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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

Manure Mover: A Very Important Job

12/27/2011

 
Technically this post should fall under my newest series of posts, California Barn Life, but it's not actually specific to California.  Everyone cleans poop.  Or, at least I think they do.  Maybe we do it differently here in California.  Our ridiculously dry weather (in the central valley anyway) removes any excuses like, it's too muddy to push the wheelbarrow.  Or, my favorite one, I can't even find the poop in this mud!  Yeah, since we don't have those excuses, it tends to get picked up.

I mentioned yesterday that I was assuming some of the barn chores for a few days.  I'll admit it, I have gained a whole new level of respect for RM's daily efforts.  Don't get me wrong.  I have cleaned a lot of stalls in my time.  It's not a very technical job, and most anyone can do it, but even so, RM has jumped quite a few notches up the impress me ladder.  She does it every day!  And she works full time.

Cleaning ones own stalls is easy, especially when there are only two that someone else cleans in the morning. Have I mentioned that I clean my own stalls each afternoon?  I do. I clean whatever has accumulate since the morning clean-up which is usually not much.  Well whoop-de-doo!  Try doing four horses day after day!  

Yep.  Here we are on day two of four stalls a day and I am already complaining.  Or, whining, which is a much better description.  My fingers are sore, my abs hurt, my shoulder is stiff.  One more day.  How does RM do it every single day?  My helmet is off to her.

We have four geldings in our barn, and each of them has a different style of living.  I can't decided who makes the biggest mess: Bounder, Bailey, Speedy G, or Sydney.
Bounder, RM's horse, likes to go inside, and he's not very careful about where.  And once it's there, he shuffles it around so it's everywhere and then buried, too.  Not the easiest stall to clean.
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Poop cleaned already, but Bounder likes to go against the wall and then shuffle it around.
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And if it's outside, it's in the farthest corner it can be!
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Bailey's distant piles.
Bailey, the other boarded horse, likes to go outside, but he chooses to go as far outside as possible.  And he doesn't like the piles to touch.  It's like playing connect the dots when cleaning his stall.

In some ways, Speedy's stall is actually the easiest to clean.  He goes outside along the fence line, and if you don't get to it quickly, it's pulverized into tiny pieces that can't be picked up.  Darn!  

What makes Speedy's stall difficult to clean is Speedy himself, and the two pits that he has carved at either end of his run.  I refill the pits, but each day he digs them back out making pushing the wheelbarrow a bit like trying to cross the Grand Canyon.  Speedy makes the job difficult because he won't get out of the way.  He thinks he's helping, but he's not.  He grabs the handle of the cart.  He stands in the exact spot that you're trying to clean, even if just moments ago you were trying to clean a different spot.  And if you inadvertently bump him with the handle of the pitchfork because he's standing on top of you, he acts as though you've aimed at him from some great distance before hurtling a spear at him!  Move it, buddy!
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Pit 1 is to the left, Pit 2 is in the corner behind Speedy.
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Yes, right THERE is where I need to clean!
Sydney's stall is probably the hardest to clean.  He likes to do it all: inside piles scattered and buried in the bedding as well as distant piles left in random order. 
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Poop scattered and buried inside.
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Distant piles farther and farther away.
Who is your designated poop cleaner?  Is it you, or do you have a stall cleaner?  Hubby asked if everyone cleans poop.  He's trying to figure out why it needs to be done every single day, including Christmas day.  I know many people in my area just leave it to dry and allow it to (eventually) find its way back into the sandy soil, but I find that a bit distasteful.  And even though I am joking about how hard it is to clean, I actually enjoy the process and know the horses enjoy a poop-free place to sleep at night.  So yep, stalls need to be cleaned every single day.  

Thankfully, RM feels exactly the same way!
Marbaskin's Mom
12/26/2011 11:46:33 pm

When my father is gone for summer vacation- this year it was 10 days- I am the designated feeder/cleaner for the 16 (yes, 16) horses he boards! Feeding and cleaning 2x a day, and rotate out to pasture! What is incredible is that my father makes it look sooo easy at age 72. And yes, it needs to be cleaned every day! Otherwise you also accumulate odor, flies, and other pests that love manure.

Karen
12/27/2011 07:36:47 am

Bossy's Mom - wow! That's a lot of poop. I am sure your dad whips right through the job while it takes you all day. What would we do without such great dads?

hammerhorses link
12/27/2011 01:08:16 am

My husband and I share stall cleaning duties. But, we make it easier on ourselves and turn out as much as possible (24/7 during the spring/summer/fall unless there is really bad weather)

My yearling is a PIG - he poops everywhere, stomps, smooshes and flings it around. I have no idea how he does it, but it looks like a little mini tonrado went through and I never see him do anything but stand at his stall door and look adorable.

The pony isn't TOO bad, the only thing I hate is that she has to pee every day in her stall right before being turned out, ugh!!!

Karen
12/27/2011 07:40:19 am

HammerHorses - I would prefer 24/7 turnout and have had it many times. It's just not feasible right now. We have a great arrangement right now, but it's one that requires poop removal! Turnout is such a healthy way for horses to live. Your ponies are lucky!

Peeing is a pet peeve of mine! It would be so much better if they'd all learn to go OUTSIDE, away from all food and water sources. And while they're at it, flushing would be nice, too. :0)

Val link
12/27/2011 11:44:56 pm

I have stall envy, because yours are so spacey and airy, but when it comes to cleaning I guess they are more work. Cleaning four of those large stalls would be similar to cleaning eight in our barn, since they are about half the size (although they would also have eight horses, so more poop). Harley is on 24/7 turnout, so his stall is usually clean, although his feed trough needs to be scrubbed pretty regularly. The turnouts are not cleaned daily. Weekly, maybe? And honestly, I wish they were cleaned more often, because it is not good for their feet, but that is a big job requiring the gator and manure spreader. Since they have more room in the turnout, the horses tend to go near the fence line. They do not like their hay area to be messy. When Harley and his buddy were in at night for a few weeks, they both destroyed their stalls each night. Putting them back out was mutually beneficial for horse and stall cleaner.

These days I rarely clean a stall, but during summer break from high school and college, I cleaned a barn of five several times a week, while working 40 hours at the produce farm. I never had a day off, but being at the barn was where I wanted to be and if cleaning stalls meant extra riding than I was all for it!

Karen
12/28/2011 07:08:28 am

Val - I would trade these nice stalls for 24/7 turnout that had a good run-in any day! These are lovely stalls, but a large pasture, with or without grass, would be awesome!

Even when I've had pasture, I still picked up the manure. I think it's healthier all around. It slows down the worms and flies, and makes the whole space cleaner! It's a lot of work though ...

martina peterson
12/28/2011 04:59:17 am

the closest I get to poop is cleaning the toilets. I hate that job and can't understand why Pete can't do his share. MORE than half is his and definately not mine! He would die of embarrassment if he knew I wrote this.

Karen
12/28/2011 07:09:20 am

Hehe! We won't tell him, but boys are messier, aren't they?!

AareneX link
12/31/2011 09:24:45 am

New reader here, visiting via Erin (Now That's a Trot) in New Jersey! I'm an endurance rider in summer, dressage wannabee in winter, and chief poop-scooper at our place every day, 365 a year.

Cleaning stalls at home is no big deal--20 minutes each morning, the horses are turned out to pasture all day. Hana (the arab) is tidy as a kitty, everything in one spot convenient to the stall door. Fiddle (the standardbred) is a piglet. Not as messy as she was when she was at a boarding stable, but still not tidy, sigh.

When the horses were boarded, I cleaned 13 stalls twice or three times per week to offset part of my board payment. That was two hours per session in good weather, and 3 hours in bad weather...here in the Swamplands, we have bad weather 9 months each year! I'm glad that part of my life is done. We clean during "too muddy" parts of the year, too--my place is designed to minimize mud, but of course we still have some. The boarding barn was NOT designed to minimize mud...oh, the stories I could tell...

My only non-cleaning days are those that follow a snap-freeze, when the manure is frozen solidly to the ground. Of course, the day that everything thaws, it's a huge job. I envy your weather!!!

AareneX link
12/31/2011 09:24:47 am

New reader here, visiting via Erin (Now That's a Trot) in New Jersey! I'm an endurance rider in summer, dressage wannabee in winter, and chief poop-scooper at our place every day, 365 a year.

Cleaning stalls at home is no big deal--20 minutes each morning, the horses are turned out to pasture all day. Hana (the arab) is tidy as a kitty, everything in one spot convenient to the stall door. Fiddle (the standardbred) is a piglet. Not as messy as she was when she was at a boarding stable, but still not tidy, sigh.

When the horses were boarded, I cleaned 13 stalls twice or three times per week to offset part of my board payment. That was two hours per session in good weather, and 3 hours in bad weather...here in the Swamplands, we have bad weather 9 months each year! I'm glad that part of my life is done. We clean during "too muddy" parts of the year, too--my place is designed to minimize mud, but of course we still have some. The boarding barn was NOT designed to minimize mud...oh, the stories I could tell...

My only non-cleaning days are those that follow a snap-freeze, when the manure is frozen solidly to the ground. Of course, the day that everything thaws, it's a huge job. I envy your weather!!!

AareneX link
12/31/2011 09:24:57 am

New reader here, visiting via Erin (Now That's a Trot) in New Jersey! I'm an endurance rider in summer, dressage wannabee in winter, and chief poop-scooper at our place every day, 365 a year.

Cleaning stalls at home is no big deal--20 minutes each morning, the horses are turned out to pasture all day. Hana (the arab) is tidy as a kitty, everything in one spot convenient to the stall door. Fiddle (the standardbred) is a piglet. Not as messy as she was when she was at a boarding stable, but still not tidy, sigh.

When the horses were boarded, I cleaned 13 stalls twice or three times per week to offset part of my board payment. That was two hours per session in good weather, and 3 hours in bad weather...here in the Swamplands, we have bad weather 9 months each year! I'm glad that part of my life is done. We clean during "too muddy" parts of the year, too--my place is designed to minimize mud, but of course we still have some. The boarding barn was NOT designed to minimize mud...oh, the stories I could tell...

My only non-cleaning days are those that follow a snap-freeze, when the manure is frozen solidly to the ground. Of course, the day that everything thaws, it's a huge job. I envy your weather!!!

Karen
12/31/2011 10:01:45 am

AareneX - your name is quite familiar to me as I've read many of your comments around the blogosphere. Thanks for stopping by. I also enjoy reading Now THAT'S a Trot!

We Californians lead a fairly cushy life. We like to complain, but our life is nothing like those who live in places with real weather: hurricanes, tornadoes, snow, freezes, and so on. I rode in a t-shirt today and was sweating. I actually gave Sydney a neck, shoulder, legs, belly bath, and he was dry in no time.

I love reading about horse keeping in lands far away, so please feel free to chime in and share at any time. I know Erin has picked up the theme and I hope others will continue doing so. My favorite reads are those about what others are doing in their own states and countries. If you're interested, check out Kelly at RideGroomFeed. She lives in New Zealand and shares some pretty interesting stuff!

And just as a BTW, I've added your blog to my blog roll. I look forward to hearing more about your own adventures: endurance and dressage!

Oh ... pirate ... Bwahahahaha!


Comments are closed.

    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
    ​Welcome to my dressage journey.
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    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
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    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
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