Share your Ingenious Solutions to Everyday HorseKeeping... - Page 4

Mariuch · 12-30-2005, 10:46 AM

Poor Dog, probably was thinking to itsef, "wow she takes all that time before she attaches/puts anything on those huge 4 legged things, but me she just hooks me up to this attack red thing that follows me EVERYWHERE!!!"

I can just imagine though, Im laughing just thinking of it!!!

horses19201 · 12-30-2005, 02:42 PM

Hey range where can you get dog harnesses from? I am going to hook scrappy up to the sled sometime. Here comes another pitbull with a sled

.

beth55051 · 12-30-2005, 02:54 PM

I know I've seen them in catalogs and at Petco and such but I've also just used a nylon web horse halter. Put the dog's head through where the nose would go with the o-ring between the dogs shoulder blades. I wouldn't use it for a dog pulling a really heavy load or for a long time but it works great for just around the yard and when you're done just hang it back on the horses stall. A standard 800-1000lb size fits great on my 70lb border collie/rottweiler mix.

fromtheshadows987 · 01-06-2006, 12:53 PM

If your horse gets burrs in his mane and tail you can use a (metal) dinner fork. It helps you focus on little bits at a time but those little bits are cleaned SUPER fast.

Gina

paint pony · 01-06-2006, 07:52 PM

great ideas everyone!

well at feeding time we taught our horses where their stalls were, just open the gate and they head to their stall, it was great. However when teaching them we did it on at a time and made sure they wouldn't go anywhere they might get hurt. or we let them follow their buddy in. Their reward for going to their stall was their grain!

For cuts and superficial wounds that bleed a lot cornstarch helps, it clots the blood and creates a scab.

Heated water pipes are a godsend, all though they may be expensive to install they can save you a lot of truble, however, if your pipes do freeze pouring hot water on them helps. blowing out your hose prevents standing water from freezing.

with 20 draft horses, i love my tractor. we can drive it straight through the barn (do i need to say more

a timer on the hay loft light is good for safety. prevents the bulb from getting too hot.

for shows i put a whole bag of hay in the net with the strings. The strings keep the hay together so less blows out. a full bale is easier to hang then a loose bale. When you hang it up, just cuts the strings off.

i think that's it for now

muttduck · 02-28-2006, 06:51 PM

Hey, once again, the forum has many new faces who probably haven't found this topic. I am bringing it back up top for refreshing!

BarrelGirl · 03-01-2006, 11:47 AM

I know many people mentioned baby oil for burrs... I'd like to comment that baby oil GEL works a lot better because you can rub it in wherever you need it and it's easier to control. It also works great on those wind knot things.

We had a mini that would get upset because of the stress of shows, so he gets Mylanta. He loves the cherry flavor. Since he's a mini, he gets the human dosage for every show. It's cured his problem!

Some other people mentioned this also, but leave-in conditioners do wonders for detangling and shining tails. If you want a white tail to look extra bright, try putting some powdered corn starch in there. It's a little stickier than baby powder so it doesn't come out as well.

A wheelbarrel is the PERFECT height for a grain trough for minis!! We needed something to put the grain in so it was off the ground, and the wheelbarrel was the first thing we grabbed.

For all of you who have polo wraps... my sister and I came up with this contraption to roll them up quickly. With over 40 polo wraps, it really cuts down on the prep time. Then I saw they came out with the polo wrappers in some magazines...

Goldfish in the horsetank work wonders for cleaning it. We put the goldfish in there in the spring and they eat all the sludge the horses drop in there. They will even stay alive during the winter!!! Right now we have 5 goldfish in our big horse water tank, and they haven't gotten killed by the heater!!! We had to stop putting fish in our mini horse tank because our cat could 'fish' them out since the trough was shallower than our big horse tank!

Best way to shine a freshly body-clipped coat... after you clip them, massage their skin with one of those rubber massagers, then go over with a very soft bristle brush. I don't know if they still sell this stuff, we stocked up on it quite a few years back. But it's called shear ease, and we just spray it on AFTER clipping, even though it says to bathe them with it before. Then, leave the horse out of the sun for a few days so he doesn't bleach. Every day do brush him and spray him with this stuff while still keeping him out of the sun, until the hair builds up enough oils and stuff to protect it from the sun. You'll get a gleaming coat and a sleek-looking horse.

Minis are great for helping to fix fence. I would attach a sled-like contraption for my mini to pull, and load it with all the fencing necessities. They get heavy to carry after a while!

Lady_MCSE · 05-08-2006, 08:37 PM

My ingenious solution - Half cat, half horse solution . . .

My big boy needs to have his feet soaked because of scratches and the general disrepair of not being bathed in years.

Meanwhile, I have cats for whom I use Tidy Cats clumping cat litter.

I have found that those giant buckets that Tidy Cats comes in (35lbs) are roughly the same height as a 5 gallon bucket, and the extra width makes it easier for my guy to get his foot in and out. Best of all, if he trashes it by stepping on it, I don't care, because it didn't cost me anything!

muttduck · 05-09-2006, 04:19 PM

Thanks for bringing this topic back to the top. I still rank it as my all time favorite topic.

BarrelGirl · 05-09-2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady_MCSE

I have found that those giant buckets that Tidy Cats comes in (35lbs) are roughly the same height as a 5 gallon bucket, and the extra width makes it easier for my guy to get his foot in and out. Best of all, if he trashes it by stepping on it, I don't care, because it didn't cost me anything!

Those same kitty litter buckets (with the flip up lid and handle) are great for transporting grain in! It's relatively compact and easy to carry. We have two, and we use them to bring grain to the mini horse shows where they will be staying overnight.

sparkyharky · 06-30-2006, 08:55 PM

For wounds that may develop proud flesh a veterinarian friend of mine suggests Preparation H....it shrinks tissue and the scarring is minimal. I laughed at him but I swear it works!!!

Thoraint · 07-01-2006, 08:40 PM

If youdon't want a scar with a wound then I would suggest to put honey on it and it works wonders. Also baby diaper rash cream helps to heal wounds. Putting iodine on your horses frogs and soles can toughen them up and prevent thrush. Great thread everyone!

irishmusic · 07-05-2006, 09:51 AM

Dollar store equine (and human) fixes:

Zinc Baby diaper cream - good for mud fever, scratches, any fungal infection
Betadine - mix at 10% and put in spray bottle, good for rain rot, fungal dematits; use 50-50 with shampoo for rain rot, fungal dematitis; use full strength for thrush.
Baby wipes - handy to have around the barn to clean your hands
Baby oil - good way to shine up a dry coat, put a little on a rag; great for â€œtail itchâ€
Baby diapers - great for cuts and hoof abcesses
Duct tape - to use with diaper on hoof abcesses; a quick no-stitch fix for a torn blanket; a million other uses!
Hygrogen peroxide - good for cleaning out a dirty wound; also good for thrush
Alcohol - cool down and brace a leg
Spray bottles - who can have enough of these?
Trash cans - rectangular office type - great for soaking a leg
Starlight peppermints - My horses fav!
Dishtowels - 3 or 4 for $1 - cheap enough to throw away; great for a variety of uses.
Baby powder - great for riding boots; and skin chafing (humans)

You get the drift - why pay the expensive tack store prices? Went to the tack store the other day and a bottle of betadine was $9.00 (same size as the dollar store!), empty spray bottles were $5.00, etc. Let's save money where we can.

Jazzy1 · 07-07-2006, 12:58 PM

I've been following Horsetopia for several months but finally had to give you my "helpful hint" that has saved my hands during the freezing winter months. Make a scoop out of a 1 gallon milk jug but leave the screw cap off. Now when you break the ice in a frozen bucket, just dip the ice out and let the water flow back into the bucket. Works like a charm! Saves you from wet, freezing gloves!

greyhorse · 07-09-2006, 09:09 AM

This thread is filled with great ideas! I have a few to add.

Use granulated unflavored meat tenderizer for proud flesh. Scrub area well and sprinkle on. Wrap with a thin layer of gauze to keep flies off and to keep clean. Scrub and reapply. It does work.

When cleaning a bit use toothpaste. It has a mild abrasive plus a good taste.

Teapot · 07-25-2006, 08:54 AM

For cuts, we use bacon grease.
You know all those single socks that are sitting on top of your dryer waiting for the mate that has obviously skipped town...use them to apply topical ointments and fly spray.

Somethingducky · 08-19-2006, 07:20 PM

Athlete's foot cream will clear up scratches like a dream, just smear it on nice and think until it clears up. The cheap genaric stuff is just fine.

NHIceGSD · 10-14-2006, 09:07 AM

I have found the greatest thing in the world for scrubbing buckets!
I have battled for god knows how long with keeping all of the troughs on a 30 plus horse farm clean. It's called a "scumbuster" it's kind of like a dustbuster, but originally designed for bathroom use.
It holds a charge nicely, we keep it plugged in right in the tack room, and it's cut our scrubbing time down ten fold!
It's easy enough for the teenagers to use, so I don't have to haul myself over 15 acres to make sure troughs were correctly cleaned!
Plus, it has all kinds of fancy attachments so what ever you need scrubbed, there is probably an attachment for !

stat2404 · 10-25-2006, 11:50 AM

Try Fruit roll up tape small amount wrapped around bit works great!!

darkone7 · 11-22-2006, 10:27 AM

White Rain hair conditioner from the dollar stores is THE BEST at detangling manes and tails.

Love the stuff on this thread!

12-30-2005, 10:46 AM
Mariuch Long Yearling Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Southeast NH Posts: 1,045	Poor Dog, probably was thinking to itsef, "wow she takes all that time before she attaches/puts anything on those huge 4 legged things, but me she just hooks me up to this attack red thing that follows me EVERYWHERE!!!" I can just imagine though, Im laughing just thinking of it!!!

12-30-2005, 02:42 PM
horses19201 Yearling Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: North Carolina Posts: 683	Hey range where can you get dog harnesses from? I am going to hook scrappy up to the sled sometime. Here comes another pitbull with a sled . __________________ Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup ~Maggie~

12-30-2005, 02:54 PM
beth55051 Bombproof Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: East Central Minnesota Posts: 7,977	I know I've seen them in catalogs and at Petco and such but I've also just used a nylon web horse halter. Put the dog's head through where the nose would go with the o-ring between the dogs shoulder blades. I wouldn't use it for a dog pulling a really heavy load or for a long time but it works great for just around the yard and when you're done just hang it back on the horses stall. A standard 800-1000lb size fits great on my 70lb border collie/rottweiler mix. __________________ *Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened.*

01-06-2006, 12:53 PM
fromtheshadows987 Newborn Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Forest Lake, MN Posts: 26	If your horse gets burrs in his mane and tail you can use a (metal) dinner fork. It helps you focus on little bits at a time but those little bits are cleaned SUPER fast. Gina __________________ Makin: 12 yo Bay QH Bucky: 26 yo Buckskin QH

01-06-2006, 07:52 PM
paint pony Weanling Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: ON Posts: 208	great ideas everyone! well at feeding time we taught our horses where their stalls were, just open the gate and they head to their stall, it was great. However when teaching them we did it on at a time and made sure they wouldn't go anywhere they might get hurt. or we let them follow their buddy in. Their reward for going to their stall was their grain! For cuts and superficial wounds that bleed a lot cornstarch helps, it clots the blood and creates a scab. Heated water pipes are a godsend, all though they may be expensive to install they can save you a lot of truble, however, if your pipes do freeze pouring hot water on them helps. blowing out your hose prevents standing water from freezing. with 20 draft horses, i love my tractor. we can drive it straight through the barn (do i need to say more a timer on the hay loft light is good for safety. prevents the bulb from getting too hot. for shows i put a whole bag of hay in the net with the strings. The strings keep the hay together so less blows out. a full bale is easier to hang then a loose bale. When you hang it up, just cuts the strings off. i think that's it for now __________________ Due to lack of intrest, tomorrow has been cancelled

02-28-2006, 06:51 PM
muttduck Kid Safe Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 6,957	Hey, once again, the forum has many new faces who probably haven't found this topic. I am bringing it back up top for refreshing! __________________ Custom stall signs and pet portraits, Wood Burned by hand with your equine's (or pet's) image: www.WoodburnedPetPortraits.com Self Defense Supplies, Stun Guns, Pepper Sprays: https://selfprotectionsupplies.com/

03-01-2006, 11:47 AM
BarrelGirl Started Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,042	I know many people mentioned baby oil for burrs... I'd like to comment that baby oil GEL works a lot better because you can rub it in wherever you need it and it's easier to control. It also works great on those wind knot things. We had a mini that would get upset because of the stress of shows, so he gets Mylanta. He loves the cherry flavor. Since he's a mini, he gets the human dosage for every show. It's cured his problem! Some other people mentioned this also, but leave-in conditioners do wonders for detangling and shining tails. If you want a white tail to look extra bright, try putting some powdered corn starch in there. It's a little stickier than baby powder so it doesn't come out as well. A wheelbarrel is the PERFECT height for a grain trough for minis!! We needed something to put the grain in so it was off the ground, and the wheelbarrel was the first thing we grabbed. For all of you who have polo wraps... my sister and I came up with this contraption to roll them up quickly. With over 40 polo wraps, it really cuts down on the prep time. Then I saw they came out with the polo wrappers in some magazines... Goldfish in the horsetank work wonders for cleaning it. We put the goldfish in there in the spring and they eat all the sludge the horses drop in there. They will even stay alive during the winter!!! Right now we have 5 goldfish in our big horse water tank, and they haven't gotten killed by the heater!!! We had to stop putting fish in our mini horse tank because our cat could 'fish' them out since the trough was shallower than our big horse tank! Best way to shine a freshly body-clipped coat... after you clip them, massage their skin with one of those rubber massagers, then go over with a very soft bristle brush. I don't know if they still sell this stuff, we stocked up on it quite a few years back. But it's called shear ease, and we just spray it on AFTER clipping, even though it says to bathe them with it before. Then, leave the horse out of the sun for a few days so he doesn't bleach. Every day do brush him and spray him with this stuff while still keeping him out of the sun, until the hair builds up enough oils and stuff to protect it from the sun. You'll get a gleaming coat and a sleek-looking horse. Minis are great for helping to fix fence. I would attach a sled-like contraption for my mini to pull, and load it with all the fencing necessities. They get heavy to carry after a while!

05-08-2006, 08:37 PM
Lady_MCSE Seasoned Join Date: May 2005 Location: Shytown, IL Posts: 4,521	My ingenious solution - Half cat, half horse solution . . . My big boy needs to have his feet soaked because of scratches and the general disrepair of not being bathed in years. Meanwhile, I have cats for whom I use Tidy Cats clumping cat litter. I have found that those giant buckets that Tidy Cats comes in (35lbs) are roughly the same height as a 5 gallon bucket, and the extra width makes it easier for my guy to get his foot in and out. Best of all, if he trashes it by stepping on it, I don't care, because it didn't cost me anything! __________________ "A pun is its own reword." — Dance Drier, British comedian

05-09-2006, 04:19 PM
muttduck Kid Safe Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 6,957	Thanks for bringing this topic back to the top. I still rank it as my all time favorite topic. __________________ Custom stall signs and pet portraits, Wood Burned by hand with your equine's (or pet's) image: www.WoodburnedPetPortraits.com Self Defense Supplies, Stun Guns, Pepper Sprays: https://selfprotectionsupplies.com/

06-30-2006, 08:55 PM
sparkyharky Yearling Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 836	For wounds that may develop proud flesh a veterinarian friend of mine suggests Preparation H....it shrinks tissue and the scarring is minimal. I laughed at him but I swear it works!!!

07-01-2006, 08:40 PM
Thoraint Weanling Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nelson, B.C. Posts: 269	If youdon't want a scar with a wound then I would suggest to put honey on it and it works wonders. Also baby diaper rash cream helps to heal wounds. Putting iodine on your horses frogs and soles can toughen them up and prevent thrush. Great thread everyone! __________________ Jumping is just flat-work in the air

07-05-2006, 09:51 AM
irishmusic Yearling Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 602	Dollar store equine (and human) fixes: Zinc Baby diaper cream - good for mud fever, scratches, any fungal infection Betadine - mix at 10% and put in spray bottle, good for rain rot, fungal dematits; use 50-50 with shampoo for rain rot, fungal dematitis; use full strength for thrush. Baby wipes - handy to have around the barn to clean your hands Baby oil - good way to shine up a dry coat, put a little on a rag; great for â€œtail itchâ€ Baby diapers - great for cuts and hoof abcesses Duct tape - to use with diaper on hoof abcesses; a quick no-stitch fix for a torn blanket; a million other uses! Hygrogen peroxide - good for cleaning out a dirty wound; also good for thrush Alcohol - cool down and brace a leg Spray bottles - who can have enough of these? Trash cans - rectangular office type - great for soaking a leg Starlight peppermints - My horses fav! Dishtowels - 3 or 4 for $1 - cheap enough to throw away; great for a variety of uses. Baby powder - great for riding boots; and skin chafing (humans) You get the drift - why pay the expensive tack store prices? Went to the tack store the other day and a bottle of betadine was $9.00 (same size as the dollar store!), empty spray bottles were $5.00, etc. Let's save money where we can. __________________ It seems that some creatures have the capacity to fill spaces you never knew were empty. Captain Jean Luc Picard

07-07-2006, 12:58 PM
Jazzy1 Newborn Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Ashton, MD Posts: 2	Ice Breaker I've been following Horsetopia for several months but finally had to give you my "helpful hint" that has saved my hands during the freezing winter months. Make a scoop out of a 1 gallon milk jug but leave the screw cap off. Now when you break the ice in a frozen bucket, just dip the ice out and let the water flow back into the bucket. Works like a charm! Saves you from wet, freezing gloves! __________________ A good deal gets better; a bad deal gets worse.

07-09-2006, 09:09 AM
greyhorse Halter broke Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 131	This thread is filled with great ideas! I have a few to add. Use granulated unflavored meat tenderizer for proud flesh. Scrub area well and sprinkle on. Wrap with a thin layer of gauze to keep flies off and to keep clean. Scrub and reapply. It does work. When cleaning a bit use toothpaste. It has a mild abrasive plus a good taste.

07-25-2006, 08:54 AM
Teapot Weanling Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: KY Posts: 343	For cuts, we use bacon grease. You know all those single socks that are sitting on top of your dryer waiting for the mate that has obviously skipped town...use them to apply topical ointments and fly spray. __________________ RIDE ON!

08-19-2006, 07:20 PM
Somethingducky Newborn Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Iowa Posts: 2	Athlete's foot cream will clear up scratches like a dream, just smear it on nice and think until it clears up. The cheap genaric stuff is just fine.

10-14-2006, 09:07 AM
NHIceGSD Yearling Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 819	I have found the greatest thing in the world for scrubbing buckets! I have battled for god knows how long with keeping all of the troughs on a 30 plus horse farm clean. It's called a "scumbuster" it's kind of like a dustbuster, but originally designed for bathroom use. It holds a charge nicely, we keep it plugged in right in the tack room, and it's cut our scrubbing time down ten fold! It's easy enough for the teenagers to use, so I don't have to haul myself over 15 acres to make sure troughs were correctly cleaned! Plus, it has all kinds of fancy attachments so what ever you need scrubbed, there is probably an attachment for ! __________________ Be Something You Love and Understand~ Lynard Skynard

10-25-2006, 11:50 AM
stat2404 Halter broke Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: sunny fla Posts: 82	hard to bridle Try Fruit roll up tape small amount wrapped around bit works great!!

11-22-2006, 10:27 AM
darkone7 Newborn Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 9	White Rain hair conditioner from the dollar stores is THE BEST at detangling manes and tails. Love the stuff on this thread!