Believe it or not, winter is just around the corner and it’s time to start preparing your barn. These tips will help you to get your barn ready to weather the coming winter.

Make Paint Touch-Ups

Now is the time to touch up any exterior wood which needs new paint or stain. Paint or stain can help your barn exterior or wooden fencing to weather the winter, especially if you live in a harsh climate. If you’re going to paint, do so quickly – soon the temperatures will dip and you won’t be able to paint anymore.

Inspect and Repair Pasture Fences

Try to build some time into your schedule to go out and inspect your pasture fences. If you have a lot of acreage, try to get some friends or riding buddies to help you. The last thing you want to contend with during the winter is a loose horse – or worse, a loose herd of horses – so fixing and strengthening your fencing now is a wise idea. Plus, it’s much easier to repair fences now than it will be when the snow falls.

Make a Plan for Providing Water

Frozen water buckets and water troughs are one of the fun aspects of winter in a horse barn. Do yourself a favor by coming up with a plan to provide water to your horses during the winter now. Consider using heater water buckets and a heated water trough, but don’t forget to stock up on heavy duty, exterior use electrical cords to keep things powered. If you have heaters from previous years, get them out and make sure they still work.

Tune Up Plowing Machinery

Possibly the most important task of all, make sure your plowing machinery is tuned up and running. If you don’t handle your own plowing, then check in with the plowing service that you use and make sure you’re on their client list for this winter.

Maintain Pasture Footing

We all know the muddy ruts that pastures can form when the snow and ice arrives, but did you know that good pasture maintenance now can make a big difference in the winter? If your gate or feeding areas in your pastures always turn wet and muddy, consider installing Stable-Ity Grids. Stable-Ity Grids help to create proper drainage, keeping the footing above them from turning into muck. Your horses will thank you this winter when they can walk across even ground.

Winter is possibly the most difficult season when you have a horse farm, but by taking care of some of these chores ahead of time, you’ll be well-prepared for when winter does arrive.

Original Source: Tips to Help You Prepare Your Barn for Winter