Practical Horse Tips: How to Muck a Stall in Six Steps

We’ve all heard the story– the horse-crazy kid finds a stable and sweet-talks the owner into riding the horses in exchange for doing the dirty work. The kid ends up knee-deep in horse manure, sweating, breaking their back and over-joyed to finally have horse experience.

As a stablehand myself, I can say that the real world does not work like that. I sometimes spend all of a Saturday in horse manure, and on a hot day carting ripe poop to the manure pile in a wheelbarrow isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. However, knowing how to muck a stall is an essential skill for any horse person, and today I will show you a step-by-step guide (with photos!) on how to properly muck out a stall. Who knows? Maybe it’ll land you a paying job as a stablehand too!

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What You’ll Need

• Wheelbarrow
• Pitchfork (I’m using a shavings pitchfork, which should work for most bedding materials, but if your bedding is straw then you’ll need a regular pitchfork)
• Shovel (big, flat metal shovel)
• Sweet PDZ (look it up– it’s a natural odor absorber made from a mineral called zeolite. I’ve used it on rabbits, goats, horses, ducks, and chickens– this stuff works!)
• Bedding of choice (I use pine shavings)

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1# Remove Horse

If the horse is in the stall, he/she will have to be taken out. Some horses are calm enough to keep in the stall while you work, but it’s smarter to take them out, even if it’s just tied in the aisle.

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2# Remove Manure and Wet Spots

Using the pitchfork, pull out the manure and obvious wet spots. You may need to use the shovel for the wet spots. This is where having rubber mats really helps– easier to scrape up shavings! Make sure everything makes it into the wheelbarrow.

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3# Put Down PDZ

If you have sensitive lungs you may need a mask, although PDZ doesn’t create as much dust as DE or lime (I’ve worked with both– I can say that PDZ is the best when it comes to dust). PDZ works by creating a bond between the zeolite granules and the ammonia gas molecules, trapping the stink! Apply to all wet spots.

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4# Rake into a Pile

There are bound to be shavings piled up on the sides of the stalls, so rake those into one big pile. Pick out any previously hidden manure with the fork. There are bound to be a lot of shavings in your scoops now, so shake the pitchfork a bit to let the clean shavings fall down and pull out the manure (example photos below.).

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5# Spread Out and Add More

Now that all of the nastiness is gone, it’s ready to put the horse back in! If you need to, add shavings.

6# Cart Out Manure

Take the manure out to the manure pile, dump it and return the wheelbarrow, and you’re done! You have a clean stall, a good-smelling barn, and a happy horse (And yes, they know! They’ve got a better nose than we do.)

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That concludes our how-to! Now you know how to muck a stall, and I hope this article helps you with your future horse, your current horse, or maybe even your future career.