Horses like open spaces, but a horse barn is a necessity for many reasons. A quality horse barn offers: 

  • Protection from harsh weather conditions
  • A safe space for mares to foal
  • Easy access to their loved and valued animals 
  • A place to care for injured horses or those needing special care
  • A convenient way to separate dominant or aggressive horses from the others
  • A place to control a horse’s diet
  • A place to groom.

Whether a Belmont Stakes winner or pony, every horse deserves a quality horse barn.      

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) offers practical advice on disinfecting stalls, brushes, and buckets. Disinfectant, elbow grease and sunshine seem to be what is needed for a good clean. According to their expert, stalls should be scrubbed down every time a new horse moves in, as well as in the spring and fall. Although this is the ideal, we know it is not always practical. 

Besides developing muscle mass with all the scrubbing, what are other reasons for investing in a horse barn?        

Have All You Need In One Place

A horse barn allows you to have all you need for your animals in one place. Horse barns are more than just a building with comfortably sized stalls; a well-designed barn is indispensable on a farm. It is a busy space, especially during early mornings and late afternoons after exercise. Besides containing stalls, it serves as a tack room, feed room, hay storage area, wash bay and equine infirmary. 

Add a wash bay inside the horse barn, as horses and stalls still need to be cleaned during the cold winter months. But the design must allow water to flow away immediately via underground drainage, or it becomes a health and safety risk for everyone.  

It Is Better For Their Hooves

The correct footing in a barn is better for a horse’s hooves than frozen ground in the winter. Concrete floors are convenient for stall cleaning, but as you know, it is not so great for hoof health. Select the best footing you can afford. It should “mold” to the bottom of the foot, supporting the sole, frog, and hoof wall. If you are stabling on mats, add a lot of bedding, or a layer of gravel, to give the horses something pliable to stand on that packs into the foot. Although hoofs grow more slowly in the winter, they should be checked regularly. 

It Provides Shelter During Harsh Weather Conditions

A horse barn provides shelter during harsh weather conditions, whether that’s the intense cold in a Colorado winter, or an extreme heat wave during a dry summer.  A good horse barn must have adequate ventilation to make it as comfortable as possible for the horses during all weather conditions. The posts of pole barns such as those designed and built by Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing are widely spaced. The finished structure has fewer thermal breaks making it better insulated, enhancing ventilation, and improving the air quality. 

Pole barns can be fit with barn windows, eave openings, and a cupola for proper ventilation. Well-designed ventilation prevents cold air drafts from entering and disperses moisture that could form mold.

You Can Quarantine An Ill Horse

Sick horses should be kept in a barn to support their healing and provide the vet with easy access. If you don’t have enough horses for a separate building that serves as a hospital, create a dedicated area in your horse barn to quarantine ill horses. Design easy-to-clean stalls that can be closed off from the rest, but ensure they have good lighting for the vet and an area for veterinary supplies. If there are a few sick horses, keep them together to reduce their stress levels. If you have only one sick horse, stable a visitor in the stall next door to keep it calm.     

Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing is a pole barn and steel fabrication company in Colorado. We design and construct all types of post-frame buildings, also known as pole buildings or pole barns. Do you want a loafing shed or somewhere to store feed? We can help. If you need custom steelwork such as entry gates or signs, we can make them for you. When you need an indoor horse arena or horse barn, contact Peak Pole Barns and Manufacturing today.