Home Away From Home- Preparing a Stall at Horse Shows

By: Jennifer Roberts

In the heat of the competitive season, you may find yourself spending more time on the road and more time stabling at horse shows. It is essential that you spend the time preparing the stall to keep your horse safe and comfortable throughout the competition. Follow our quick tips to turn a horse show stall into a comfortable resting spot in no time at all!

 Squeaky Clean

Bio-security may seem like a buzzword these days, but it is no joke. Maintain a healthy horse by ensuring that all of the shavings and manure from the stall’s previous occupant has been removed. Then use an equine safe disinfectant to kill any pathogens that may have been left behind. Even at facilities which remove the bedding and manure, it’s a good idea to disinfect the stall before your horse enters.

Make Your Bed

Once your stall has been thoroughly cleaned, it’s time to add a healthy layer of bedding to the stall. Take note as the base material to determine the amount of bedding that you will need to use. For example, concrete floors will require more bedding to keep your horse comfortable than stalls with rubber or dirt floors.

Breathe Easy

Ventilation at horse shows may not be completely adequate. In order to effectively remove ammonia from your horse’s stall at horse shows, use a zeolite based stall-refreshing product such as Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Refresher. Keeping your horse’s stall free from harmful ammonia odors is imperative for maintaining maximum respiratory health; the accumulation of ammonia in horse stalls and barns is more than an odor nuisance. Studies have concluded that low levels of ammonia stresses a horse’s upper respiratory airways placing them at risk of pneumonia, heaves, and other serious illnesses.

Temperature Control

Depending on the time of year and the weather conditions, you may want to install a fan to keep your horse cool and comfortable. Make sure that you have selected a fan that meets local fire codes and is not under any recall, then secure the fan in an area that is out of your horse’s reach (pay extra attention to the electrical cords).

Sweet PDZ has been keeping stalls healthy for over 33 years and continues to be the leading horse stall freshener on the market. This organic (OMRI Listed), non-toxic mineral captures, neutralizes and eliminates harmful levels of ammonia and odors.  Sweet PDZ is a far superior alternative to lime products for ammonia removal and moisture absorption. For more information, as well as a dealer locator, visit SweetPDZ.com.