Farm Hacks

In no particular order, some unexpected things that have made my life easier over the past year and a half of having horses at home:

Stock trailer with no ramp: Horse doesn't want to load? Hauling a few bales of hay? Have a horse that prefers to haul loose? You need one of these, I LOVE a trailer without a ramp and the horses like the open, inviting space provided by a stock trailer.

 

4 wheeler: I have a Polaris Sportsman Ace (in picture). Four wheelers are great because 1) Fun 2) Can fit muck bucket or hay on the back 3) Can set up with sprayer for applying herbicide to pastures 4) Habituate horse to ATV traffic 5) Fun 

 

Zip ties: Just go ahead and get the mega-pack that comes with all different sizes. One of my favorite uses for these are halter/haybag/trailer tie break-aways. They look clean and neat and break easily in panicky situations. 




Weedwhackers that don't suck: Thinking of getting the "homeowner" model? Think again. It is absolutely worth it to shell out for a pro weedwhacker that will actually hold up for farm use (ie. you will spend more time actually weedwhacking, less time searching for the pieces of the head that blew apart because you tried to cut through something rough). I love the Stihl weedwhackers.
 

Extremely high tech, expensive hay feeding device: This is a "harvest bin" designed for storing fruit. It also works great for keeping hay off the ground and reducing waste, plus if the horses destroy it you are not out $700+.



What do you think? I want to hear everyone's farm hacks and tips!