# Cleaning stables?



## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Ok I have a question about what a clean stall should look like? I feel like it is a bit of a stupid question but I have heard a few different ways to do it, so I'm not sure if people do it differently or if there is a certain way it is supposed to be done. 

Until last year I had never cleaned a stall but nearly everyone at work has a different idea as to how it should be done. Some say completely dig wet patches out, others say dig them up and if not too bad chuck around the edge near the wall, or even spread it evenly over the whole stall floor. 

Also some people dig a trench all the way around the stall either right down to the conrete or just so it isn't as deep as the sawdust in the centre. Others only dig it away from the doorways. Then other people make sure it is all level. 

I get so confused I just use different bits and pieces to make the stall as clean as possible. Thanks for any help.


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## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

The important thing is to muck out all the poop piles and urine; also to clean water buckets. Everything else is just personal preference.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

When using straw, there is an element of economics involved. We'd love to be able to throw out all the bedding and add fresh but that quickly takes it toll on the wallet. With straw remove the manure and the wettest straw. Bank the remaining straw up against the stall walls, fluffing it with the fork. By fluff, I mean toss it about waist height and let it fall. Lots of fluffing. This allows it to dry. This is the straw you will later pull back into the center of the stall in a big circle, staying about a two feet in from the stall walls. Fluff it up. Take your new straw, maybe one or two flakes of straw, shake them out just inside the door then cover the other straw with it, again fluffing. You'll know you've done a good job when it looks good enough to flop in. Don't worry about not bedding the edges. As the horse moves around he'll push it there. Another reason all the old straw is fluffed up against the walls is to allow the floor to dry.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

First I turn the horses out in their paddocks for the day. I like to use pelleted bedding that breaks down into sawdust. I figure out where each horses favorite pee spot is and dig down to the rubber matting, pulling all the wet wet bedding out. Once I get to the outside edges of the pee spot, I may scatter the damp sawdust over the top to dry, while I pull all the manure out. I toss all the dry stuff into the middle of the stall and let the horse push it around how he wants it. Then I take the water buckets out, dump and rinse (washing with soap once a week if the horse isn't a messy Marvin) and then refill. Lay out dinner and I'm done for the day. 

My favorite stall cleaning tool is a ShakeNFork, cuts my time to about 7 mins per stall. LOVE that thing!


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

We use shavings over matted concrete stalls and each stall is done differently. 

I remove all manure and about 95% of the wet spot. From there it's dependent on the individual horse. The TB gets a decent layer of shavings spread evenly. If she has a pile, she promptly pees on it, rolls around, then poops on it and proceeds to roll around in it again! UGH.. even layer and she acts like a normal horse other than she poops all over the place.

My gelding, I make two piles of shavings. One giant one in the middle for him to roll around and sleep in and a tiny one off to the right for him to pee on. No shavings in the back corner where he poops. His shavings last forever and ever as he is a neat freak.

Pony gets an even layer except the back 1 foot of his stall I keep bare as that's where he poops and he HATES pooping on shavings. If he has to poop on shavings, he makes me one horrific mess by pooping everywhere.

I strip a mare's stall daily as she's a stall walker and her stall is beyond disgusting despite her only being in it 8 or fewer hours AND having a run. 

Ancient gelding's stall I never clean... he will NOT poop or pee in his stall. He uses the back couple feet of his run and the BO scrapes that out with a tractor every now and then. 

The rest I rake the unused shavings to the middle... they like to roll around and distribute them nightly.


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