10 Ways to Prepare for Summer in the Barn

Summer is here and there are so many things you can do to get your barn ready and make your horses more comfortable. Happy horse... happy barn life!

1. No surprise here: Bring the fans out! Clean off your old barn fans and hang them above the stalls to keep the horses cool. Make sure to place the fans where they can suck in plenty of air, such as in an open window or hanging above a stall with a higher ceiling.
2. Buy extra water buckets for the stalls and pastures. Horses will drink much more on warm days where they sweat a lot, especially when they are consistently working.
3. Hang Himalayan salt blocks so your horses can replenish their electrolytes as needed.
4. Make sure to stock up on fly spray! There are some great versions out there as well as recipes online that use all-natural ingredients, such as essential oils.
5. Spray white vinegar on manure piles to help cut back on the fly population!
6. White vinegar can also be used to safely kill pasture weeds. Be careful though, since vinegar will kill any plant. Spray directly on only the weeds or plants you wish to kill.
7. Mix a couple cups of water, a few teaspoons of iodine, and 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap in a bucket and set out in a pet-free area on hot days to catch flies.
8. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your white horses. Many fly sprays have sun protectants in them, but the coat conditioners and fly chemicals in these sprays can actually lead to greater sun damage, so be careful when applying large amounts to white- or light-skinned horses. Desitin baby rash cream is a great sunscreen for sensitive white muzzles.
9. Consider switching to nighttime turnout to keep your horses out of the hot sun during the day.
10. Get out to the barn just as the sun is coming up. Waking up a bit earlier to go to the barn first thing in the morning on weekends might sound unappealing, but you won’t regret it when your other option is riding in the stifling evening heat.