Barn Hacks - Part 2 - Pro Equine Grooms

Barn Hacks – Part Two!

Glad you asked. This is PART DEUX of barn hacks, with many submissions from you guys. And some handy shopping links at the end to keep your barn running smoothly.

Use a different container to hold your very gooey and stain-y thrush medications. Ketchup bottles with the fine tip work really well. I have also used spray bottles from the home improvement store, but the pumps can clog a bit. You can also use a syringe, good for added control when you are applying messy and runny thrush medications.

Old ketchup bottle. Now thrush medication bottle.

Veggie baby foods are great mixers for gross-tasting medicines! Be sure that you pick a flavor that your horse will like, like carrot or apple, and stay away from broccoli and other veggies that are toxic to horses. Here’s a list of toxic treats here.

While you are shopping for baby stuff, pick up some baby wipes, too. These guys have a million uses, like cleaning slobber and green stains from your horse. I would be lying if said I don’t use them to tidy up before going out in public after the barn. For a more complete list, see this article here on the uses of baby wipes.

Use a stall freshener made from zeolites under your horse’s bedding. It’s super absorbent and eliminates all ammonia! This also makes your bedding last longer…. dollars saved. These zeolites are safer than ag lime and can be used in litter boxes or stinky helmets to eat “unsavory” odors away.

Bell boots that you pull on can test your arm muscles and your patience. Soak them in some hot water before you use them so they are more pliable! You can also get the velcro kind, but for horses that need to live in them, the pull-on varieties are often better.

Get these pliable by soaking in some hot water.

And more:

Use your favorite hoof dressing on the sole of your horse’s hooves to help dirt, mud, poop, snow, you name it, have a harder time sticking. It also makes cleaning your horse’s hooves easier. This may only work for a little bit, so it’s worth some experimentation.

The paper lining of your horse’s feed bags can be used as poultice paper! Then you can use the outer shell as a trash can liner. More on poultice here. You can also use feed bags to move flakes of hay around or to line the chicken coop.

If your horse loves to drag his bedding down the barn aisle, time to install some broom bristles into the door. You will probably need two, with one cut down a bit. But, a little labor to install makes up for infinite hours of sweeping saved. The brooms are better than a board across the stall threshold if your horse likes to whack his hooves around.

Use a few rubber braiding bands as bridle keepers until you can make it to the tack store to pick up some replacement keepers. Rubber bands are also helpful to hold back mane when you are trimming a bridle path.

Use the flat or fan setting on your hose nozzle to liquid squeegee the dirt from your horse. It may also be called the flat or angle setting. So satisfying when you are rinsing your horse! This is especially good for cleaning legs. You might even be able to skip the shampoo and just use a nozzle.

The fan or flat setting on nozzles is awesome!

If you want to try some new products to make your barn time easier, you can pick some up here! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, no extra charge to you. I thoroughly appreciate it! Order here: