Time is a precious commodity for the busy horse owner and mastering time management is key to building a successful business. Any shortcuts implemented in the completion of daily chores need to be ‘smartcuts’.
Woman in a dressy black hat observing horses in a green pasture at a horse facility.
As time passes and business progresses, t is a good idea to review the needs of the horse facility to see if there are ways to improve efficiency and safety.
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Here are a few techniques that horse barn owners can utilize to make best use of their time when running an equine facility.
Think Production Line
Tasks such as grain and hay feeding, tack cleaning and mucking out can be set up in production line fashion to save time. Here are some examples, and some are obvious but surprisingly often overlooked.
Organize the feed room with a wide table that has ample space to place grain buckets in a line and supplements or additives behind them. Label buckets with each horse’s name and if you have a long aisleway with 10-20 horses each side set them up in order of ‘go’ based on their location Label supplements by horse name if an individual only supplement or ‘all’ if the supplement is for everyone.
If you buy feed buckets with the lid option it will save accidents of spillage and allow stacking of feeders for distribution on a wheelbarrow or UTV. With the high price of grain and supplements it is always upsetting when the ‘apple cart’ becomes inadvertently upset.
If you use haynets or slow feeders consider buying extra and doubling or even tripling the number up. This allows you to prefill each haynet and have a ‘ready to go’ supply for those early mornings when you have to get to work or late evenings when you arrive home late. Ideally prefilling haynets will also allow an option for 2 people to set about it together which saves much time as one person can stuff the hay in while the other person holds the net.
If you use pasture feeders, opt for equine hay feeders that are easy to open and close and have good access for filling, clean out and are reachable to remove string/twine/netting. For safety be certain to buy a hay feeder specifically designed for horse use, not a cattle or regular livestock feeder. Here is a helpful article on how to make the right selection.
Barn design greatly influences efficiency and front stall walls with pull-out hay and grain feeders saves time stepping in and out of stalls and retrieving mangers. These features in a barn also offer a kid-friendly environment for extra help from smaller hands.
A tack cleaning production line for the semi-annual deep clean is an efficient way to manage care for expensive riding gear. Line up the wash/soap/oil/dry cloths etc. and disassemble each bridle or item before passing each piece along the line and finally reassemble. The daily wipe down at the end of every use for each piece of tack, particularly the bit, should be implemented to minimize the need for deep cleaning.
Investment in laundry machines at the barn is almost a necessity if you run a performance horse training facility or large lesson barn. Saddle pads should be washed daily (as should leg wraps), to prevent skin conditions occurring in the horse due to dirt and sweat accumulation on the equipment.
Having the right equipment on site to complete tasks saves time carrying and sorting stuff to the house. And that extends to having a bathroom in the barn. Repeat trips to and from the house by staff and visitors usually causes extra housework and costs time. A barn will likely have hot water for a horse bathing stall, so why not also extend that line to incorporating a shower in the barn bathroom as well as a washing machine and dryer.
Where You Site What Matters
Where the barn is sited in relation to pastures and turnout or training arenas makes a huge difference in how much to and fro will be needed to complete regular daily tasks. For example: An indoor arena built adjacent to the horse barn will alleviate the need for snow plowing between the two spaces in winter if the equestrian facility is located in colder climes.
Similarly consider where to site the supply of hay and bedding. While keeping flammable products out of the barn as much as possible can be a good idea, heavy supplies like dry forage and bedding stored far away from the barn or at a higher level such as in a loft space will require extra time to transport. Storing hay and bedding in a loft can also involve extra effort to store up high in the first place.
Drop down hatches above stalls can aid in reducing workload for hay distribution for barn owners that use loft storage. Consider purchasing an electric hay conveyor if your hay supplier doesn’t bring one to save time stocking hay in the loft, but be aware a hay conveyor is not useful for bales of bedding as the teeth on the belt designed to hook the hay will puncture paper or plastic bags of shavings etc.
The installation of automated drinking water supply systems for horses when they are stabled and when they are out at pasture will eliminate a lot of bucket carrying and tank-filling. Frost-free faucets set inside the barn rather than outside can also save the horse caregiver time and effort.
Even where you choose to stable specific horses can save time and effort. With a long aisleway or shedrow barn at a facility where mucking out is done with a muck bucket or wheelbarrow, consider putting the largest and messiest horse residents at the end of the barn where the distance required to travel the manure is less.
Auto-Fill Supply Cycles
While auto-fill services for feed supplies and horse supplements etc. can be useful for replenishing supplies be careful not to waste money by over-ordering. Not all companies notify you before refill and even if they do these reminders are easy to overlook in the glut of spam and email
An option to help manage supplies and the associated expenses is to operate an inventory system. See below in the notes on managing administrative tasks for more details.
Go Pony Club On It
For my fellow pony clubbers you probably remember that everything you took with you to attend a Pony Club event had to be clearly labelled with your name and that of your horse. If you attended boarding school it was the same story minus the horse tack and equipment. All your clothing had to have your name sewn in for laundry sorting. Tag. Tag. Tag. It was a lot of sewing as I recall. Poor Mom.
As a busy barn owner you probably spend an undue amount of time sorting through which blanket is which. And not just by horse’s name but also by blanket weight. When you are switching between a medium or heavy weight blanket due to temperamental weather changes it can be difficult to read washed out product labels that identify the fill.
In a large equestrian facility the quantity of not just blankets, sheets, coolers and saddle pads but also halter, bridles, boots, saddles etc. is massive. Much time can be saved by adding a tag or label to each item. If it is a multi-horse use item, such as bell boots, it can be helpful to organize them in baskets by size and pair them up after each use to save sorting through looking for that somehow always missing 2nd partner. Horse boots seem to have a similar propensity for disappearing as Tupperware lids and socks in the laundry.
Switching blankets and taking care of our human perceived horse needs when it comes to adding to the horse’s own winter coat and natural protection is always a topic up for a hearty discussion among horse owners. But if the horse is not clipped, not in heavy work and not truly at performance during winter months then going without can actually save much time.
If you opt for keeping a horse through cold winters with his own fluffy coat for warmth and not utilizing blankets it can save a lot of time (and money). With plenty of high quality hay available and some form of shelter from truly monsoon conditions or nor’easters horses are in general perfectly content.
For horse owners who live and work in warmer climates, the protection of the horse (and themselves) from bugs and hot summer sun rays makes headlines when it comes to time management. Frequent bathing of horses being bad for their skin and coats and the annoyance and associated medical issues that can occur with flying biting insects and the like offer a different set of time management challenges.
In this case time management extends to riding or training during the cooler early morning hours of the day and figuring out airflow and methods to cool the horses or keep them comfortable during humid and/or hot conditions.
The marketplace is full of cooling products including sheets and leg wear for the equid, as well as fly sprays and protective potions for the horse to alleviate discomfort. Horses do get used to their climate and conditions but again shelter from the sun and a stress-free space for the horse to relax during his downtime is essential. As most horse owners can already attest, horses use run-in sheds more in summer than in winter.
Horse owners can offer a communal equine shelter with multiple sides to shelter from the sun at all times of day. This communal living can cut down a significant amount of individual stall time needed and save time (and expense) with needs for mucking out chores though the paddocks will still need some form of manure management.
Think Safety Not Numbers
Tempting as it may be to lead horses two by two or three by three, or worse drag them along behind an ATV/UTV or tractor with a long ropes connected to halters, or even worse lead horses with each horse tied to its compatriot traveler. Don’t!
When things go wrong, and they inevitably will at some point, the mayhem and possible injuries that can result to horse and/or human can be significant.
If you do have an established group of horses that you prefer to turn out in a herd setting all at once and the pasture is a long way from the barn, it is safer to fence out a wide track (8-10′ minimum) that can act as a chute that horses can use to make their own way back and forth. If this method is adopted for turnout, then be certain to gate each end to avoid unexpected returns or escapes to and from the pasture.
Again good barn design can help minimize the time and effort involved in turnout chores. Exterior wall Dutch doors that open to a run or small paddock offer an in/out option in all weathers for the horse and can save handling time. This arrangement is also a cornerstone of horse-friendly lifestyle.
The Inevitable Admin
While going completely paperless may not be your style the use of online services and software available specifically designed for the horse industry can significantly lessen the time spent at the desk or on the phone/tablet.
A good software program that is user-friendly and can be set up with or without help of an accountant or other business savvy person can streamline tasks like managing the medical timeline for vaccinations, deworming and health checks as well as show entries, collecting boarding revenues, booking lesson schedules and marketing programs. Interactive modules built into your website where clients can book a lesson or securely make a payment are useful tools that can save both time and ease stress.
Managing time effectively by using software may require an initial set up period for rosters, accounting programs etc. but ultimately can save both time and money. It’s no good saving time if you are not also saving money. So beware of buying subscription programs that require ongoing expenses for use unless you are certain they fulfil a need that will benefit the business and that will actually be regularly utilized for productivity.
Security and Supervision
Keeping a weather eye on everything going on at a horse facility takes time. Between walking fence lines to look for damage; horses wellness checks; supervision of staff and student activities; and receiving barn visitors or taking in deliveries much time can be spent on oversight.
Installation of a video/camera system can save time and worry. When cameras are placed in optimal viewing locations and the right sort of equipment is employed, it is simple to see what is going on where with a simple tap on your smartphone screen. Motion sensor lighting and driveway alarms can also be installed to alert barn owners of the arrival or presence of persons/vehicles or wildlife on the property.
These technologies can save barn owners a lot of time looking out the window wondering whether the vet or hay delivery folks have arrived and offer peace of mind as to who or what is where, doing what, and when.
Regularly Review Horse Facility Needs
As time passes and business progresses, the needs of the horse facility may change.
The bigger the equestrian facility grows the more need there will be for motorized equipment to complete the heavy lifting workload of manure removal and management of supplies. Plus the tack room may become cluttered and in need of an overhaul or security needs may have increased due to neighborhood development. Paddock gates may need replacement or repair as they are hard to lock or close or perhaps stall doors are sticking and the barn needs a renovation.
While some tasks may take more manpower hours than others where possible the implementation of useful equipment can be a huge time saver for many. Take for example the time-consuming aisle barn sweep or leaf-blower exercise that mostly moves contaminants exactly where we as performance riders don’t want it for our horses’ respiratory well-being – into the air. Instead invest in a barn vacuum. It can clean the floor effectively in minutes and doesn’t simply move dust and detritus from one place to another.
It is a good idea to regularly review the needs of the horse facility and take a hard look at the daily task list and see if there are ways to improve efficiency and safety.
Time as they say is money. And most barn owners would rather be spending time with the horses training or teaching investing their talents in their beloved horses and bringing their equids to reach their full potential than sitting at a desk, answering emails or walking about casting an eagle eye on all and sundry on the property.
As a barn owner it pays to take a good look at how time is spent every day and figure out protocols and routines to minimize the hours required to complete them. Even doing a bit of extra horse housekeeping every day that is outside of the usual regime are all good ways to stay on top of the horse barn ownership business. Use these tips to help make more time to ride!
About Horizon Structures: One horse or twenty, there’s one thing all horse owners have in common…the need to provide safe and secure shelter for their equine partners. At Horizon Structures, we combine expert craftsmanship, top-of-the-line materials and smart “horse-friendly” design to create a full line of sheds and barns that any horse owner can feel confident is the right choice for their horses’ stabling needs.
All wood. Amish Made. Most of our buildings are shipped 100% pre-built and ready for same-day use. Larger barns are a modular construction and can be ready for your horses in about a week. All our barn packages include everything you need to move your horses right in.
Horizon Structures also sells chicken coops, equine hay feeders, greenhouses, dog kennels. You can also find garages, sheds and outdoor living sets available at Horizon’s sister company Stoltzfus Structures.
Headquartered in South-Central Pennsylvania, Horizon Structures, LLC was founded by Dave Zook. Dave was raised in the Amish tradition and grew up working in the family-owned shed business. He started Horizon Structures in 2001 in response to an ever-increasing customer demand for high quality, affordable horse barns. Over the years, the company has grown and now has several build shops located throughout the US enabling them to service customers nationwide.
For additional information about the company or their product line, please visit their website at https://www.horizonstructures.com
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