Finding it difficult to schedule enough quality time in the barn these days? Worried that all your other obligations are going to mess with your horse’s need for regular feeding and his love of routine? Feel like you never have enough hands to get all the work done?

Never fear, my hapless, harried reader. Help is out there, in the form of automated feeders, waterers, and even stall mucking assistance devices. It might not be quite the barn-o-matic version of the future projected in those old “Jetsons” cartoons, but it can help you spend less time toiling over your horse, and more time enjoying him.

Saundra TenBroeck, PhD, University of Florida’s Department of Animal Sciences extension horse specialist, cautions, however, “These types of devices are potentially useful tools to augment horse care, but are not a replacement for routine management and attention to detail.” She stresses that automated devices should be used to improve what we’re doing, not necessarily replace what we are doing.

Here’s a quick look at what’s available