Horse Sense Keep Your Supply Full For Winter
Photo Courtesy of Daniel Johnson, Fox Hill Photo
Stockpiling Smart
Hay, Bedding, & Feed Planning for Small Operations
By Samantha Johnson
Life in the horse barn goes on even in the winter, but the chores can become a little trickier when you have to shovel a path to the gate, feed on dark, windy nights, and make sure your horses have access to fresh( unfrozen) water and a warm stall.
Since you take on extra horse chores during the winter, it makes sense to try to streamline other areas of your barn chores. Stockpiling your horses ' hay, feed, and bedding prior to winter can give you peace of mind and ease up your winter workload.
Hay Storage Ideas
Some barn designs offer hay storage in an upper loft, and this can be an efficient option for winter hay storage if you feed small square bales. Not only does this put your hay within easy reach— you don ' t have to go outside in the snow to get a bale— it also allows the hay to perform double duty as insulation.
You ' d be surprised how much a thick layer of hay above can help the lower region of the barn retain heat. Remember that it ' s best to store only cured hay in your hay loft for fire safety.
Even if your barn doesn ' t have a loft, perhaps you have an extra stall or two in the barn that isn ' t being used at the moment. Don ' t underestimate how much hay you can store in a stall— and it can be an extremely convenient location.
Enclosed pole barns make excellent hay storage, and
14 AcreageLife October 2026 AcreageLife. com