We blinked and summer happened. Well, hello fall! Here are five tips to help you get your horses ready for the winter months ahead. Burrrr!

Tips

1. Clean your tack! It's been a long, hot summer, give your saddle, bridle, and other leather tack a nice clean and condition. This can include your martingale or a leather halter. Cleaning your tack regularly keeps it protected through the cold months and it will extend the life of its use.
2. As the weather shifts to shorter days, it's a good idea to begin applying a conditioner to your horse’s hooves. Consider using an all-natural dressing that will help keep moisture in, and promote hoof growth through the cold months.
3. Most of us have wet and cold winters. Make sure you have a thrush remedy on hand for any prolonged damp weather.
4. Pull your winter blankets and stable sheets out of storage. Check for holes, dirt, or rips well before you need to use them. By doing this ahead of time, you will have time for cleaning and repair. I use 2 caps fulls of Bye Bye Odor® Concentrate mixed (about 0.5oz) in a 32oz bottle with every blanket I run through the machine cycle and while I do this at the end of winter use, it's nice to freshen them up at the top of the season as well.
   
   Also, you can add the whole 4oz bottle to a 2.5 gallons sprayer for larger barns. Once mixed with water the Bye Bye Odor solution should be used in 60 days. In the concentrate form, it lasts for 2 years.
   
   You can spray Bye Bye Odor directly on urine and poo spots on your horse's blankets until you have time to wash them. Blanket Safety Tip: Fix the rips before they become holes and patch the holes before the blanket is completely destroyed.
5. Strip the stalls and clean your horses bedding thoroughly. I spray Bye Bye Odor on my horse’s urine spots daily but, twice a year, I strip the stalls completely and spray Bye Bye Odor over wet spots and up the stall walls because urine often splatters. Twice a year, deep clean, spray everywhere, including muck buckets, forks, your muck boots, horse trailer, truck floorboards, any fabric furniture in the barn office, and anywhere else that needs refreshing. It not only makes the barn smell great, but also consumes the ammonia which can create respiratory inflammation in your horses.

Cheers to Fall 2024!