#2 Clean Your Stall Regularly

If you have to clean your own stall, do it on a schedule.  If your horse has an outdoor run, then you probably won’t have to do it as often as you would if he was inside all day.  However, there are horses that will go inside to use the bathroom and hangout outside.  Some horses may require daily stall cleaning while others won’t.  However you do things, try to do it on a schedule so that your barn manager will recognize that you clean it regularly.

Regular stall cleanings also help owners recognize if there are horses are having any bowel or parasite problems.  While cleaning your stall look for undigested feed and worms.  These are commonly passed through your horse's digestive system.  Horse manure does not generally have stench, so if you notice an unusual smell coming from your stall, you may need to adjust your horse's diet for they type of work that he is doing.  Horses that receive a proper diet, adequate hay and regular turn-out time will be more likely to not have any digestive problems.

If you are noticing a strong stench of ammonia coming from your stall, you may consider feeding your horse a lower protein feed.  Excess protein is removed from the horse's system via the urine.  If your horse seems to urinate more frequently and it has the smell of ammonia, your horse is receiving more protein than he requires.  You can cut his protein back by purchasing a lower protein feed or by feeding a hay other than alfalfa.  There is nothing wrong with the horse eliminating the excess ammonia and nitrogen from his body and it will not harm him in any way, but you can alleviate the smell by slightly changing the amount of protein he receives.