Modern steel buildings can be built for just about any purpose under the sun. Agricultural steel buildings are popular fixtures in most farms and ranches all over the country because they offer the best protection and security to livestock and produce.
If you are planning to build a horse barn, you should consider agricultural steel buildings as your best option. One important design consideration in horse barns is ventilation or air quality. Aside from light and sufficient living space, provision for fresh air is crucial.
Poor air quality in horse barns has been proven to be the leading cause of poor performance, illness and possibly death in the current horse population. However, the problem is, most horse owners usually fail to address this issue.
Agricultural steel buildings can be designed for proper horse barn ventilation to keep the air healthy, fresh, and moving inside the structures.
It is good to know that in favorable climates, natural ventilation for agricultural steel buildings has become an attractive option for maintaining a healthy and comfortable indoor climate.
This means that for steel horse barns, owners will not have a problem dealing with the rancid smell of ammonia from degrading urine, build up of dusts, molds and other pathogens, which causes a wide variety of respiratory diseases that may lead to the death of horses.
Farmers, ranchers and horse enthusiasts who own agricultural steel buildings may consider the following when designing their horse barns.
Consider sitting the ridge of your steel barn perpendicular to the summer winds. This way, wind-induced ventilation is maximized to the fullest. However, make certain that summer winds have minimal obstructions.
The shape of the steel barn is another issue. Naturally ventilated agricultural steel buildings are usually narrow with a maximum width of 45 feet.
Provide ridge vents. A ridge vent is an opening at the highest point in the roof. Agricultural steel buildings with ridge vents are naturally ventilated because they allow air to come in and flow out of the structures.
Consider also having doors at each end of the steel horse barn. These can be left full or half open, depending on the weather. For example, during cold days, don’t close all windows and doors to keep the horses cozy. Instead, keep them half-open, with enough space to keep fresh air moving in and replacing the stale air inside, without making the insides drafty and uncomfortable.
Strive for cross-ventilation in agricultural steel buildings – because fresh air could never hurt a horse.