Stable hygiene is vitally important to ensuring the wellbeing of your horse. Allowing dirt and grime to build up can adversely impact their respiratory system as well as lead to the spread of diseases and infections.
Dust and mould spores from dirty bedding can irritate horses’ lungs, while ammonia gas produced when manure and urine decompose can also contribute to breathing difficulties in horses.
1. Clean the Stable Daily
To keep your horse healthy and contented, ensuring their stable environment is clean and tidy is of utmost importance. Not only will this keep their bedding sanitary but it will also prevent bacteria build-up on walls, grill bars, or any other surfaces within his stable.
Everyday a basic cleaning routine must be in place, with one of the key tasks being “mucking out the stable”. This involves clearing away droppings and wet bedding from your horse’s stable; how frequently mucking out is required will depend on when and how long he/she stays stabled; once per day will suffice if turned out during the day and back in at night; but if stabled for longer than half of each day then two mucking out sessions may be necessary each day.
Before beginning to clean out a stable, it’s advisable to move all bedding out of the way so as to access all corners and other difficult-to-reach parts. In addition, any soiled feeding buckets or feeders must be removed as these can collect bacteria and germs which will spread around. Furthermore, rubber matting or rugs in the stable should also be cleaned at this time with pressure washer if possible as this will help lift dirt and grime more effectively than washing by hand alone.
Once all bedding and mucking out has been completed, you should move onto cleaning out your stable alleyways and doorways. Manure and other debris left lying around could become a muddy mess during wet weather, which would significantly decrease air quality in your stable if left alone – this is why regular clearing should take place to clear away this build-up of litter.
Attire should be appropriate and sturdy tools such as brooms or rakes should be utilized for this task. Covering your broom might also prove useful in protecting it from getting covered with wet shavings or straw that can leave it scratchy and unpleasant to use. Once finished, it’s best to hose everything down before disinfecting tools or equipment used during this process using either commercial disinfectants available, or mixing washing up liquid and bleach together as an effective option.
2. Disinfect the Stable Once a Month
An integral component of a proper cleaning schedule for stables is disinfecting them regularly, as this helps minimise harmful respirable dust and ammonia levels and can ensure your horse remains healthy.
Before beginning the cleaning process, remove your horse and all its equipment (toys, feeding and water buckets). Use a vacuum sweeper to collect as much dust and debris as possible before using a broom to sweep. With an empty stall, use your wipe down cloth or broom to wipe down walls, ledges, windows and doors for cobwebs or organic matter build-up before using your scrub brush with some buckets of water and Defra-approved disinfectant to scrub vigorously over any surfaces including floors, stall mats or any surfaces to reach any corners and crevices that might remain.
Once all surfaces have been thoroughly cleaned and dried completely, allow your horse to return into his or her stall. It is best to do this on a warm, dry day so that air circulation in the barn or stables remains uninterrupted, thus reducing bacteria formation.
Muck out your horse box or playpen daily and be sure to remove all wet bedding immediately – wet bedding can irritate their lungs and lead to the release of ammonia into their system, which is extremely detrimental. Also consider using different wheelbarrow and pitchforks when cleaning out stables for convenience and maximum results.
Staying organized when it comes to grooming equipment and tools will keep your space cleaner, preventing dust and dirt accumulation. Furthermore, take the opportunity to regularly wash leadropes and headcollars using a bucket filled with Defra-approved disinfectant solution as well as scrubbing brush for maximum effectiveness.
Make sure there are sufficient rug racks in the stable yard as leaving loose rugs lying about can attract mice and insects that spread mould and bacteria, not to mention attract mice themselves! Furthermore, it would be wiser to clean your rug thoroughly prior to hanging it up to air before storing it away for next season.
3. Clean the Stable Once a Year
An unclean stable can become the ideal breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, making it essential to maintain a tidy horse stable environment all year round in order to prevent disease in horses while simultaneously improving animal welfare and wellbeing.
Mucking out horse boxes and playpens on a daily basis is essential to eliminating droppings and wet bedding from these spaces. Furthermore, regularly cleaning out your tack room and paddock area from any faeces or urine residue is necessary; using a pitchfork and wheelbarrow specifically to muck out stables helps minimise germ transfer between hay, manure and water sources; this also ensures items won’t become misplaced and are always ready to use when necessary.
Regular cleaning and disinfection of your tack room, feed buckets and containers will help to avoid an algae build-up that can become difficult to clear in summer and may even pose health concerns for your horse if left unchecked. Incorporating a fly trap into the tack room to stop insects such as flies from spreading germs throughout its feeding equipment.
If your horse has access to an indoor tack room, it is advisable to regularly disinfect all rugs, lead ropes, headcollars, grooming kits and grooming kits as they can harbor many of the same viruses and bacteria found in manure, faeces and urine.
An intensive clean of your stable is necessary in order to fully strip it down and thoroughly disinfect with pressure washing and an odour control solution or disinfectant, then allow to air-dry before filling them with new bedding. In addition, wash any rubber matting as well as the troughs, drinkers, water buckets as well as any old feed containers which have accumulated there.
Foam cleaners or alkaline cleaning agents can help to lift and break down protein- and fat-containing residues found in urine and faeces, making it much simpler to wash and disinfect the troughs, drinkers, boxes, walls and aisles of the stable.
4. Clean the Stable Quarterly
As the seasons change, it is essential that your stable is regularly cleaned and disinfected. Mucking out should take place as usual with extra attention being paid to removing organic matter – ideally this should take place outside to minimize contamination to indoor spaces.
Remove equipment that could obstruct the surface of the stable from being properly cleaned, such as rugs, headcollars, buckets and grooming kits that might obstruct airflow in order to ensure it can be thoroughly disinfected. These could include rugs, headcollars, buckets or grooming kits which allow bacteria to spread from horse to horse or human to human and block airflow leading to an accumulation of odours or ammonia build ups in your stables.
Next, sweep your stables thoroughly along with any barn passageways and doors, using either water or Defra-approved disinfectants, using a stiff brush and water. Make sure that special attention is paid to corners and crevices when cleaning up.
Once all surfaces have been thoroughly cleansed and rinsed, the next step is drying out your stable. Opening windows and doors as well as using a blower can speed up this process; this is particularly important if your stable features rubber matting which takes days to dry off completely.
Before refilling stables with fresh horse bedding, all existing bedding must be assessed and replaced as necessary. This can be accomplished by taking measures such as removing old bedding and turning in fresh ones; take special note when selecting which type to use as different horses may have individual needs for their bedding choices – straw-based options should be avoided as they attract parasites.
Mucking out stables is a time-consuming job (that might occupy your extra hours of online poker that you play on any of the sites depicted at https://centiment.io) that’s essential to providing healthy and safe environments for horses. To do a proper job, the appropriate tools must be available as well as following all instructions when handling chemicals. If your stable is subject to flooding or standing water issues, further steps may be needed such as installing drains, patching roof leaks or adding gravel beds for improved drainage.