Is it possible to have cleaner stalls and shelters using less bedding?
Yes! This handy method saves time and money too!
Yes, this magical method really does exist. An easy rotational bedding method is the trick to achieving such stall satisfaction.
Most people know that bedding gets pricey very quickly and it’s easy to waste a ton of it if you don’t have a great cleaning method.
It’s tempting to want to take out the dirty areas of a stall or shelter then put new bedding directly in those empty spots, freshen up these stinky areas right? Wrong! The problem with that method is that horses are habitual so they are very likely to do their business in the same spot, which will be on that brand new bedding leaving you to have to take it out the next time you clean. Meanwhile, other bedding (especially in the corners) ends up never getting taken out because it’s not in one of the prime potty spots-this bedding often breaks down exposing your horse to dust and mold which is super bad for their airways.
Follow this easy bedding rotation method in your shelters and stalls and you will find that your horses actually become tidier in their bathroom habits and cleaning becomes faster, easier, and cheaper. And if all those benefits weren’t enough your stalls will also be less dusty because throughout the rotation the oldest bedding will be getting replaced more often.
You can check out my video of the method in action cleaning a stall from a horse that does her business on one side or zip down to the full step-by-step tutorial from a gelding that tends to go in the middle.
The Optimal Way To Clean Stalls
Things you will need…
Muck bucket on wheels– or whatever type of bin, spreader, or wheelbarrow you normally put poop in
Manure fork
Scoop shovel
Outdoor broom
Odor Neutralizer
Step one
Pick out all the big piles of apples and put them in your muck bucket etc
Note: using a side to side sifting motion while picking instead of bouncing the apples up and down on the fork allows you to sort the bedding from the apples without having a bunch of little poo crumbles fall through the tines
Step two
Use the broom to sweep the bedding away from the edges of the wet spots, then sweep the wet areas into piles
Step three
Scoop all the wet bedding with the shovel into your muck bucket
Step four
Apply odor neutralizer to areas that were wet to help neutralize the ammonia (not only is ammonia stinky, it’s also bad for your horses to be breathing in so its worth it to take this extra step). After trying a wide variety of odor control products I have found this odor eliminator to be very affective, affordable, and not leave a bunch of weird artificial scent behind.
Step five
Sift through any bedding that has poop stragglers left in it directly over the area that you know the horse is likely to go to the bathroom on next – the idea here is that the mildly dirty bedding does not need to be disregarded as replacing all of it daily can get very pricey, instead rotating it to a spot where it will likely be soiled and taken out the next day is better option for your wallet while still ensuring that your horse has plenty of clean bedding.
Step six
Sweep all rest of the mildly dirty bedding to the favorite potty spots where it will likely be soiled next, then sweep all cleanest bedding to areas that previously had mildly dirty bedding in them and add new bedding to this newly cleared space.
At first this might seem like a lot to do especially if you are trying to fix a bedding disaster created by not rotating, but once you start cleaning this way on a regular basis you will find that it actually saves time because it makes horses become neater in their bathroom habits and overall their stalls and shelters stay much cleaner. No more dusty, creepy corners with bedding that has been there longer than your horse has-woohoo!
Insightfully,
Becky
Horses are naturally prey animals, which means they can be unsettled by uneven footing in your arena. As they continue to train on ranging ground levels and inconsistent ground compaction, they have the tendency to tense up and lose confidence in their practice session
My husband is planning to have a shelter built for his newly bought horses. Well, thank you for sharing these cleaning tips; we’ll make sure to use the broom in terms of sweeping the bedding away. Thank you for also sharing here that an order neutralizer is needed to help counterbalance the smell of ammonia.
Thanks for this! What dilution do you use for the deodorizer?
I’ve found a 1:5 dilution rate works well.
I have paired my 12 miniature donkeys in each stall area for the winter ❄️
The upside is they mostly do their toileting in same areas…. some go rogue with their apples but most always urinate in same area so video was very informative !!!
12 miniature donkeys! Your place sounds like a blast! Glad the video was helpful, thanks for tuning in 🙂
what kind of shavings do u use…..
We’ve had the best experience with Marth brand bedding, it’s very consistent, clean/not dusty, and comparable in price to other brands.
Great video!
Please share What type of bedding was used?
And what type of mats do you use or is it straight concrete?
It almost looks like sand is used as bedding please share.
The bedding is easy pick pine shavings and the stalls are lined with stall skins. I wrote an entire post about them if you want to find out more about how they work. https://www.insightfulequine.com/stall-skins-geotextile-liners-review/
Where did you get the wheels for the muck bucket? That is a great idea!
These are the muck bucket wheels we’ve been using daily for 8 years and they’re still going strong.
What kind of liquid odor eliminator do you use?
Hi Lalena, I actually wrote another post all about odor eliminators- http://www.insightfulequine.com/product-review-barn-odor-eliminators/
It dives into all the different types of odor eliminators that I’ve used and which ones work well for each particular situation. Hope it helps you pick the best option for your barn. Becky
What type of flooring or mats are under the shavings. Looks like that might be important.
Hello Jane, thanks for the question. The stalls in the video use Stall Skins mats but I have used this method with rubber mats and compacted dirt/pit stalls as well. You can check out more info on Stall Skins in this post http://www.insightfulequine.com/stall-skins-geotextile-liners-review/
Very descriptive article, I loved that a lot. Will there be a part 2?
Thanks for checking out my post, Gigi. I’m so happy to hear you liked it. The plan is to put together a video to go along with this method but I need to get better footage (the angle is tricky with shooting inside a stall). I’m hoping to have it finished shortly, stay tuned 🙂
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Hey thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
Definitely a method with merit! I worked at a barn with straight stalls about 40 years ago. We’d shovel out the middle where it was wet and dirty, knock the cleaner shavings from the sides into the middle, then put the freshest shavings on the sides where they stood. Great tip!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Tried and true, love it!
Would you consider illustrating this stall cleaning method with a video? Would be most helpful!
Thanks for checking out the post. We’ve got a video in the works, just have to finish editing it…stay tuned 🙂