We all know what it's like being on stall rest, and since most of us are currently on the human equivalent of stall rest due to COVID19. We wanted to let you know we are all in this together & we have some ideas on how to keep everyone occupied while we wait for this to pass. Today's post will focus on Spring cleaning type activities for the barn.
Mane pulling - it's been a long winter, time to tidy up those manes that have a few too many dread locks & fairy braids embedded in those beautiful locks.
Whisker trimming - if your discipline prefers tidy whiskers, now is a great time to cut those bridle paths & tidy up those wild man whiskers.
Braid over unkempt manes - if your horse prefers the mohawk look, or simply flipping his mane to the off side, training his mane over to the right side is a simple task with some loose braids and rubber bands. Leave in for a few days and repeat as needed to train that mane over.
Learning to braid for shows take's lots of practice, and there is no better time than the present! By the time we are able to start getting back out, you'll be a pro.
Cob web the barn or horse trailer. - This is the perfect time to rid the barn of cobwebs & take care of any flying pest nests. Don't forget to web behind feed buckets in the corner!
Scrub water buckets, just because you dump water every day doesn't mean there isn't a slimy build up on those bad boys. Grab an old stiff brush and get to it!
Wash all the dirty horse laundry you've been putting off. All those wraps, quilts & saddle pads are begging for a bath & to be folded up.
Roll up all those stray wraps in the tack room. Come on, you know it's easier to use them when they're already rolled and ready to go.
Tidy up the tack room. Now that the wraps are rolled & laundry is done, sweeping out and tidying up should be pretty easy! Don't forget to pitch all those random bottles that are empty or just about.
When was the last time you cleaned your brushes? Yeah that nasty grimy curry comb and those brushes? Grab a big pail fill it with warm water and some gentle soap and let them SOAK for a while.
While those brushes soak, clean & deep condition your tack. Don't be lazy, take your bridle apart and give it a good scrub with saddle soap and conditioner. Same for your saddle, take your irons off and give everything a good scrub. When you're done wipe it all down with a soft cloth and give it a good coat of conditioner.
When was the last time you cleaned your paddock boots and half chaps? Give them some love with the saddle soap and conditioner while you're at it!
How long has it been since you cleaned out the drain in the wash rack? EWW.... go find some gloves and pull up the lid, dig out the drain trap and clean it off. Might as well check the run off pipe as well to make sure it's not clogged up with shedding hair.
Have you scrubbed out your water troughs recently? If not, lord knows what's living in there. Flip it and give it a good scrub, maybe add a capful of bleach if your trough is 50 gallons or more to kill off anything you might have missed.
Last but not least, sweep out the barn aisle & tidy up all the barn tools. Now is a great time to reorganize and tidy up the barn chore tool corner.
