Spring Cleaning Inside Your Horse Barn

In the last article we started opening up your horse barn for Spring but concentrated on the outside. In this article we are going to move inside the barn and some of the spring chores involved there.

Of course, if you are going to work inside the barn it is a good idea to take the animals out. This is especially true if there is going to be allot of movement or loud noises. That said the first thing to do is just stand there and take a look around. Are there cobwebs and spiders in the rafters and framing? Is dust built up on surfaces? Usually it is a good idea to start with a good sweeping and dusting. Hose and scrub walls if you can. Look at the floors, hose them down and brush them out. Look for repairs that need to be made.

Now look inside the stalls. Sometimes during long periods of idleness horses will chew on their stalls, this is called Cribbing. Do boards or side rails need to be replaced? Give the stalls a good sweeping, think about disinfecting the stalls with a diluted bleach solution then follow with a good hosing with clean water. If nothing else a good scrubbing of the walls with a brush and rinsing with a hose will go a long way. You should sweep, squeegee or wet vac excess water. Do not use the bleach if your stalls have dirt floors. Clean your buckets take everything outside and scrub and disinfect. Be sure to rinse completely to remove any residue before replacing them in the stalls. Go over all the stall hardware. Check hinges and latches and repair as necessary. In the stall look for nails or splintered edges and holes in the floor.

Now let's move in to the Tack Room. Winter was cold so you did not spend much time in here so clean the layer of dust that has accumulated on everything. With the warm weather it is time to clean and repair all your blankets and put them away for next winter. Wrap them in plastic or use vacuum bags to keep them fresh and bug free for next winter. I have seen articles that say there are services that will do this but I have not been able to find one.

Tools, now is the time to clean and disinfect all your brushes, towels, picks, and combs with warm soapy water. Besides being healthy for your horse you don't want to put dirty equipment back in to your nice clean tack room. Now is also the time to go through your tack. Clean saddles with saddle soap, water and a sponge. Do not use excessive amounts of water and once dry follow cleaning with a good oiling. Don't forget your saddle blankets or pads. Hang them over a fence rail or something similar and rinse with a hose and clean water. Finally, go through your bridles, leads and ropes then clean, replace and repair as necessary.

Remember, a clean healthy horse is a happy horse.

Carolina Storage Solutions was founded in 2008 and has sold and delivered HUNDREDS of modular Horse barns and storage buildings to satisfied customers in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee http://www.deliveredbarnsandsheds.com/index.php,