Occasionally, I used to achieve some kind of exhilaration in my horses' Barn. It typically happened shortly after the stalls had been scoured and cleaned, and each horse had received his ration of hay, grains and water. Passing breezes would produce music from the halters hanging around the stalls. It also often occurred when the weather was fabulous, neither too hot, nor too cold, and the flies had not yet checked in. There could have been a few birds trilling round the barn, adding to the impression that all was right with the world, at least as much of it as was contained in the barn.
The euphoria came to a close the day I chanced on information that a clean environment is not truly what your horses desire. A clean environment may be fine by human standards, but by pony standards it may quite probably be a case of deadly overkill. You can't saddle your horses with human standards and expect them to flourish.
Take for example the practice of scrubbing horses' water buckets zealously with bleach. I have spotted people mix up bleach with water and scour the water buckets with the solution as if their lives, or perhaps the horses 'lives' depended on it. At one time I appreciated their thoroughness, now I have reason to wonder. I know they believe they are doing good for their horses by becoming free of all of the bugs and germs just waiting to impose damage. It's just recently the inconstancy of it all has begun to strike me. Don't the hay and the grains also have bacteria? And what about the gazillion bacteria in a zillion kinds that infest the ground where horses graze? Are you able to wash the hay and the grains and the ground out with bleach? If I were to raise this query with the bucket washers using bleach, they might probably let me know the water is different! It has got to be cleaned!
They may be right, but not in the way they suspect. The big problem with water nowadays is that tap water is chlorinated. Chlorinated or not, over time water buckets in use do get scummed up, and start reeking. But the scum and the reek can be shed with little more fancy than the application of a brush. So what's with the bleach? Do people think about the effects on the horses of the bleach remnant that's bound to stick to the sides and bottoms of the buckets?
I really can understand the necessity for additional efforts when an infective illness is in the air. You would need to do all you can to be certain your horses stay safe. But hard times need measures. Why adopt tough measures during ordinary times? I am reminded of what I have read about the hand sanitizers that have become the rage today. They're basically extremely threatening in that they may be contributing to the development of resistant bacteria that are much stronger than the originals.
Ideally, clean your horses' water buckets out a minimum of once every week, up to once a day. But if you care about your horses, refrain from employing chlorine bleach unless there's some precise reason, like a spreading disease, to do that. The best way to your horses' water buckets is to give them a good scouring with plain water and a brush. Horses are used to water, not water with traces of chlorine bleach in it. It is your responsibility to give them the water that is most suited for them.
Don't make blunders like thinking dew on grass is ok for your horses when they are grazing at pasture. Just let them have water, a lot of fresh, chemically unadulterated water. Water is the single most necessary nourishment your horses can have.
The euphoria came to a close the day I chanced on information that a clean environment is not truly what your horses desire. A clean environment may be fine by human standards, but by pony standards it may quite probably be a case of deadly overkill. You can't saddle your horses with human standards and expect them to flourish.
Take for example the practice of scrubbing horses' water buckets zealously with bleach. I have spotted people mix up bleach with water and scour the water buckets with the solution as if their lives, or perhaps the horses 'lives' depended on it. At one time I appreciated their thoroughness, now I have reason to wonder. I know they believe they are doing good for their horses by becoming free of all of the bugs and germs just waiting to impose damage. It's just recently the inconstancy of it all has begun to strike me. Don't the hay and the grains also have bacteria? And what about the gazillion bacteria in a zillion kinds that infest the ground where horses graze? Are you able to wash the hay and the grains and the ground out with bleach? If I were to raise this query with the bucket washers using bleach, they might probably let me know the water is different! It has got to be cleaned!
They may be right, but not in the way they suspect. The big problem with water nowadays is that tap water is chlorinated. Chlorinated or not, over time water buckets in use do get scummed up, and start reeking. But the scum and the reek can be shed with little more fancy than the application of a brush. So what's with the bleach? Do people think about the effects on the horses of the bleach remnant that's bound to stick to the sides and bottoms of the buckets?
I really can understand the necessity for additional efforts when an infective illness is in the air. You would need to do all you can to be certain your horses stay safe. But hard times need measures. Why adopt tough measures during ordinary times? I am reminded of what I have read about the hand sanitizers that have become the rage today. They're basically extremely threatening in that they may be contributing to the development of resistant bacteria that are much stronger than the originals.
Ideally, clean your horses' water buckets out a minimum of once every week, up to once a day. But if you care about your horses, refrain from employing chlorine bleach unless there's some precise reason, like a spreading disease, to do that. The best way to your horses' water buckets is to give them a good scouring with plain water and a brush. Horses are used to water, not water with traces of chlorine bleach in it. It is your responsibility to give them the water that is most suited for them.
Don't make blunders like thinking dew on grass is ok for your horses when they are grazing at pasture. Just let them have water, a lot of fresh, chemically unadulterated water. Water is the single most necessary nourishment your horses can have.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her
extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about horse fencing
extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about horse fencing
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