With springtime comes a lot of work around the horse barn. In climates where temperatures drop below freezing on a regular basis it can be difficult to keep up with all of the chores around the farm; some are even best saved for warmer weather. Cleaning up the mess from winter can include chores such as scrubbing buckets, polishing tack, and cleaning the hayloft.
Bucket Scrubbing
Although buckets are usually washed out throughout the year spring can be a great time to dedicate to scrubbing stains and grime from buckets and feeders. Buckets should be disinfected with a small amount of bleach and warm water and then rinsed thoroughly.
Saddle Polishing
Winter dust can accumulate on saddles that haven’t been used regularly. Grab a bar of glycerin soap and a sponge and get polishing. It is best to wet the soap instead of the sponge to avoid getting too much water on the leather. Tack cleaning oils can be applied once the saddles are thoroughly cleaned. Now is a great time to clean any bridles that have collected dust as well! When cleaning tack it provides an excellent opportunity to check that everything is in good condition. In particular, check that no damage from the weather or rodents has occurred if the tack has been stored in the barn over the winter.
Organizing the Tack Room
Springtime can be a great time to clean out the tack room. Consider hanging up new hooks and organizing bridles. Throw out broken tack or bring stuff that doesn’t get used over the local SPCA or horse rescue; they can often use old halters and leads that might be taking up valuable space in the tack room.
Clean the Brushes
Having clean brushes is important for the health of horses and dirty brushes will just put dirt back on the horse. Brushes should get washed on a regular basis with warm soapy water. Clean the hair from the brush bristles using a metal curry comb and then soak the brushes for a few minutes to loosen any mud and caked on dirt. Scrub the brushes against each other to clean the bristles well and then rinse off the soap. It’s a smart idea to clean out the brush tote at the same time.
Cobweb Removal
Removing cobwebs is a very important part of barn clean up. Cobwebs not only hold dust around the barn but can also pose as a fire hazard. Cobwebs can be taken down using a broom; standing on ladders to reach high in corners or standing on stall doors is not usually the safest method.
Stall Cleaning
Stalls should be cleaned daily but springtime is an excellent time to disinfect stalls with a solution of bleach and water. Not only will the stalls be super clean but the barn will smell fresh too. There are many ways to disinfect stalls. One of the most popular is to scrub walls down using a sponge and then spraying clean with the hose. A wet/dry shop-vac can be used to suck up the remaining water on the floor after cleaning. If the barn has a dirt floor it is not a wise idea to disinfect with bleach as it will seep into the floor and cause an unsafe environment for the horses.
Cleaning the Hayloft
At a lot of barns the winter hay supply has diminished by spring and the new cut needs to be stored in the loft come haying season. This is an excellent time to clean up leftover hay and sweep the previous year’s dust out from the loft. It’s usually best to make sure the horses are all turned out for the day because inhaling the amount of dust that’s created from this chore isn’t great on their lungs. The person performing the cleaning should consider wearing a dust mask to protect his or her own lungs as well. There can be a copious amount of mould spores and sharp hay particles blown into the air when sweeping out a hayloft. These particles and spores have been known to cause some very serious lung problems in humans; so take caution.
A lot of these chores are regular maintenance such as tack cleaning but with the warmed weather that has moved in it provides an excellent chance to relax and put a little more time into cleaning up. With all of the spring barn chores complete it’s a perfect time to take a horse out for a long ride. The next step is the spring training!
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