Easy Ways to Improve a Horse Barn

With a little effort you can make improvements to your horse barn that make your horses more comfortable, preserve the life of your tack, or enhance your feed storage area. Any time you are constructing or building in a horse area, you should clean the area thoroughly and never allow horses in unfinished areas with splintered wood, protruding nails, or around other hazardous items.

  1. Insulation

    • Adding insulation can increase comfort and save money.

      Insulation can increase both your and your horses' comfort in either predominantly warm or cold climates, and also offers noise protection. An insulated room for storing grain can prevent spoilage, particularly in warm, humid climates. If you cannot afford to insulate the entire barn immediately, consider insulating just the tack room, allowing you to better control the temperature for tack storage. This preserves the investment that you have in your tack, prolonging its life.

    Fans

    • Ceiling fans are economical and provide air flow in hot summer months.

      Your barn must be ventilated and allow adequate air flow. If your barn is fairly enclosed, it may get unbearably warm when summer temperatures soar. Adding ceiling or wall fans throughout the barn, or in individual stalls, can help your horses stay cool and healthy in summer months. Make sure you install them high and far enough away from the horses so there is no contact if your horse rears or bucks, and that you secure any wall-mounted fans sufficiently.

    Automatic Waterers

    • Automatic watering systems are a time-saver and are not prohibitively expensive to install. These systems ensure that your horse has continuous access to clean drinking water in his stall 24 hours a day, without hauling water in buckets or dragging a hose from stall to stall. Take your horse to a barn with automatic waterers to see if he will drink from one, as it can take some horses time to adapt.

    Non-slip Flooring

    • Installing a non-slip surface to your barn floor, such as rubber mats or interlocking blocks, improves the safety and comfort of horses and the humans around them. In stalls, the cushion is easier on horses' feet and joints, and installing it partially up the stall wall adds even more protection for your equines. Rubber mats in the barn aisle can prevent your horse from slipping, particularly if you have a cement aisle. They are also comfortable for those working on your horses, such as veterinarians or farriers.