Your Horse’s Comfort and Health Begin with a Clean Stall

As the winter approaches, our thoughts turn to the comfort of our homes. As the temperatures drop and the wind rises, we like to imagine ourselves sitting in front of a warm fire drinking hot cocoa or a brandy … that kind of thing. Do you think it would be any different for a horse? Well, yes they’re not so keen on brandy, but in terms of warmth and comfort, I think that it’s still the same for them. A horse’s stall is his home and it’s up to you as the owner to ensure that your horse sleeps soundly and comfortably without any undue stress. This means that keeping the stall as clean as possible is a major priority. It will help his breathing, his demeanor and his overall health. Think about the choice of bedding. There is quite a wide range available here so you may have to cut your bedding according to your cloth, to paraphrase the old adage. The personality and behavior of your horse will also come into play in the choice of bedding. For example, some horses tend to trample, throw around and mess up their beds, so maybe you need to get a cheaper variety of stuff that won’t cost you the earth to have to keep replacing on a regular basis. In fact, many stalls are now fitted with rubber floors as these will offer the maximum softness, comfort, clean ability and hard-wearing qualities. Amongst the main material then used as bedding for your horse are straw, wood shavings, paper and more rubber matting. Mucking out your stall is a very important job and a vital one in terms of ensuring good sanitation of the place. A thorough mucking out has to be done at least once every day, and twice if your horse is housed in the stall right through the day (as is often necessary during cold winters). For a good muck-out… -          Prepare all the items you’ll need first of all. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, as they say, so get your tools lined up before you start. -          It’s best to have the horse at pasture so he’s out of your way, but I know many who can muck around their horse - only really advisable if you know the horse very well indeed. -          Put on a pair of gloves -          Start with the stinkiest visible droppings first and then start from the center and move outwards in methodical fashion. -          Remove all the wet bedding and pay great attention to rubber matting if that’s what you have because urine can fester underneath if not looked after properly. This latter situation can lead to a fly infestation and that’s something that will pose a real threat to the well-being and physical health of your horse. Organic pest control is the best way to for flies getting rid of them in any circumstances. With the best mosquito repellent that we ever had and natural mosquito spray too, there’s no excuse for having any flies bothering your horse.