It is a great feeling when the stables have been cleaned and all the horses have been brushed, hayed and watered. The halters are all hanging off the stalls, the aisles have been swept. It’s a beautiful morning, it’s not cold, it’s not hot. It’s fair. The birds are singing. No flies yet. There is an underlying antiseptic odor in the air. You take a breath and sigh. All is well with the world, at least inside your barn. your hope
He has gone to great lengths to create a clean and healthy environment for his horses. But have you done too much? Are you guilty of excess? Horses are animals, remember. Yes, we do too, but that’s the problem. We have placed our human banners on the backs of our horses, and rumor has it that we are not making them any better for it.
When was it decided that we should routinely bleach our horses’ water buckets? I’m not talking about using a brush and just cleaning them up good. I’m referring to the practice of adding bleach to cleaning water and scrubbing like crazy. I have seen such diligent horsemen cleaning their buckets; looks like a biceps/triceps workout. Why? Because we think we’re getting the germs out. Horrible germs that lurk in the water, for the same animals that graze on the ground, where dirt, bugs, slugs and all sorts of “disgusting feces” dwell. The water is different, I can hear the diligent rider say, and I agree. Unfortunately, the water in most barns these days is chlorinated. And yet, with or without chlorine, buckets of water still get dirty over time and smell bad. That being said, I can swear on the life of my horse, that I have never had scum so gross and strong that a simple whistle with a brush couldn’t relieve it. So why, oh why are we scrubbing them with bleach?
A stable that has a contagious disease is one thing. I am not minimizing conscientious attempts to irradiate that disease. I am referring to the caring horsemen and riders who day after day expose their horses to bleach residue encrusted in plastic and rubber buckets of water, under the assumption that it is the right thing to do. It reminds me of the hand sanitizers that are so popular right now with our attempts to kill all bacteria on contact, a practice now being touted as possibly paving the way for even stronger bacteria, the superbugs.
Give your horse’s water bucket a good cleaning at least once a week and even more often. Clean it daily if you wish; just don’t use chlorine bleach unless chlorine bleach is really required. Simply dump your horse’s water bucket and give it a swish with a brush and rinse. The horse is like fresh water. Make sure they have access to water at all times. Don’t count on moisture in the grass when you put them out to graze. I cringe at practices like that. Give them water. Give them fresh water. Give them endless water. It is the most important food in their lives. They can live without a bucket of water rubbed with bleach. They cannot live without clean, fresh water.
