Take heart, fellow Pennsylvania equestrians, spring is almost here! Especially if you plan to put your farm on the market sometime soon, there’s no better way to get a head start on your spring cleaning than by starting with your barn. Now is a great time to re-vamp your stable when the weather isn’t great for riding, and with these tips on how to organize and de-clutter your space, your barn will be ready to roll when warmer weather comes around.
Take inventory of your tack room. Now is a great time to go through all of those tack trunks, boxes, and bins full of horse “stuff” that have been sitting around for years. If you haven’t used an item in over a year, ask yourself if it’s something worth hanging onto (like bits or basics like halters and leads in good repair), something that you should have tossed long ago (think broken tack that you thought you’d get fixed, but never did), or equipment that can be donated or given to someone else (blankets in the wrong size, or equipment for a discipline you no longer participate in). Toss, sell, or give away anything that isn’t useful, and watch in amazement as unused space appears in your tack room! Hang tack neatly on appropriate racks and hooks, and keep small items like boots, brushes, and whips contained in trunks or plastic bins.
Clean out the “junk corner.” Admit it, even the cleanest barn has a spot where “junk” piles up! Dusty buckets, pitchforks with broken tines, lead ropes with no snaps, and all those other things that you MIGHT use one day lurk in the “junk corner”. Clean up what’s useable, toss what’s not, and find a home for the useful items in your newly organized tack room.
Dust your barn from top to bottom. Even if you’re diligent with daily cleaning chores, dust and cobwebs accumulate over time in rafters, stall bars, and forgotten corners, so get up on a ladder, grab a broom, and attack those cobwebs! Your barn will not only look cleaner; removing cobwebs also makes barn fires less likely.
Check your fencing. Winter is tough on fences, and after a few months of snow, ice, and the freezing and thawing of the ground, your fencing may be looking a little sad. Make note of anything that needs to be replaced, and get materials ready to fix it up once the weather is better.
Taking the time and a little bit of elbow grease to complete these chores will have your barn looking clean and organized, as well as safe! If you’re planning to sell your Pennsylvania horse farm, potential buyers will better be able to envision their horses in a barn that’s spic and span. Happy cleaning!