Barn Lingo

Here are some words and phrases that may be new to you and help you to feel more “at home” at Spring Brook Farm:

  • Stall- the spaces where the animals reside
  • Aisle-the area in the The Barn between the animal stalls
  • Hay- what most of the animals at The Barn eat
  • Hay Flake- a slice of a hay bale that measures the amount of hay given to the animals
  • Straw- the yellow bedding in each of the stalls; sometimes the animals chew on the straw, but it is different from the hay that they eat
  • Barnyard- the fenced-in courtyard area outside the stalls
  • Nature Center- the shaded picnic table area at the base of the tree house ramp, next to the hayride ramp
  • Loft- the upstairs area of The Barn
  • Balcony- the area above the loft; the only part of The Barn that is accessed by stairs
  • Picking out the stalls/mucking- expression used to describe cleaning the animals’ stalls
  • Halter- essentially a collar for horses and donkeys; it goes around their noses, under their chins and behind their ears
  • Lead rope- attaches to the horses’ and donkeys’ halters and helps walk the horses and donkeys; its function is similar to a dog’s leash
  • Fly mask- mesh cover that goes over the horses’ and donkeys’ ears and eyes when they are outside, preventing flies from bothering them
  • Grazing Muzzle- attaches to horses’ and donkeys’ halters when they are turned out to graze in pastures; a small hole in the muzzle limits the amount of grass they can eat.