My Stable Gets a Thorough Cleaning

August 16, 2018

My stable manager, Sarah Levins, and her team members, Dolma and Helen, do a wonderful job of caring for my horses, pony and donkeys. They also work hard to maintain the stable - keeping it clean, well-stocked and comfortable for all its residents.

This week, while two of my Friesians are up at Skylands with me, the stable underwent a complete and thorough cleaning - the walls were power washed and conditioned, the floors and mats were scrubbed and rinsed, and every nook and cranny was inspected. This task takes a couple of days to finish, but it is very important - not only for the wellness of the horses, but for the stable itself.

Here are some photos - enjoy.

: The first step to cleaning the stalls is to remove all the feeding and bedding, and to sweep as much of it by hand.

: Next, Dawa begins power washing every metal bar of every stall.

: While Phurba uses a sponge broom to scrub the walls, doors and upright stall supports.

: Just outside in the stable courtyard, Helen uses a hard, short bristled broom to scrub the floor mats which were removed from each stall. There are eight stalls in my stable, so this is a three-day process.

: Dolma follows closely behind to power wash the soap and dirt away.

: Dolma power washes every corner of every mat. These mats are thick, non-porous and made of 100-percent recycled rubber. They are very important – the flat, non-slip, shock-absorbent surface provides traction, and ease of movement for my horses.

: And she is using my powerful Martha Stewart Pressure Select 1450/2030 PSI Electric Pressure Washer from my collection at QVC. This easy-to-use pressure washer has intense jets that blast away all the grime. Everyone on the crew loves it.

: As each mat is finished, Phurba turns it over, so the undersides could also be cleaned. Allowing them to dry outside helps to eliminate odors and kill bacteria that thrives on moisture.

: Meanwhile, Dawa continues inside and power washes the stall floors.

: Every nook and cranny is washed to remove as much organic matter as possible. During these major cleaning sessions, it’s also good to inspect the stalls in case there are other issues or repairs that may need addressing.

: Phurba then uses a leaf blower on the walls and floors to speed up the drying process.

: The mats are also dried with a leaf blower and then left under the sun to dry even more.

: Stable mats need to be thoroughly cleaned once or twice a year. Good quality rubber mats provide a drier environment for the horses, and reduce the need for excess bedding.

: Several hours later, once the stable floors and mats are completely dry, the mats are brought back in and assembled. These mats are very, very heavy – each large piece is at least 250-pounds.

: Each mat is returned to its original place. Here, Dawa and Phurba carefully line up the mat seams.

: And then using a mallet, Phurba hits it into place.

: Rufus and his friends, Clive and Billie, are in their nearby stall listening to all the activity. Usually, during the day, the donkeys are out in their paddock, but on this day, there were occasional rain showers, thunder and lightening, so all the equids were inside.

: Here is one stall with all the mats securely in place.

: Dolma uses a safe lemon oil treatment specially designed to replace the lost natural oil in the wood and to prevent any moisture absorption.

: All the watering bowls are also cleaned – my horses always have fresh clean water to drink.

: And all the feeders are scrubbed.

: And then the stall is ready for a new layer of wood shavings and straw pellets. In the opposite corner – some hay.

: Each horse has a fan above its stall for air circulation.

: And each horse also has a salt lick – they all love them! Himalayan rock salt is the purest form of salt available on earth. Mined from ancient deposits deep in the Himalayas, these rock hard salt licks contain many of the valuable minerals any horse needs to promote a healthy balance in the body.