A comfortable barn can be a real pleasure to horses and horse owners alike. A refuge from intense summer heat and the bitter cold of winter. Besides comfort, good barn design is of critical importance to the health of horses stabled there. Planning and design affect temperature, dust levels, humidity, and ammonia vapor in barns. All of these have serious health consequences for our horses:

• Equine Asthma: though most horsemen are familiar with a barn cough, most do not realize this is a early harbinger of Equine Asthma or commonly known as COPD or Heaves. This is caused by exposure too high a mold spore count.
• Pneumonia: Ammonia vapor, even below levels detected by smelling, is both irritating and immune suppressive, particularly to foals.
• Anhidrosis: unshorn horses are tolerant of the cold but quickly become uncomfortable when hot. When constantly overheated they can exhaust their ability to sweat, a condition that becomes permanent over time.

This article discusses some basic elements of barn design and location.

Ventilation affects all the important environmental factors in a barn. There are two methods of ventilating barns: fans and natural ventilation. Because horses tolerate low temperatures well, designing for maximum natural ventilation has the advantage of saving on energy cost and is not affected by power failures. Good natural ventilation in a barn is the result of:

• Design and materials
• Location placement
• Orientation to the sun and prevaling winds

When natural ventilation is not sufficient, fans can be employed.

Vents

Both ridge-peak and eave vents should be employed. They should run the length of the building. The warm, moist barn air rises and exhaust out the ridge opening. This chimney-effect may account for only a small percent of the total ventilation if the inside and outside temperature are similar. Natural ventilation is increased when the wind blows over and through the vents. This creates a suction and/or forced air circulation that removes air from the barn which is replaced by fresh air from lower air inlets.

When ceilings are present these vents will help keep heat from building up in the attic, which in turn helps keep the lower building cooler.

Windows, Shudders, and Doors

Windows or shudders in the stalls and on both ends of the barn allow for a great amount of flexibility to ventilate the barn. When ever adverse conditions occur in the barn they can be opened and, when adequate, correct many of the ills of the barn environment. Perhaps of greatest benefit are large doors on both ends of the barn to allow for a cross ventilation when both are opened.

Fans

When natural ventilation fails to keep the barn's environment dust and ammonia free, or cool enough for comfort, fans can be a big help. They can be employed in two ways: exhaust barn air and provide air circulation over the horse. Best are large exhaust fans on the roof to remove the hot air from a barn. Large space fans should be placed at doors so as to exhaust air from the barn. When used to blow air into the barn there is a tendency to raise dust off the floor. If the horses are still uncomfortable small fans can be employed to blow directly on the horse. Inexpensive window box fans work well.

Winter Ventilation Considerations