stable slobs vs horsy hygienists

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ruthb

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Hello, having just cleaned my tack for the first time since summer, I was wondering how perfect other people are with their stable management...?? I am a journalist doing a piece for a horse magazine about horse hygiene and would really like to talk to people who are very proper in how they do things and people who, er, are a little more laid back. The point is whether all the bucket scrubbing, box disinfecting, haynet washing and yard sweeping is really worthwhile? Would love to know what you do and what you don't bother with and whether you've ever had any problems? Also would like to know from liveries what sort of standards they expect in their yards ...
Please, please post or message me.
Many thanks,
Ruth.
ps: Before you call the RSPCA I muck out really perfectly and always clean my water and feed buckets!
 
Stable slob.

Clean my tack when I am going somewhere. Same goes for horse (just gets mud brushed off in the areas where tack might rub). Rugs washed once a year. Haynets washed... are you mad?

The important bits get done though - feed / water buckets always clean and stable is fairly hygenic.
 
Lives out so no mucking out..... dont poo pick as its 10 acres and I have better things to do
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Rarely use water buckets but they are clean inside.... but when ChristmasSparkle and I went on our hols.... she mistook my feed bowl for a poo skip bucket
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It is clean inside because he eats it all, but as he is fed in the field a few days a week, it is muddy and grubby outside
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I would not wash haynets even if I used them......
 
Horsey hygienist! I am often told I'm mad for washing haynets amd leadropes
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My stable is disinfected every week and buckets, brushes,saddle pads, boots etc.., are always spick and span.
Stables are swept down twice a day and de cob-webbed once a month.
I clean my tack once a months aswell as washing everything in sight.


- I hate dirty stables!
 
Our tack is cleaned at least once a week. Apart from it looks alot better clean it also ensures that the leather remains supple, kind & comfortable to the horse & at the price it is it is prudent to make it last longer.
Bits are cleaned after every use.
Feed buckets are cleaned thoroughly, yard swept, beds kept clean. Periodically stables are disinfected..
Horses are groomed every day, it does them good, it also aids checking them over for any injury they may have.
Feet are picked out before going to the paddock & also on their return.
We have been around horses for many years & this is how we have always been.
 
Groom my horse once week in winter to get rid of scurf and just groom muddy bits , saddle and girth area before riding.
Check feet before hacking for stones - dont pick out unless anything there. Rugs cleaned and re-proofed annually. Don't wash feed buckets more than once a year - he keeps them clean. Clean saddle cos it leather - before shows and if it really feels stiff after rain. Bridle is Zilco so run under tap. Rinse out water buckets when earthworm bodies at the bottom start to fester ( how do they get in there??). Pooh pick because I have too ( small field). Never wash wheelbarrow before I put haybales in it!! - how filthy is that?
Would never wash haynets or leadropes - why would anyone bother?
Would sweep a yard if i had one to keep vermin from nesting, and I do like things reasonably tidy, but not worried about a bit of bacteria. Most bacteria is quite harmless and some positively beneficial, and I am not referring to the stuff in Yacault and those horrible probiotic drinks because as a biologist, I think thats all a load of nonsense.
If it aint broke don't fix it - a bit of exposure to bacteria is good for you, your horse and your kids.
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Firstly, my horses live like horses. They are not humans, they are horses.

Secondly, they are treated as horses. Again, they are not humans, they are horses, and as such deserve to be respected as horses.

I clean my saddles when I think they need cleaning. They are not cleaned after every ride (like I used to do when I was young and had nothing more important to do).

I used to have a passion for keeping buckets looking glistening. Again that was before I had far more important things to do, and before I knocked myself on the head and saw that horses eat from the ground with all it's dirt.
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I no longer have this bucket passion.

Stable disinfecting - only before and after winter, IF I have any horses stabled over winter, which is incredibly rare these days. Will disinfect if any dodgy horses have been staying.

Haynet washing - haven't used haynets for at least a decade, after a horse ripped it's jaw in two and had to have one side totally removed ... due to catching it's teeth in a haynet. If I used haynets, no I would not wash them. That really has to be something someone, with absolutely nothing of importance going on in their lives, would do.

I used to be relatively anal about sweeping my yards. I have corrals now and no yards; how refreshing it is not to have to sweep anywhere anymore.

Water - I have automatic, heated waterers. I give them a dowse out a few times a year.


Here:

Hay is fed ad-lib in huge round feeders; filled by me and my tractor.
Water is delivered automatically and is thermostatically controlled, so the same temperature all year round.
Horses live outside 24/7 so require no mucking out; their barns are mechanically cleared twice a year.
Horses live in the same winter turnouts for the whole of the winter (unless they are damaged) and contrary to the belief of some, these rugs ARE taken off *snigger*
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Horses are groomed to go out for rides. We don't really have mud here so grooming is a quick process.
I never compromise on injury/illness care; I pull out all the stops to aid speedy recoveries.
I never compromise on farrier trims; all horses are trimmed every 6-8 weeks regardless of whether they are working or not.
I do not wash rubber feed buckets in the winter; in -30 temps, this is not feasible, and even if it was, horses eat from the ground.
Horses are all checked at least 4 or 5 times per day physically; they are checked a hundred times a day visually. All fields totally surround my house so I can see them all at any time I feel the need.

I can't think of anything else right now, but suffice to say, nowadays I work smarter, not harder!
 
Clean tack weekly or fortnightly, and if I'm going somewhere

Rinse out feed buckets most days

scrub water buckets if they look filthy or if horse poos in them
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Clean trough quarterly maybe?

Poo pick toilet areas - not whole field, is far too big

Sweep yard - when I'm bored, or if someones coming over
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Sweep out stables each day and piled up straw is left up every day so they can dry out properly.

Pretty much always give the horse a full groom each time they're ridden - if they are not being ridden - maybe once a month?

Wash rugs if they need to go in to be fixed (and they do it for us
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I used to be on a yard where I was one of only a few people who didn't wash the mud off their horses TO rug when they brought them in at night....
 
When I am on DIY I lean more towards horsey slob than horsey hygenist.

Currently am on livery. Now as much as it would be lovely to go to a yard that was presented beautifully I am currently also on a yard that would lean towards the slob tendancies.

Why am I there? - well despite the yard not being pretty, feed and water buckets only getting a quick swill if lucky, spoadic sweeping of yard etc......

I am 100% confident that my horse will get turned out all day, every day irrespective of the weather. He will also always be given sufficient forage and hard feed. And the YO will always notice if there is something seriously amiss and will deal with it in the appropriate manner.

This may sound like simple, obvious things, but the number of pristine yards I have seen that won't turn a horse out because it may ruin their lawn fields, think that 2 slices of hay a night is an acceptable amount and refuse to give more and fail to notice a poorly horse or insist on calling the vet for something minor without calling owner first is more common than you may think.
 
I like your style (and your fabby Christmas username!)

I rarely wash out feed tubs...the horses have a habit of licking them clean for me!
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Used to clean tack all the time but these days I'd rather have it on her back and my bum sat in it than be messing about buffing it to a shine!

I have auto water drinkers in the stables. I tend to drain them out once a week or at most a fortnight as the horses all seem to like dunking their haylage in the bowl and the water goes a little "manky" to say the least.

We have huge "cow troughs" in the fields...I occasionally stick a mucking out fork in them to help me pull out the hair algae that forms over summer.

Summer paddocks are routinely pooh picked daily. I never pooh pick the winter fields. They graze the dairy pasture. It's harrowed etc in the spring when the horses move off it.
 
I'm an inbetweeny
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My tack is cleaned when I remember/can be bothered/going to a show/needs it
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Buckets are scrubbed once a fortnight but rarely disinfected although I try ti hibiscrub them once a month - mostly because I adore the smell and like smelling of hibiscrub
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Yard is swaept daily - don't like seeing it messy.

Stable is swept out and cleaned with water once a day and I disinfect the dirty parts every two months.

If the horse comes in and the rug is plastered with mud the horse usually gets hosed from ear to toe with the rug on so they both get cleaned together
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I've only ever had mine on DIY and it has been in every contract that the area in front of the stable must be kept clean and communal areas also had to be kept clean. It's a bit more lax on current yard but it's nice to see everything tidy and in it's place
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Just don't come to my house and expect the same there
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Somewhere in between!!

Tack gets cleaned when I'm going somewhere usually (although it's disgusting ATM from going to the gallops a couple of weeks ago so am going to do it at the weekend...honest!!) or if it's really disgusting. Am a bit better with my girth and bit - usually rinse the bit off everytime I ride, and girth gets wiped regularly too.

When I'm on DIY I'm a bit anal about my bed unless I've had a really long day and just skip out then chuck more hay on top. Even if I deep litter, I'm still fussy about the bed being clean. Horse now on part livery and YO does a really nice bed, which I'm pleased about. I think she uses a spirit level to get the banks even
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I always scrub my feed buckets out. Current yard has those rotating feeder things which I'm not keen on as I don't think they're very clean, but then I doubt my horse leaves even a scrap of food in there to get manky! I would never wash haynets - do people really do that?? I absolutely do think that sweeping the yard is worthwhile. Not doing it would be like never doing the hoovering at home, surely?! If my horse poos as I'm about to get on, I will always pick it up. Never leave anything like that.

What do I expect from a yard? Clean, tidy, horses in a routine (if I'm paying for assisted DIY ie a TO or BI, part or full livery), beds done in the morning and not left til last thing. Also like beds left up during the day if horses are out and not deep littered, so they can dry, but appreciate that's not always possible on livery. Expect it to be kept clean and tidy, by the other liveries as well as YO. Also expect little things like people to pick up their horses' poo out of the school if they use it. I pay a lot of money to keep my horse on part livery and I expect to get a good service - that means my horse on a clean bed, reasonable amount of decent quality hay/haylage, etc. The reason I am on part livery is because I don't have time to do stable duties with work, so I don't want to have to re-do everything after the YO has done half a job (*disclaimer* I am not saying my YO is like this, she is absolutely brilliant and I genuinely don't think I can find one fault or even niggle, in how she looks after my horse!). I think you get what you pay for on yards though; I've paid less for part livery in the past and got less of a service. I pay a fair amount where I am now, but I get a great service from YO.
 
We have a imaculate yard - it is swept to within an inch of its life at least twice a daily (generally more). The hay soak gets scubbed each evening ready for use in the am, everything has to be kept in its place or it generally gets hidden for a few days (!!!). Never ever washed a haynet I have to say, my buckets get scrubbed every couple of days.

I clean my bridles each and every time they go near a horse, my saddles get done once a week (but I am not religious about my saddles and if it goes a bit longer I don't loose sleep about it).

Horses get mud groomed off before I ride in the winter and a quick flick over and feet done but thats it.

I spose I'm a bit of a mix of the two.
 
Tack - clean when grubby but it is fairly clean most of the time in summer as I am out showing. Bits are washed each time after use - dunked in water bucket.

Feed buckets - washed out if grubby but normally licked into pristine condition - my two never waste grub. Water buckets scrubbed out once a week and field buckets in summer twice a week to stop green build up.

Hay bars - swept out once a week to get rid of dusty bits at bottom.

Stables are mucked out daily - though now on semi deep litter so all poo out daily and wet at weekends. If in, skipped twice a day. Occasionally use a splash of disinfect if Chancer smells like a billy goat. Stables are cleared out at end of winter as they live out in summer.

Field - in summer poo picked clear nearly every day and weekly cleared in winter.

Horses are groomed few times a week in winter - mud off and quick brush over. Feet picked out most days.

Rugs are washed at end of season if dirty.

I do sweep yard when finished, tidy hay area and ensure no feed spilt in feed room. Things are put back in place, but I don't do the twisty rope thing with headcollar ropes.

I like to think clean enough to be healthy but not anal about things.
 
I make my daughter clean her tack once a week and it is not unheard of for me to then reclean once she has gone to bed. Bits are cleaned every time we ride. Numnahs ,boots etc washed after every ride.Make her groom pony thoroughly once a week in between times just flick over to get worst off.I have paid a small fortune for this tack and am determind that she takes care of it!
Rugs are cleaned once year although fleeces and lightweight stables get done in the washing machine when grotty.
Quickly rinse out buckets etc after each use.
Have never washed a haynet in my life and don't spend ages disinfecting stuff.
Yard is always well swept but I can't take the credit for that.
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Mostly hygienist but tempered by environment.

Feed and water buckets get washed out after every feed/ daily. Stable gets all wet straw removed every morning and bed lifted to allow mats to dry. Would prefer to wash down and disinfect mats weekly but stable design (barn stabling)means that stable next door would get soaked as they have a slightly sloping floor.

Don't use haynets but tack gets quick clean after every use. Mainly girth and bits in contact with horse's skin. Numnahs and headcollars/ leads get changed and washed regularly depending on usage and sweat. The bit gets washed after every use.
 
When I was on DIY I was a hygienist. Water and feed buckets scrubbed everyday, stable fully mucked and mats left to dry. Would take mats out and wash every couple of months (weekly for the really mucky one) and fields cleared weekly/water trough scrubbed weekly. Didnt wash haynets though!

Now I am on livery so at the mercy of the grooms. They dont wash buckets (I do mine when I go up) and they do not muck out to my standards (I do a full muck out every time I go up). The reason I am there is that they get AYTO. The facilities are a bit rubbish, but I would prefer they were out (and so do they).

Rugs get changed and washed when needed/at least once a year. Turnout boots washed every day in theory but in reality only when I go to the yard.

If you have all day and nothing else to do, then it is perfectly well scrubbing everything. But if you work/are on livery then you are constrained and do most that you can live with.

I will spend more time making sure the bed is clean, than sweeping it back into a perfect line and making ridiculous little banks out of shavings which dont serve any purpose in my stables. The groom on the other hand seems to be obsessed with banks and doesnt seem to mind that the bed is filthy.
 
Like most people, I'm probably in between. My horses live out 24/7, so stable hygiene isn't really an issue.
I clean my tack when it's dirty (but I wash bits every time they're worn).
I scrub feed buckets out occasionally but my horses do a pretty good job of keeping them clean!
I never wash haynets.
I occasionally wash grooming kit, headcollars.
I poo-pick daily in the summer when they're on restricted grazing. Occasionally in the winter to tidy up round the hayfeeder etc.
My rugs are professionally cleaned and reproofed every spring.
I am fanatical about washing numnahs and girths every couple of outings.
I sweep the yard if it needs it.
I springclean the tack/feedroom every six months.
I sort through and update my veterinary kit every six months.
When I was on livery the tidiest, cleanest yard was also the least pleasant to be on....
 
Hygienist! Although I'm the only one on the yard and it drives me mad!
Horse is groomed thoroughly everyday(she is clipped which makes it easier)
Buckets - feed and water scrubbed daily.
Tack is cleaned once or twice a week - saddle maybe not as often as its a wintec and only requires a wipe every now and again!
Numnahs are washed after a couple of outings and girth (leather) is wiped over after every use. Bits are cleaned after every use too.
Rugs professionally washed, repaired and reproofed every spring too.
I am the only one on the yard who even knows what a broom is - I swear the mess they leave outside their boxes and around the muck trailer is a disgrace, shame the YO doesn't care! So I have to sweep otherwise I would stew over it all day.
I'm also OCD about her bed and bits in it, and it has to have the banks all the same size and the bed must be flat!
I know a couple of people who don't groom their horses at all in winter, fine by them I couldn't do it myself! and another who feet are only picked out when the farrier comes!
One day I will have a house with land and I won't have to put up with them or my ultimate dream my own livery yard where I can set the rules! Off to dream about the latter now!
 
Hay soaker cleaned weekly.
Horses groomed at least once, twice if being ridden.
Buckets scrubbed weekly, rinsed out after each feed.
tack rarely cleaned!!
Bits cleaned after every use
horse boots brushed free of mud/school after every use
Muck heap perfectly squared off and swept daily'
Yard around stables swept twice daily

So I think I'm a bit of both.
 
It depends on which of mine we're referring to...
My TB Jesper is spoilt. When on DIY he had a pristine stable (everybody laughed at me), his buckets were scrubbed daily, yard swept (and then bits collected with a dustpan and brush - well at least until he ate it!), fields poo picked twice a week, tack cleaned once a week, horse groomed daily... however now I work the yard do a great job. His bed is still immaculate, I groom when I ride or should that be Mum grooms! Tack is cleaned fortnightly.
My pony on the other hand... lives in an field that is never poo picked, gets groomed once a month or so by (Mum), more often if it's not raining... She lives like a retired pony should and is practically feral!
 
put it this way, my mum (who is constantly cleans our house) has just accused me of being to clean witht the horses :S and that my stables are cleaner than my bedroom
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But thats just the way i like to do things!
-i rinse out the inside of feed bucket after use and i brush the grimey bit at the bottom of water buckets daily as my horse is messy !
-stables cleaned daily, lightly disinfected at teh weekend (horse has COPD so thats my excuse)
-troughs cleaned weekly in summer- monthly in winter
-tack cleaned atleast once a week - twice if i hunt and it gets caked in mud
- boots , numnahs smaller rugs and anything that fits in teh washing machine goes in !
-horses groomed (alot :S) before riding about 4 times a week
and feet picked out mostly every day
-feild poo picked daily :S

ooooo haynets washed ? thats a new one i havnt done that yet ! but then hay is soaked so its rinsed off anyway
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so can safely say im obsessed
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but im happy and i dont mind admitting that i quite enjoy mucking out :O

p.s. feel free to call me weird, strange, obsessed, OCD tendencies ? well yes!

x

o wait and i wash out my grooming brushes each tiem i use them... it only takes a few seconds :S
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90% horsey hygienist but I def don't wash haynets! Yes I thoroughly muck out and wash and dry horses legs (v muddy fields), 5-10 min groom most days as we do showing. Like to sweep my yard and keep my alloted area clean and tidy as its safer and easier to keep on top of. Tack gets cleaned once every 2-3 weeks unless its got wet or we're off to a show or dressage; grooming kit washed twice a year; rugs once or twice a year and bandages and boots regularly.
 
Horse is always spotless - groomed every day, even if it's just a flick with a dandy brush and rugs chucked back on. Gives me an opportunity to check for cuts and scrapes and let a bit of air get to the skin, it's a long winter to have rugs on for. Bodybrushed thoroughly before every ride, tail combed out, mane laid down with a water brush and muzzle/eyes/nose/dock wiped with a damp sponge. I don't always put Effol on her hooves now before a ride but I always used to!

All rugs are washed in spring - turnouts get sent away to a local company and come back repaired and reproofed ready to be stored over summer, stable rugs I wash myself and fold and pack away.

Bridle is cleaned once a week or after a ride if she's sweated a lot or it's rained heavily. Saddle gets done properly once a month if it's lucky, wiped over in between.

Stable is fully mucked out and swept out morning and evening in winter. I like to leave the bed up in day to let the floor dry ad air. Mats get taken up, cleaned and disinfected after winter and laid up for spring. Buckets get hosed out as and when.

Field is poo picked as and when.
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I do wash my grooming kit quite often in the summer (can't clean a horse with a dirty brush!) but it's hard to find the time to dry things in winter so stuff has to make do then. My summer standards are definitely higher!
 
Tack gets cleaned when I'm competing, which means around twice a month or thereabouts. Bits are washed after use.

I like clean saddlecloths (more comfortable for the horse) and change them when they get sweaty or once a week if not sweaty. Ditto with bandages.

water buckets are cleaned out every day and water changed twice a day - stale water is nasty full stop. Feed buckets are cleaned every day.

Have never cleaned a haynet????!!! rarely disinfect a stable, only when medically required.

Heavy rugs get done once a year in summer. Fleeces etc get washed as needed, quite regularly necessary.
 
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