If your horse is stabled, there’s no escaping the need to muck out its stall daily­. A clean stall is essential for the health and well-being of your horse.

Steps for cleaning a stall

Here are some steps to make mucking out easier.

1. Dress appropriately

Mucking out stables is a messy job. Wear overalls or an apron, gloves, and rubber boots to protect your clothes, hands, and feet from being exposed to urine and horse droppings.

2. Gather your tools

To make mucking out easier, get the right tools for the job. You will need a pitchfork, a broad shovel, a broom, and a wheelbarrow.

3. Take the horse out of the stall

Tie your horse up in an empty stall or somewhere outside while you’re cleaning. A cubicle is usually tiny, and you will need room to use your tools.

4. Sort the droppings from clean shavings

Using your pitchfork, remove all the large and prominent horse droppings and pile them into the wheelbarrow.

Separate the droppings from the clean shavings by sifting out the shavings one scoop at a time, shaking clean shavings on one side, and throwing out the waste. Ensure that you sift to the floor so that you don’t miss any buried droppings.

5. Remove wet shavings

If your horse urinates in one area of the stall, isolate the area by scraping away clean shavings and then scoop the wet shavings into your wheelbarrow.

6. Deodorize

You can deodorize wet areas in the stall by sprinkling a bit of baking soda or hydrated lime. Let the product sit for at least a few minutes before sweeping away.

7. Spread new wood shavings

Open a new bale of wood shavings (if necessary) and use a pitchfork to loosen the bale, fluff it, and spread the shavings around the stall. Keep the shavings base as even as possible to make it comfortable for your horse.

8. Replace water and food

Replace water buckets and hay that you removed.

9. Return the horse to the stall

Get your tools out of the stall and bring the horse back in.

Wood shavings for sale

If you are looking to purchase wood shavings for your farm, contact us at Klassen Wood Co.

At Klassen Wood Co., we offer premium pine wood shavings for horses. Shop online today or give us a call to learn more about our products. Our team of professionals is ready and willing to help you with your selection.