Cleaning stalls

[dianneS]

The pine pellet or the corn cob pellet bedding is the only stuff I use. I love it and think its wonderful. It really clumps well, like cat litter and is easy to removed the wet spots. It controls the odors really well too.

My TB mare makes much bigger messes than my mini horse, so I imagine with ponies it should work rather well. My mini doesn't even soak the bedding all the way to the rubber mats and all I have to do is scoop the surface clumps.

I only mist my pellets when I'm starting a stall with 5 or six bags from scratch. I add about one bag a week for my mare and I do not mist it. Its more absorbent that way. I only add bedding to my mini's stall one bag every few months or so.

I love the stuff and Tractor supply has sales around black friday for only $3.99 per bag. I really stock up for the winter!

 

[dianneS]

Oh my, you must, must, must have rubber mats down if you have concrete floors. You cannot have horses or ponies standing on concrete no matter how thick your bedding. Get rubber matting ASAP!

 

[miss_thenorth]

In my barn, I have the horse section converted to a run-in. In the summer, there are only the rubber mats in the "stall", unless it is really wet and muddy (like today). In the winter, we have used straw, and did the deep litter method, which worked well. Currently we get bulk shavings. $50 for a V-box load. We will be using that this winter. My horses, too, used to prefer to pee in the stall, and it never fails, as soon as fresh bedding is put in-they gotta pee. After leaving the stall empty with just stall mats in during the summer, they are not too inclined to pee in there anymore, cuz they don't like it splashing back at them.

 

[Warped]

In my barn, I have the horse section converted to a run-in. In the summer, there are only the rubber mats in the "stall", unless it is really wet and muddy (like today). In the winter, we have used straw, and did the deep litter method, which worked well. Currently we get bulk shavings. $50 for a V-box load. We will be using that this winter. My horses, too, used to prefer to pee in the stall, and it never fails, as soon as fresh bedding is put in-they gotta pee. After leaving the stall empty with just stall mats in during the summer, they are not too inclined to pee in there anymore, cuz they don't like it splashing back at them.

Thats what we've been doing. We have black mats down because it was such a pain cleaning the straw out. So we decided to just leave the mats down with no straw until it gets cool out. Seems to have helped alot. They don't seem to like to go in and pee on the black mats as much as they did when their was straw down.

 

[Dakotasgurl]

I use pine shavings/bedding for my two horses and love it. I have lime under that and I havn't really had a smell.....yet.

 

[LauraM]

I hate straw bedding, lol. Way to heavy and awkward and you can't *just* get the poop out......

I use pine shavings. I like them better than sawdust; less dust in the stalls.

 

[dianneS]

I hate straw bedding, lol. Way to heavy and awkward and you can't *just* get the poop out......

I use pine shavings. I like them better than sawdust; less dust in the stalls.

I hate straw too. I stick with the pelleted bedding, I love it. The pellets made from corn cobs are nice too, but they come in paper bags that tend to rip or fall apart if they get wet. It can get moldy through the paper bags as well, so I usually stick with the Equine Fresh pine pellets in the plastic bags, wonderful stuff!

My manure pile is significantly smaller than those who use straw bedding. The manure is "garden ready" quicker with shavings, sawdust or pellets too.

 

[ducks4you]

You know, I KNOW that's it's probably better to just use shavings, BUT, My horses look so warm and cozy when they bed down on a clean stall that's bedded with shavings on the bottom and straw on the top. We've had a 10-20 mph wind going for the past few days. I've been turning them out daily--don't worry, they have a big shelter off of the barn and the south pasture has full grown pine trees for a wind break--then to their stalls at night. It feels warmer on my feet, too, when I walk on the finished product.

BTW, since my last post, I've lost my old friends, and have my two new friends in stalls. EVERY horse keeps his stall different. "Moon Eyes" likes to poo/pee along the wall. After a day, she still has 2/3 of her stall dry and clean. "Cuppin' Cakes" messes on at least 1/2 of it, and every drop of water he drinks he uses to try to swamp the stall. Hope all of the uric acid grows me some good crops next year!

 

[mully]

I like straw because when it is time to change it I just remove all of it and put down some lime and re-straw. Quick clean and I can compost the manure and straw.

 

[ducks4you]

Winter is the BEST time of year to clean a stall!!!!
No flies.
No REAL (bad) smell.
Poop is mostly frozen.
Bedding seems Especially Fresh.
The Winter air is SSOOOO FRESH!!!
My dogs run and play with the horses before they come in from turnout. You feel like you're getting the same workout as them.
Yeah (sigh)...good times....good times...