Winter is certainly coming and with British weather being typically uncertain, it pays to ensure your outbuildings, including more bespoke builds such as wooden stables, are equipped.
The stables we design and build with our clients, including this yard in Surrey, are constructed using green oak which is hard-wearing to such changing elements. When it comes to maintaining the inside, we have listed the following top tips on how you can prepare your wooden stables for winter.
Start with a pre-winter clean
Let’s begin with a good old deep clean. Winter is the season where horses especially are indoors more than other times of the year, which can increase the risk of infections. High ammonia levels, when not disinfected, can also lead to respiratory problems so now is the perfect time to strip out your stables and get stuck in before leaving to dry out fully.
Check the ventilation
Once cleaning has been ticked off your list, you can then begin looking for any pesky draughts which may have been less apparent during the summer. At the same time you can check your windows are opening and closing easily to guarantee optimum ventilation.
Building maintenance for wooden stables
Before the cold weather hits, it’s good to survey the conditions of your oak outbuildings. This will ensure the safety of your animals and your equipment from hazards such as unstable roofs. In terms of electrics, now is the perfect time to replace that bulb which blew in the autumn and check your lighting in general to see if you need to put a backup plan in place for power shortages.
For the guttering, check it’s clear, especially after heavy rainfall, and thoroughly insulate pipes against hard frosts. Last but not least, you could install rubber mats to the floor of your wooden stables to act as bedding while providing an anti-slip surface.
Ensure access points are clear
Throughout winter, especially in the snow, it’s likely you’ll be visiting your stables more often. If nasty weather makes access challenging, we are all aware of how a slight emergency can turn into a disaster. So to keep all your access points clear, you could store a generous supply of salt to cover icy walkways, have a can of WD-40 at the ready to spray into all stable door locks, and apply Vaseline to seals to prevent doors from freezing shut.
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