Like people, horses prefer a clean and comfortable place to sleep. Therefore, cleaning out your horse's stall is an important step towards his (or her) health and well-being. Here are the four stepsÂ
you should take to clean out the stall:
1) Have the right tools
A pitchfork, shovel, broom, gloves and wheelbarrow are all required for this job. It's best to keep them stored nearby, so they're always at the ready for future use.
2) Get on in there
Once your horse is out of the stall and your wheelbarrow is close by, use your pitchfork to load the manure into the wheelbarrow. A shovel may be needed where urine has adhered material to the floor. If you can't easily fit everything into the wheelbarrow, it's best to make a few trips, and avoid the mess of tipping over along the way.
3) Re-laying the bedding
After you've cleaned out the soiled bedding, double check what you perceive to be clean and make sure there's nothing you missed. If the remaining clean bedding is fine, redistribute it evenly throughout the stall. After that, add new bedding on top to create a layer your horse will be comfortable with. The thickness should depend on a few things such as the temperature and bottom surface of the stall. For instance, a concrete stall in the winter should have a decent amount of bedding to keep your horse from getting cold.
4) Continuing maintenance
Regardless of how clean the remaining bedding is, you should clean everything out at least once a week to keep the stall as fresh as possible.