How to disinfect a horse stall

by horselover2

 

Keeping a barn clean and healthy is a challenge. When one horse gets a cold it’s not long before the rest of the horses in the barn get sick too. To reduce the chances of other horses getting sick, completely disinfect the stall before putting another horse in it.

1.  Remove all bedding and strip the stall. Don’t put contaminated bedding in the manure pile or the spreader. Piles of bedding and manure are a breeding ground for bacteria.  

2.  Take all removable objects such as stall mats, water and feed buckets out of the stall and place them in a wash stall.  Use a mixture of hot water and dish detergent, scrub the buckets with a stiff bristled brush. Rinse thoroughly, and then scrub again with a solution of 1 part laundry-type chlorine bleach to 10 parts water. Allow buckets to air-dry without rinsing. Scrub a third time with hot water and dish detergent. Rinse thoroughly to remove any bleach or detergent residue. Clean stall mats the same way, and hang them up somewhere off the barn floor to dry out before putting them back in the stall.

3.  Sweep all cobwebs, dust, hay, etc., from the stall floor, walls, ledges and door with a broom and rag and carefully dispose of them. Make sure to wear a dust mask while you’re dusting. Dispose of the rags and wash the broom thoroughly with the same chlorine bleach solution when finished. Rags can catch on fire in the dryer or pass on diseases to other horses.

 4.  Wash the stall walls and other solid surfaces with a pressure washer or garden hose, a stiff scrub brush, and dishwashing detergent.

 5.  Next, mix Lysol Disinfectant Concentrate, roughly 2 q/2 tablespoons per gallon of water, in a garden-type spray tank. Put on protective clothing, including long sleeves, long pants, gloves, goggles and head gear before you enter the stall. Spray a soaking mist of disinfectant onto all surfaces and let it air-dry. Repeat as needed.

 Return the rubber mats, water and feed buckets to the horse’s stall. Bed the stall with clean straw, shavings or other bedding. Let the stall air out a day or so before putting a horse back in the stall.

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