When you own a horse, there’s some basic equipment you need to have around. Most of this is designed to keep your horse’s stable clean, tidy and safe. You’ll also need containers for food and water. This article looks at some of the essential equipment required to keep your horse’s stable clean and tidy, and the basic feeding equipment you’ll need.
Stable Equipment
In terms of maintaining your horse’s stable, you’ll need:
- A Wheelbarrow – With endless uses around the stable and yard, but perfect for mucking out and transporting stuff (make sure you get a reasonably big one!).
- A Metal Fork – For mucking out and fluffing up bedding. If you use shavings, make sure you get a shavings fork as they’re specifically designed for this job.
- A Stable Broom – Essential for tidying and cleaning. You’ll also need a scrubbing brush for thorough stable cleans.
- A Rake – For cleaning out stables, metal ones are more resilient than plastic ones.
- A Shovel – Again for mucking out, sometimes a fork alone is not enough!
- Buckets – Like wheelbarrows, these have many uses. For example transporting water, bathing wounds, and carrying things like grooming kit.
- Disinfectant – It is essential to maintain a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness in the stable for the health of both horses and humans. Specialist cleaning detergents and disinfectants that have been developed for this purpose are widely available.
- Hooks, Rug Rails, Racks and Saddle Racks – With all the equipment required to care for a horse, it’s sensible to have storage in place to ensure everything stays tidy.
Feeding Equipment
- Water and Feed Buckets/Troughs – These can be pretty much any buckets, barrels or tubs. If they’re to be left in the stable, plastic or rubber flexible tubs are ideal as they are soft and won’t break if knocked over or trampled on. You’ll probably need at least two for water and two for food.
- Hay Nets and Haylage Nets – Available in a range of sizes, these can be hung up in your horse’s stable, so they can help themselves as and when they fancy. Haylage nets have smaller holes than hay nets, to encourage your horse to feed at a slower pace.
- Feed Scoops & Stirrers – For measuring, mixing and serving up feeds, these are really handy to have around.
This article covers the basics of what is required in terms of stable equipment. As with all horse equipment, it’s always a good idea to speak to horse owners to get their views on what they use, and what they’d recommend. Good stable management is essential for both your horse’s and your own health and safety, and having the right tools for the job will definitely help with that.