b'FARM&BARN DAVID PRESTONTheHorse.com/FarmandBarnFarm FreshHow to create a well-ventilated horse barnS tagnant, humid air can be the bane of your barn. Its damage might be obvious in your horses chronic cough or the peeling paint on your stall doors. Or it might be insidious, such as rotting wood in hard-to-see places that affects the buildings structural integrity. Fortunately, you can take simple steps to 2019 MORTON BUILDINGS INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDimprove the ventilation of your existing barn and consider certain design ele-ments when building a new one. Why it Matters Poor ventilation and its associated high humidity levels reduce your barns life span by giving rise to wood rot and rust, as well as providing a welcome home for destructive insects such as termites and carpenter ants. Mold grows in feed bins,Barn ventilation features include air inlets and outlets, ridge vents, cupolas, overhangs, and windows.and paint peels. Ammonia fumes from urine make the barn an unpleasant envi- can lead to asthma, allergic respiratoryelevation than the ground outside using a ronment for horses and handlers alike. disease, and upper respiratory viruses likedense, packable material such as Class I Barn ventilation is a crucial ingredi- influenza and herpes.sand. Make sure the outside grade slopes ent to aid in the control of temperatureThe two fundamentals of ventilationaway from the barn at a 1-to-12 pitch and condensation, to address airfloware keeping moisture out and constantly(one vertical inch for every 12 horizontal) and temperature regulation, and can,moving fresh air through the structureor more. On my horse property, because therefore, have a significant impact uponwithout creating drafts that stir up excessof a hill on one side, I had to cut the slope the occupants, says Larry Schwering,airborne particulate matter.away from the barn about 6 feet, then an equine architect based in Lexington,back up. The ensuing swale routed the Kentucky. Ventilation can also aid in theKeeping Moisture Outrunoff to the back of the barn, where the removal of objectionable odors, maintainEveryone knows you need a good roofterrain allowed it to drain away naturally. optimum indoor air quality, and can be ofto provide shelter from precipitation, butIf you have an indoor water hydrant, assistance in maintaining optimal animaldid you know the ground is a significantmake sure you have a functioning drain health. moisture source, too? If your barn doesntaway from the barn. Mine runs in a Indeed, of most concern are poor venti- have enough exterior ground slope away4-inch pipe below the barn floor to a lations effects on your horses well-being. from it, rain runoff will percolate intoFrench drain about 50 feet outside the Horses eat with their heads down,soil near the barn and, eventually, withinbuilding. I created my drain by digging a which limits their ability to clear dustit. With age and compaction, stall floorhole, filling it with coarse aggregate, and and debris away from their respiratoryelevations can end up below the outsidecovering it with soil and grass, effectively systems, says Eric Peterson, DVM, agrade. Water will migrate through soilmaking it invisible. partner at Equine Medical Associates, inand stall bedding to the lowest spot. YouAnother potential moisture source is Lexington, Kentucky. Plus, they are truemight see standing water, or the surfacethe condensation that can develop on nose-breathers. All of this underlines themight simply be damp, allowing moistureinterior barn walls and ceiling surfaces. need to keep airborne particulate matterto evaporate into the barn atmosphere.This is most likely to occur when own-to a minimum, along with mold, mildew,To solve this common problem, bringers close barns up during cold weather, and dust-borne bacteria. These issuesall interior barn surfaces to a higherreducing ventilation.TheHorse.com|The HorseNovember 201947Untitled-9 47 9/26/19 1:23 PM'