Articles on Horses | Topics: horses, horse, equestrian
by Emmett Glover
Mucking Issues in Caring for your Horse
Whoever would think mucking issues in caring for your horse could be such a challenge? Well, welcome to the world of horse ownership. Mucking stalls is just part of the fun, and it really is more important than you may think. Not only does this involve mucking out stalls, but if your horse is pastured, if may involve picking up horse apples in the pasture as well. This is particularly important if your spread isn't one of thousands of acres. Pasture management comes in to play here as well. Pasture management involves cleaning up that pasture. There is nothing unhealthier for a horse's respiratory system, than to spend his day cooped up in a stall reeking of ammonia from urine that's pooling beneath the straw.
Mucking issues in caring for your horses can be varied to suit your needs. There is not a right or wrong way to clean your facility. You will figure out what works best for you and your steed and take it from there. Basic principles involve picking up horse manure with a pitchfork or a manure fork, whichever you choose. The plastic manure forks work well in areas that are a base of sawdust, shavings, or sand, as the bedding falls through the tines, but the apples stay aboard your fork. This will prevent removing any more of the precious bedding than needed. After scooping all the manure, you will need to remove the dry, clean bedding from the stall or area in question, and clean up any wet areas with either a shovel, (if there's liquid in pools), or just simply covering the wet spots with lime to neutralize the odors, or, if necessary, use some Lysol in a pail to sprinkle over the really tough, stubborn, smelly areas of that stall.
| Bit of History |
For all symbols are fluxional; all language is vehicular and transitive, and is good, as ferries and horses are, for conveyance, not as farms and houses are, for homestead.
| —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) |
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When cleaning the stall, you will also need to trouble shoot to see what works for you and your facility. Much of that depends on your floor type, and drainage. If you prefer to not be in the barn, you can turn mucking issues in caring for your horses into a good afternoon job for high school kids who are looking for a first job that involves working with horses. This will leave you free to pursue other duties as necessary. Mucking issues in caring for your horses may seem burdensome at first, but once you start doing it on a regular basis, you will come to relish the quiet time spent in the barn, listening to your horses chew on their hay for the night before bedding down in their clean, freshly fluffed stalls, knowing that you are doing all you can, right down to mucking their stalls, to ensure they are living the good life.
In addition, by spending this time with your steeds, you will come to know their behaviors better, and will quickly pick up on little quirks and traits of your horses that you may not otherwise notice. Before you know it, you'll be out in the barn, mucking the stall of one of your horses, and you'll begin to notice how he moves around you, as you go about your business picking up his mess. Some horses like to make a game of chase in the stall, just be careful that you don't poke him accidentally with the fork while you are in his stall. It is generally best, if your facility allows, having your horse elsewhere while you clean his stall. This will prevent the overanxious horse from being injured while you are taking care of his stall. Even the most gentle, mellow horse or pony can become riled when someone is moving forks full of hay or straw around under his belly. The best-trained horse in the world may not stand for such things.
After you have finished cleaning the stalls, you will need to add bedding back into the stall. This is another good reason to have your horse elsewhere. Sometimes when we shake out the straw in the stalls, the silly steeds become excited and begin to jump around, thinking this is playtime for everyone. There is the inherent risk of getting hurt in a case such as this. Therefore, it is highly recommended to remove your horses from the area in question. Also, when replacing shavings, you may run into larger chunks than what you would want to leave in the stall. Bending down in such a confined area isn't a good idea either, especially if you have a rambunctious horse.
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