One of the things I have noticed since coming back into horses is how out of touch I am with certain elements. Sure I know the emphasis in show jumping is now more technical and about seeing a stride. You no longer just ride your horse; you school your horse trying to achieve self-carriage and four good paces.  These I managed to pick up as I watched from the side-lines.

What I missed though was the stable management side of things; rugging for one (which I think could be a whole other post tbh) but my gripe of today is going to be mucking out… this is one thing I did manage to avoid over my years of being horseless, to my peril. Oh how it’s changed.

I remember a time as a wee girl being sent in to muck out the biggest messiest horses on the block, me and my cousin would go in armed with a two prong pitch fork and a wheelbarrow. A few hours later we would come out victorious but stinky. And god forbid if we were to take out any clean straw accident or not.  When I think of how cheap straw was back then, but still the yard owner was scrupulous that we didn’t waste any.

We would even hear stories of how some people use to leave the wet straw out to dry so they could re-use it. And when it came to clearing out the deep littered ones. We were lucky if they would put the tractor nearby so we could just empty straight into there. I’m talking a foot deep here at least.

So with my nice new shiny horse I wasn’t expecting the next four years. to be one mine field after another and especially not to have mucking out an issue, But still it is. Initially he was on straw but because he kept eating it. And the yard we were on didn’t want shavings; we tried rubber mats and wood pellets. This was hard work and was never a satisfying bed.

I know on the packet it says it is easy to manage but for me I just never liked the constant damp feeling and it would quickly turn to a stinky mess. Which I would then clear out and start afresh only for the same to happen a few weeks later.

We then changed yards where the horses had the biggest thickest shavings bed you had ever seen, and it was golden. Clean fresh smelling –ok sure they skipped out at least 5x a day- but still so much nicer. Cost has always been a bit of an issue for me seeing as its hubby’s money I do try to keep day to day spending down (so I have more for places like your horse live).

Two bales of shavings a week seemed excessive to me. I did manage to get it down to one a week with some weeks not needing any. Sometimes I would let it run down completely to start a fresh, a bit like fresh covers on the duvet. Generally speaking though as long as I skipped out regularly the bed would stay pretty clean, and easy to muck out, At the time I didn’t appreciate this.

Since we have moved I wasn’t sure what bedding to use and seeing as I had literally just sold my rubber mats, I went onto straw. I confirmed this choice when a neighbour put me in touch with a farmer who will happily take my muck heap for a very small fee. When I asked about shavings he wasn’t so keen, so straw it is.

Straw has a few downsides to it though… One he eats it, Two it doesn’t always soak the wet up, and Three mucking out can be an ordeal.

One: he eats it… there are different types of straw usually the barley and oat straw is tastiest for horses, with the wheat straw being less palatable (we currently have wheat straw)

Two: it doesn’t always soak up; the downside of wheat straw is it isn’t as absorbent as barley and oat. (see above)

Three: mucking out can be an ordeal, straw is choppier nowadays I often comment I wouldn’t be able to muck out with a two pronged fork any more.

What I do use and find myself surprised that I am still using it, is my trusted speedskip. I have to say this is probably one of the best pieces of equipment I have bought and have certainly got my money’s worth out of it. I use it every day in both stables to skip out.

Just recently with the change to damp cold weather leaving the bed up isn’t such an easy option especially seeing as the evening routine is a lot shorter now I just want to get back in doors. So I have thought recently along the lines of deep littering (semi deep littering) at first this didn’t appear to work. But I put it down to my fickleness of taking out too much.

Plus I don’t like the thought of there being dirty bedding in his stable, I’m not as obsessive as some but still it does bug me. Nas likes to bury his droppings and often digs the wet up into a big clump in the middle of his stable. After realising I was using so much straw though I have persevered and am hopefully on the right track.

I know take out the droppings daily and the wettest patches. Which I then fill and level with drier bedding. He then gets a sprinkle of fresh straw all over and in the banks. I know they recommend once a week lifting the whole bed. But I am finding that just takes me back to the beginning of the process, where he digs it all up and looks a state. So I am going to give it a little longer before digging it out and rebuilding.

mucking out is one of those strangely satisfying chores, when done right you get a sense of achievement. when done in a rush or not quite to your usual standards you get this feeling following you all day that something isn’t quite right.

Hopefully now I have come to a satisfactory point I can relax and enjoy the winter months looking at my christmassy horse (Nas looks good in red) knowing he has the best warm, cosy, snuggy bed I can give him.