Winter is one of those seasons that can be so pretty to look at, but not very fun to have to work in. It seems like it takes longer to do your chores, plus there’s the factor of less daylight. But doing your best to be prepared for colder temperatures and unpredictable weather in the weeks leading up to Winter can help ease the pain a little.
Just as we did with a Summer Barn Checklist, here are some things you should do to get your barn ready for winter:
Barn
- Clean the Cobwebs: At the start of each season, it is a good time to do a full cleaning of the inside of your barn. Remove cobwebs from your stalls and on the walls, not only for aesthetics but for fire prevention.
- Electrical Check: Check all wiring for any damage caused by rodents. If you have the available time and funds, look at encasing your wiring with either metal or plastic conduit (BX cable may or may not be accepted by code). This will help prolong the wires and protect them from damage, plus help in fire prevention.
- Remove Fans: If your fans are removable, take them down, clean them up and store them for next year's warm season.
- Inspect the Roof: Carefully inspect the roof of your barn and make repairs as necessary. Check that rain gutters are clean, and any roof vents are clear.
- Inspect Building Exterior: Check that all doors and windows are flush when closed to prevent any unwanted drafts. Any holes should be covered to prevent potential injury or rodent infestation.
- Check Ventilation: Many horse owners keep their horses inside more during the winter and think that a tightly shut up barn is best, but it's not. Animals need adequate ventilation to maintain good health. Ensure vents are clear and open (if they're moveable, turn away from the north to prevent the frigid northern winds).
- Stock Up: Hopefully, you’ve stocked up on hay for the season, whether you use round bales outside or square bales inside. Invest in slow feeders to help extend the life of your hay and keep your horses munching throughout the day.
- Stall Floors: Your horses might be spending more time indoors, so make sure your stall floors are level and rubber mats are in good shape. Long periods of time on uneven surfaces can cause stress to joints, muscles, and ligaments over time.
- Windows: If you have removable windows, now is the time to install the windows to prevent large drafts. Glass windows should have grills on the inside to protect the horse from breaking them.
- Inspect your fire extinguisher and replace it if needed.
- Hang It Up: Do you have a dedicated place for your blankets to hang when not in use? Having blanket bars on stall doors allows you to have each horse's blanket readily available for caretakers. Or, have one location with a multiple blanket hanger.
- Prevent the Freeze: Remove all temperature-sensitive liquids and medications that you’ve kept at the barn. But, be sure to keep them readily available in your home or in an insulated area.
Animals
- Barn Cats: Make sure your barn cats have someplace warm to escape the frigid temps this winter. Provide them a soft bed or create a quiet area in your hay barn for them nestle in at night. You may consider supplementing their rodent diet to help keep them healthy.
- Hang the Salt: Winter is prime for colic due to horses not drinking as much. Sometimes icy cold water deters your horse from drinking, thus causing different health concerns. Ensuring your horse has access to fresh salt licks is vital for their health.
- Call the Vet: Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to review your horse health care program. This is also a good time to review your nutrition program to ensure your horses will thrive through the winter.
Pastures/Barn Yard
- Clear the Clutter: Clean up around the outside of your barn by removing any tall weeds surrounding the outer walls, prune back overhanging tree branches and remove any debris or items that might prevent easy movement for animals and equipment.
- Manage the Mud: Mud is inevitable in the winter, so do your best to limit how much is around the barn by taking necessary steps to improve water drainage near the barn entrances. (Look at using chipped wood, crushed rock or sand around the barn.)
- Fencing: Check your fencing for any damage that might have happened during the summer, or that you missed because of plant growth. Now that grass and weeds are dying, you'll see more issues in your fence than you did when everything was green.
Equipment/Tack
- Blanket Check: Have you performed our Blanket Checklist yet? If not, do so now, so you can see what shape your blankets are in and if you need to purchase new ones.
- Tack Storage: If your tack room is not insulated, you might want to move your leather tack into your home, or another climate-controlled area, to protect it from the elements. If your trailer is insulated, you might consider storing your tack there.
- Trailer Check: If you have a trailer with living quarters, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for winterizing. Store your trailer under an overhang (but not inside the horse barn) if you’re looking for extra protection for your investment.
Other Things to Remember
This is also a good time to practice your barn's evacuation plans for a barn fire, should that nightmare ever occur. Make sure that every person that may be in the barn knows what they should do to get the horses out quickly and safely while someone calls 911. If possible, ask your local fire department to make a trip over to inspect your barn and get to know your farm—this could save lives in the future.
Always have a backup plan for cold periods that cause frozen water lines and frozen barn doors. Having some extra bales of straw allows you to use for insulation and having large water jugs to allow you to fill water buckets from your home or another unfrozen location.
We never know what Mother Nature is going to throw at us during the winter, so doing your best to prepare your barn, farm and horses for the unknown will help make things easier to properly care for your horses.
