Ah, spring, when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. And when my barn owner’s fancy lightly turns to “let’s get this place cleaned up!” Actually, it’s a small, private barn, and we do a good job throughout the year keeping it neat and clean. But even the tidiest of places needs a good overhaul once or twice a year and we’ve been waiting for some warm, dry weather to roll up our sleeves and get started!

Like many barns, there are some things we do every day or at least every week to keep the facility spic and span:

1. Sweep the aisle after use
2. Pick up manure in the arenas, paddock and pastures
3. Clean the automatic waterers in the stalls and paddock
4. Keep our blanket bars in front of our stalls pared down to only the necessities

Fortunately the barn owner’s husband Paul does a fantastic job of keeping our sand footing inside and out immaculately groomed, regularly hand raking the track and occasionally hand shoveling out corners and other areas that become deep over time. He “recirculates” the footing well throughout the year so it’s not something we have to deal with during Spring Cleaning.

As you can see from the list though, Heidi still has quite a bit for us to do, from wiping down the inside four walls and outside front of our own horse’s stall (which takes about two hours to do the first time, then if you keep up with it during the warm months it only takes a few minutes each day) to wiping down the entire half wall and kickboards in the indoor arena. Then there’s the bathroom, the tackroom (a multi-person job), and the dreaded windows. Paul also keeps the mirrors in the indoor arena clean, bless his heart. What didn’t appear on this year’s list but I’m sure we’ll tackle is putting away all the winter blankets that hang in various locations and giving those locations a thorough cleaning. What’s left? The wash bay, various doors, the feed room (thank goodness it’s organized with drawers of SmartPaks!) In no time at all we’ve gone over the place from top to bottom and we’re ready to start hosting some 2013 clinics!

About Dr. Lydia Gray

Lydia F. Gray, DVM, MA SmartPak Staff Veterinarian and Medical Director Dr. Lydia Gray has earned a Bachelor of Science in agriculture, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and a Master of Arts focusing on interpersonal and organizational communication. After “retiring” from private practice, she put her experience and education to work as the American Association of Equine Practitioner’s first-ever Director of Owner Education. Dr. Gray continues to provide health and nutrition information to horse owners through her position at SmartPak, through publication in more than a dozen general and trade publications, and through presentations around the country. She is the very proud owner of a Trakehner named Newman that she actively competes with in dressage and combined driving. In addition to memberships in the USDF and USEF, Dr. Gray is also a member of the Illinois Dressage and Combined Training Association (IDCTA). She is a USDF “L” Program Graduate and is currently working on her Bronze Medal. Find Dr. Gray on Google+