If you're feeding your horse any type of concentrated feed such as sweet feed, whole, crimped or crushed oats, beet pulp, bran, pellets or cubes you'll want the last scoop out of the bag to be as palatable and healthy as the first scoop. This means you'll need to pay some attention to where and how your horse's feed is stored. You'll also want to prevent your horse from 'helping itself' and overeating or providing a 24x7 buffet to all the neighborhood rodents.

Flummoxing Your Stable Houdini

You don't have to search too far to find stories of equine escape artists that have broken out of their stalls and into the store of feed. At best it's annoying to find open doors, scattered manure and spilled feed all over the place. At worst, a gorging of concentrates can cause colic or laminitis—both of which can be veterinarian emergencies. Horse-proof latches on stall doors and storage containers that can't be opened by horses are essential for health and safety.

Ideally, you should have a 'feed room' or perhaps a stall with latched bins well out of a loose horse's reach. The latches on the door and on the bin should close securely, preventing marauders big and small from breaking in. Storage bins can be made or purchased. Metal bins are preferable to plastic as mice and rats can easily chew through plastic and some wooden bins. Some people use old refrigerators or freezers. For safety, remove any locks that prevent the door from opening if a child should climb inside and drill several small holes in the top and sides for ventilation.

Metal garbage cans can be used, and are nice because you can easily move them and wash the out occasionally. They generally hold a bag or two of feed. Some have self-locking lids or you may have to rig up your own secure lock system. Simple carabiners might do the trick. Bungee cords for securing the lids aren't great because they can be knocked loose if a horse tips the can over and undoing them can be annoying.

Bulk Deliveries

If you're feeding large amounts of feed to several horses, you may have the option of having your concentrates delivered in a bulk truck. This means your bin will need to be large enough for several hundred pounds of feed, and the truck will need to access the feed room. Large wooden (thick walled) or metal boxes, with secure lids are good for this purpose. The downside of bulk feed orders—and sometimes smaller bags of feed that are only fed in small amounts, is that in hot or damp weather, the feed, especially if it contains molasses can sour and mold quickly. Only buy as much as you can feed within a short time when the weather is at its hottest. You might keep bags of feed in a cool, dry basement to keep it fresh. If you do this be aware that you might be attracting pests—not just to your barn, but house too.

Avoiding Unwanted Guests

Rodents do more than just eat feed, they also spoil it by defecating on it. This isn't healthy for you or your horse. Deer mice carry the Hanta virus, and while it's rare, inviting them to come snack at your barn probably isn't a great idea. Dissuade rodents by keeping feed secured, clean up spilled grain and keep a few barn cats around. You might try ultra-sonic noise units that are supposed to repel rodents, but the results were questionable. Most people object to the use of poison baits, but if a rodent infestation gets really bad it may be your only recourse. Rats, rabbits and other critters can cause a lot of damage to barn structures.

First In, First Out

Your horse feed should be served as you would the food from your fridge. Feed the oldest feed first so it doesn't just keep on getting older and staler. Clean out the bins occasionally, as some feeds have a tendency to clump and stick to the sides and bottoms. Vinegar and water are the easiest and safest things to use to clean cans, buckets and bins. All it takes is a little organization and you can ensure your horse's food is fresh and tasty.