Horse Barn Ventilation

In a word: direction.

Fresh air needs to move in to your barn and stale, moist air needs to move out of your barn. If that air is blowing over your horses, it's a draft. Ventilation provides air movement without chilling your horse. Think of an open window on a cool evening. If your right next to it, it's cold. If your across the room, it comfortably cools the room.

Ventilation is important in a horse barn. A well designed barn ventilation system provides fresh air and removes respired moisture, dust and other contaminants.

Resist the temptation to seal up your barn to keep your horse 'cozy'. It's better to put an extra blanket on your horse than to keep them in a completely closed barn.

Closing off all air inlets/outlets will create clammy, damp conditions that can cause equine health problems. If you see fog, condensation or frost building up inside your barn, you may have a ventilation problem.

Ideally, you should have openings on both sides of the barn. The minimum inlet opening during extremely cold weather is one-half inch for each 10 feet of building width. During normal winter weather, both eave inlets should be opened about one inch per building width.

A well ventilated barn will provide a healthy, draft-free place for your horse.

Return From Horse Barn Ventilation To Horse Barns