | | Give them fresh water. Give them endless water. |
| Water is different, I can hear the diligent | | | | It is the single most important nourishment in their |
| horseperson say and I agree. Water in most | | | | lives. They can live without a bleach-scrubbed |
| barns these days, sadly, is chlorinated. And yet, | | | | water bucket. They can not live without clean |
| with or without chlorine, water buckets still get | | | | fresh water. |