Prepping Barn for Winter

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

Prepping Barn for Winter

Jane at Equestrian Collections · Foal

This is a GREAT list! I would add...
Organize blankets, blanket racks so they ready and available for the winter.
If you don't have one, I highly recommend a good horse vacuum for winter grooming.
Clean out the wash stall one last time.
If you use them, get the bucket heaters out and ready to go. I always kept a bucket of water in the wash stall (dumped every night and filled in the morning) that I would heat with a bucket heater. Great for grooming, tack cleaning, etc on those cold winter days.

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

Jane, I love the idea of a horse vacuum! And great idea re: having a bucket of hot water on hand for grooming etc.

Western Cowgirl · Foal

I agree Jane 100%. My Gelding looks like a woolly mammoth in the winter, and he's so difficult to keep clean. I don't know what you're using, but I couldn't live without my EquineVac (it's absolutely the best). As for the hot water, my dear hubby installed a small electric water heater near the wash rack (what a sweety he is). At first I thought it wasn't a good idea being exposed outside to rain, snow, etc but as long as I brush off the snow and keep it clean from dirt and dust in the summer, it works just fine. Thanks for the great 'Check List' Nikki.

justice · Grand Prix

Definitely should be a "!" post, Nikki!

My barn is pretty much just 6 stalls, 7 horses, an aisle and a hay loft so my actual barn prep is pretty minimal. Disclaimer: I am not a hoarder: The horse that got put out of the 10/12 stall was relegated to the 12/42 aisle 10 years ago. She is the Sacred and Divine Alpha and gets to touch ALL of her herd at will even when they are all in. EVERYbody's happy campin'. She suffers in what way?

For me, it's more the working yard stuff that I winterize about. I pull all my jumps in for repaint/repair, seed a field, relocate the snowblower, set up the plow for ease of connect, put my de-icers in my watertanks, check and reset gates and corner posts if needed, resurface my stall floors if needed, put up a BIG load of hay so the hay dude doesn't have to get stuck in the mud or on the ice or freeze to death til spring, TRY to keep my muddy areas raked out so the horses don't get so sore, maybe turn some Mg-C into the ring to keep it going thru the winter, hook up my air compresser to the water line, service the road vehicles.