Horse farms use straw as bedding in stalls, making supply a necessity. Because stalls are mucked out daily and cleanliness is important to the well being of every horse, fresh straw is needed constantly.
The straw truck arrives at Barn 2 for a shipment of six hundred bales of straw. We are stocking up for winter and taking into consideration the large stall size that is standard in every barn at the main farm, 16 foot by 16 foot compared to a normal stall size of 12 foot by 12 foot, and the upcoming foal season.
The straw has been shipped from Indiana and is ready to be unloaded into the loft. A crew of 16 begins the unloading process with dollies ready and the bale conveyor leading from the truck bed to below to the loft entrance..
The assembly line begins with two people on the bed of the shipping truck moving bales to the bed of the lower truck. The bales are then put on the conveyor belt, which clutches on with metal spikes taking the bales upwards. At the top, a two-person team retrieves the bales and places them on the dollies that then maneuver the straw to the perfect storage location.
Each person wears gloves and picks are used to move and pick up the bales to prevent cuts and injury. For structural security, the straw is placed evenly across the loft for equal weight distribution. There are no more than four bales per pile and no piles are located in the cross ways of the dormer windows.
Within forty-five minutes, all six hundred bales have been unloaded and placed accordingly in the barn’s loft. The entire operation is completed in a smooth, orderly fashion and the team returns to normal work.