What's the official, BHS way to muck out?

[Bronya]

For shavings type beds.... just wondering, would be interested to see how I'd do in comparison - oh and any idea how long it would be expected to take to fully muck out a bed using that method?

I take out what I can see on the top then throw it against the wall in piles to find the rest...

[katieB]

I didnt know there was an official BHS way to muck out :confused: I just pick the poo out with rubber gloves then sort through the rest with a shavings fork, taking all the wet out and throwing the clean up against the walls.

[Denbenj]

I am another ' glove fan'

I pick up the poo/hay lumps of wet visiable...

Throw the rest up with pitchfork..

Pick up any bits..

sweep/remove any wet

leave banks up for floor to dry until evening

once a month I clean under my rubber matting (yack!)

[Mehitabel]

all the BHS cares about is safe and effective, so as long as you take the horse out or tie it up, get the poo out and leave the bed clean, tidy and with water, they don;t much care what you do in between.

[Wally]

So blocking the door with a wheelbarrow for the ponies to climb on while you brush them and the muck around the stable is a no-no then!

;) ;) :D

[Peanut]

So blocking the door with a wheelbarrow for the ponies to climb on while you brush them and the muck around the stable is a no-no then!

;) ;) :D


Wally, that's the "real life" way of doing it, rather than the BHS way! :D

[Wally]

:D !

So do you gain marks or lose them when swearing, whilst pursuing a pony around the yard, contents of the wheelbarrow all over the place, water buckets tipped up in the stable. Small pony going round visiting all the other horses on the yard and annoying them!

[Peanut]

I think the BHS inspector's expression would be: :eek:

:p

[Mehitabel]

if it's the shetlands you can pop them into the haynets and tie them up to keep them out of the way.

[Wally]

Brilliant! What a good idea! Never thought of that! :D :D :D

[Bronya]

:D :D - love the mental image of shetlands in haynets!!:D :D

I'd fail then - half the time I muck out (with a plastic shavings fork I'll add, wouldn't dare with a metal one) with my horse still in the stable, and often the wheelbarrow tucked against one wall, also inside. She eats at one end, I do the other, then I move her food to the other end, she follows, and I do the bit I couldn't do before.

Then we have fun when she decides the concrete is too hard to stand on and wants her bed back (while I'm doing the other 1/2 of the stable of course!) - cue horse pawing down the pile of bedding to have some to stand on!:D My excuse is that she's on box rest....:o

Strangely enough, have never tried that with my boyfriend's mental pony - and wouldn't dare try to block the door with the wheelbarrow, chaos, Wally-shetland style would definately ensue!!!:D

[Mehitabel]

Strangely enough, have never tried that with my boyfriend's mental pony - and wouldn't dare try to block the door with the wheelbarrow, chaos, Wally-shetland style would definately ensue!!!:D


the 'BHS way' is how you would do it in a situation with a horse you didn't know - so you know what short cuts are safe to take with your horse, but as you've said, you wouldn't do it randomly mucking out a horse you've never clapped eyes on before, would you. the BHS is not persnickety over what peopel do at home with their own animals - they are professional exams based on best practice when dealing with strange horses or those you're looking after for someone else.

if a staff member allowed my horse to jump the wheelbarrow, or put it in a situation where it could get out and rampage roudn the yard, or impale itself on a pitchfork i'd be spitting, as would most on here i suspect. but if i want to do it with my own animals, then that's my own concern.

i'm sure if wally employed somone and on their first day they let all the shetlands out while mucking out she'd be furious!

[Wally]

i'm sure if wally employed somone and on their first day they let all the shetlands out while mucking out she'd be furious

That's usually what happens. Lambs to the slaughter! :D :D :D

Most folk we have employed start off treating Shetlands like big horses, and the Shetlands soon disabuse them of that idea! Usually on day one Andy or his little friends have done things to reduce some of our employees to a state of utter bewilderement.

I have always said I want to see "One Man and His Dog" done with off the hill wild Shetland Sheep, and now, to add to that, wouldn't it be fun to make students for BHS exams deal with only Shetlands! :D :D :D The poor students would be in the haynets hanging from the rafters while the ponies took the examiner down the pub! :D :D

[Trewsers]

lol those shetties sound fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gl1]

There is no BHS method.
Just get out the waste and top up as required after building the walls. As for how long? I expect my grooms to muck out/water/hay a stable in 15 mins (5 horses each before riding starts at 08:00)

[Wally]

Why get the poor horses out of bed so early, can't they have a lie in? ;)

[KateWooten]

I quite often muck out with all four of them in the stable .. fair amount of butt slapping and 'get over, you big fat momma' goes on. And no, I do not take unnecessary risks, honest, and that is not why I'm disabled atm :p

[showjumper-zoe]

Some General Points on Mucking Out
a. The door of the stable must always be securely hooked back during mucking out. If left swinging, it could hit a passing horse or person, frighten a horse or be broken. Always secure doors.
b. The positioning of the wheelbarrow requires some thought. If the
horse is not in the stable there is no problem and the wheelbarrow
can be brought into the stable to save making a mess on the yard.
If the horse is in the stable, you must take care that the wheelbar*
row is not protruding into the stable where the horse may swing
round and catch itself on the handles, for example. So, depending
on the size of the stable and where the horse is tied, either place
the wheelbarrow across the doorway, sideways on, or just inside
the doorway with the handles away from the horse.
c. Throw away as little bedding as possible. It is expensive and cost
should always be considered. Disposal of bedding can be diffi*
cult, so don't add to the problem unnecessarily.
d. Choose a different wall to pile the clean straw against each day.
In this way no part of the floor goes unswept for longer than a
day or two at a time.
e. Keep yard sweeping to a minimum by loading your wheelbar*
row correctly. As you muck out, fill the four corners of your
wheelbarrow first. This creates a dip in the middle into which the
last shovelful of droppings can be placed. In this way, you will
not leave a trail behind you as you take your wheelbarrow to the
muck heap.
/. f/ the horse is in the stable while you muck out, safety should be yout first thought. The stable tools have the potential to injure the horse and the horse could then injure you. The horse must be tied up. However well behaved it is, it may be startled by exter*nal influences. This could lead to it barging into you and the tools or perhaps trying to jump out over the wheelbarrow - a poten*tially disastrous situation!
g. While working around the horse, make sure you keep the tools, especially the fork, well away from it. Move the horse over to stand on the opposite side of the box to the one at which you are working.
h. If the horse is going out of its stable to work or to be turned out, the bed could be left up to allow the floor to dry or be disinfected.
i. If the horse is staying in its stable, the bed should be put down. Lay the remaining bedding evenly over the floor, then top up with approximately half a bale of fresh straw/shavings. Build banks around the edges to prevent injuries or the horse getting cast and to minimise diaMgVite. t\n& bed s\\ould be thick enough to protect the horse from the concrete floor. If the flooring is easily exposed when the horse moves around, the bed is too thin. Overly thick beds are wasteful and time consuming.
j. Some owners prefer to use a "day bed" and "night bed". After mucking out some of the bedding is laid, to make a slightly thin*ner bed that can be easily skipped out during the day. In the evening the rest of the bed is laid and fresh bedding is added, to make a thick night bed.
k. If the bed is skipped out frequently throughout the day, and again at evening stables, the job of mucking out the next morn*ing is much easier.

Full Mucking Out Procedure for a Straw Bed
a. Assemble the tools: four-prong fork, broom, shovel and wheel*
barrow.
b. Remove the horse from the stable or tie up securely in the stable.
Hook back the door and place the wheelbarrow across or just inside the doorway, with the handles pointing away from the horse.
d. Remove the obvious piles of droppings with the fork. To do
this, lift the straw under the droppings with the drop*
pings on top, then tip the droppmgs mto the
wheelbarrow and replace the clean
straw in the bed. Alternatively, put on rubber gloves and remove the droppings by hand.
e. Next choose one wall against
which to put all the clean bed*
ding. Work around the stable,
tossing all the clean straw into a
pile against this wall and placing
all the soiled straw and droppings
in the wheelbarrow.
f. Use the broom to sweep the floor clean and then shovel up the
remaining debris.
g. "Now put fee straw back down as a bed,
h. Top up with fresh bedding.
i. Empty the wheelbarrow and put away the tools.
j. Untie the horse and check that it is securely bolted into its stable


Variations for Full Mucking Out of d Shavings Bed
a. Wearing rubber gfoves, remcrc^? &e<5&>}?£>us drqr>pings by hand, placing them straight into a skip. If you prefer, this can be done witfi a sAavings fork.
b. Work throug/i the whole bed wjth a shavings fork, removing the soiled patches and putting the clean bedding to one side.

[teabiscuit]

:D !

So do you gain marks or lose them when swearing, whilst pursuing a pony around the yard, contents of the wheelbarrow all over the place, water buckets tipped up in the stable. Small pony going round visiting all the other horses on the yard and annoying them!

that can only be a "gain marks", for entertanment value :D

[CurlyWurlyRach]

er oops lol :o

I always muck out with curly loose in the box, leave my tools leaning on the walls inside and the door wide open with the barrow in the gap. she always just eats her hay and ignores me anyway. ive forgotten to shut her door before she she just stands and eats while looking at the gap 'hmm that shouldnt be there.....maybe its a trap. id better stay away from it!'.

I pick out the poo with a shavings fork and rubber gloves for the little bits that wont jump on my fork like good poo should, then turn all the bedding over, take out all the wet and flick the rest against the walls so the floor can dry and air abit (vital when ones messy mare is in season and smelling rather strong).

[KateWooten]

Some General Points on Mucking Out what I typed all on my ownsome :

a. The door of the stable must always be securely hooked back during mucking out. So first step would be to get off your lazy ass and go put some hooks up.

b. The positioning of the wheelbarrow requires some thought. Push it into the stable and see if it hits something. (you will be able to tell by the subsequent 'thud', 'Ow' or 'squeal' noise).

c. take the poo and leave the bedding. That much really should be obvious.

e. Keep yard sweeping to a minimum by not really having a yard, just a patch of grass - then who cares if you spill anything ?

f. If the horse is in the stable while you muck out, and that worries your sorry ass ... then turn him out ! Good Grief.

g. While working around the horse, make sure you have trained and worked with the horse enough so that he's fine with it.

h. If the horse is going out of its stable to work or to be turned out... IF the horse is going out ?????

i. Overly thick beds are great. Just go get shavings in your big-ass truck once a month or so and dump it all right in the stable. Don't bother smoothing it at all cos within 3 minutes it's going to be infesting with silly, snuggly rolling ponies kicking shavings in their ears and into the rafters anyway.

j. Some owners prefer to use a "day bed" and "night bed". But there you go, there's no accounting for people, is there ?

k. If the bed is skipped out frequently throughout the day, and again at evening stables, then you'all are probably asleep and dreaming.

Full Mucking Out Procedure for a Straw Bed
a. Go look for the fork - it's probably still in the garage where your husband was using it to try and knock down his ancient surfboard on the pretext that oh, yeah, he is going to get fit again like he was when you met.

b. Remove the horse from the stable. Remove the next horse from the stable. Remove the first horse from the stable again and this time close the gate. Yell at first horse to stop leaning against gate trying to get in again, and try to convince her that no, she can not help.

d. Pick all the poo out. if you need more detailed instruction about this, please reconsider whether you should be allowed access to horses.

e. Pick the wet out.

f. That's it really. I mean, what more could you say about cleaning anything really ? Clean it - job done.

g. Scatter tools about liberally in odd places where you will not find them again til next Tuesday.


Variations for Full Mucking Out
a. Invite your sister-in-law over on the pretext of teaching her to ride and make her do it.

b. Refuse to honour any of your conjugal obligations until your husband has done it

c. Mucking out ? well, you know, it's all organic - what harm can it do - it'll all rot down eventually. Throw some more shavings on top - that'll work.

p.s.I didn't scan none of this in, and then not read it through, honest.

[Wally]

Kate Wooten you are awful!

Can I cut and paste it and make a aide memoire poster for my stable door!

[Aeia]

Our horses are stabled in a sort of American Barn (well more a farm barn) situation. So normally.

1. Close door to barn

2. Open stable door and let horse go for a mooch around barn while you muck out.

3. Remove obvious poo's. Go digging for poo that PeeJay had hidden and mixed in with the straw (he's a messy boy who likes to stir and dig his bed).

4. Ignore noise coming from horse who's now got too close to biting shetlands

5. Attempt to get barrow out of barn and keep horse in

6. Remove horses head from bucket/cupboard/anywhere he thought he might find food.

7. Put clean bed back down

8. Attempt to herd horse back into stable.

NB. Best done one horse at a time unless you like chaos.
Can be done with shetlands but be prepared for lots of chasing and dragging ponies around the barn
Make sure door to feed room is securely closed!

[Bay Mare]

Kate - thank you :D http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/rofl.gif :D http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/rofl.gif :D http://enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/Smileys/classic/rofl.gif

[Rips]

Heehee, I'm another, wheelbarrow, 2 forks and a brush in the stable along with horse while I'm mucking out - sometimes I lay the brush across the top of the open stable door with one end stuck in the cavity block :p so I can wheel the barrow in and out without her leaving........ this requires constant shooing though because she likes to stick her head out under it and eat loose stuff from the aisle :o

[Pink's lady]

ROFPMSL Kate. :D:D:D *But I have to be quiet since the office is directly underneath the mastersuite:o*

[KateWooten]

... actually, I was going to ask you Pink's ... what on earth are you doing up this late ??? Are you doing some crazy nightshifting moonlighting thingy ... cos you've been on way past your bedtime most nights this week ?

[Wally]

She's mucking out in the wee small hours!

[Pink's lady]

Damnit, been rumbled:D Just got back in from a moonlit mucking out sessions........

mucking out in the wee small hours!

Are they any different from the Pooh Big Hours? :o

Nah, I've been working evening bar shifts to pay. I am KNACKERED! On placements from 7am to about 6pm, rush home and work till 1 or 2am (got an early finish tonight). Now I've still got to fit finishing off Harry Potter in before bed.:o

[Siogfinsceal]

the irony is you dont actually have to muck out in any of the BHS exams (well not 1-3 anyway). you just have to skip out if the horse poos when you are in with him and they leave a skip and fork outside the door for you.

[Wally]

the irony is you dont actually have to muck out in any of the BHS exams

You have to be joking!!!!

[eml]

Not true but daughter did refuse to do one the examiner asked her to muck out in Stage 1 as it was a deep litter :eek:

[Colour_Crazy_Gi]

So blocking the door with a wheelbarrow for the ponies to climb on while you brush them and the muck around the stable is a no-no then!

;) ;) :D

We did that to a 14.2 cobby boy once. Just jumped the wheelbaroow and made a quick exit :D

[Wally]

The SHetlands generally just treat the barrow as they would any obstacle, just walk over it!....through it, or kick it over and scramble! :D :D :D

[Siogfinsceal]

You have to be joking!!!!

Im serious did stage 1 a few years ago and stage 2 and 3 care sections last year was never asked to demonstrate mucking out once...when I was doing my practicals (tacking up etc) and my practical oral we just had to make sure to skip out any dropping in the stabel of our assigned horse as we worked. They will fail you if you dont as theory is you shouldnt have horse standing in cr@p esp if you are grooming him or tacking him
Cant even remeber being asked anything about mucking out. got asked loads on stable design & yard layout and maybe a bit about bedding (whats your ideal yard look like and why that sort of thing)

[Wally]

YEARS ago, Frances and I thought vaguely about doing the BHS trekking certs, just to shut insurance companies up.

Mucking out seemed to feature large on that one! Have to say I didn't take it, so don't really know whether the mucking out would have been practiced in full.

I took my stage one and two so long ago I really cannot remember if I did muck out, certainly never mucked out in an exam since and I have my BDS intermediate, and the SM bits are the same as the BHS I think.......