As our understanding of horse health and behavior has improved over the years, barns have changed–a lot. No longer are they just places to house horses. Today’s owners now approach barns and other farm structures with horse and human health, environmental impact, efficiency, and economics in mind.

“People are extremely particular, they have a critical eye, and demand more from their facilities,” says Dennis Marion, owner of Innovative Equine Systems, in Minden, Nev. “They spend more time with their animals, treating their barns like home.”

This evolution has prompted the development of products to meet these demands, from modern building materials, to gadgets that reduce environmental impact, to items that lighten the barn chore load.

Linda Royer, founder and co-owner of Equine Facility Design in Oregon City, Ore., says, “I think owners are more knowledgeable about things like ventilation, good lighting, and health and safety aspects of stabling beyond just the basic housing of horses, and this has come through better education from books and publications