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Is a steel arch building safe to use as a horse barn2007-11-24 21:17:51

We just purchased our first country home and we want to get horses. There are 83 acres, so I know we have plenty of room. What I am trying to determine is if we can use the existing steel arch building as a horse barn (with some modifications) or if we would need to construct something new.

The steel building is very well constructed and anchored to a concrete footing...I am mostly worried about ventilation & heat/cold. We are in TN and it can get up to 100 in the summer and down to 10 in the winter...

Any ideas or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. I am thinking if we add a ventilation system & some stalls we'd be ok, but I just want to get some more educated opinions.

Answers:

Yes it is fine - Many of todays barns are built of steel because of the fire hazard issue. You can purchase insulation that is incased in plastic and held on by clips and wire for the ceiling. That is a must esp if you have the arch type with a lower ceiling and not the straight sided arch. In the summer you want to keep the air moving OUT at the top of the arch, in the winter you want to move it down. (of course you know this.) Summer cooling is more important than winter warming. Blankets and hay will keep horses warm. So you must vent the ends and blow air out at the top and keep the doors open but keep it as dark as possible. Flys are attracted to the outline of a horse's shape and light. If it is dark they can't see the horse, so we put up black rubber that is sliced into 8" strips and hangs to the ground. Tie the rubber back for a few days so they get use to it and let a few strips down a day. If your barn area is going to be long you can put a gate up to keep the guys out of your tack area. Our horses have free access to the barn and when the bugs are bad and its hot they go in and crowd to the darkest corner of the isle and sleep. The rest of the time the eat grass and play. I never realized how much horses hate stalls until we gave them a choice. In the winter they will have icicles hanging off of them and won't go into the barn unless it is very windy, cold and raining. We don't pick stalls anymore - once in a great while we may have to pick up manure from the isle, most of the time they come out of the barn and do the deed and we collect it once a week with the bucket on the tractor. What a deal. Also if you are going to have shoes on them rubber mats are a must if they have free access to the isle. (Barefeet are ok on concrete - not as likely to slip and fall.)Stalls are still a good idea at dinner time - unless you have the time to stand there and babysit. Horses can hurt themselves on everything - so make sure the arch back walls are at least 10' high where their stall walls are. If you have the sloped walls you should really build back stall walls away from the arch. A horse when spooked could have a hard time interpreting how low the arch is and hit his head. Also dividing walls between the stalls should be open at about 5' again for ventilation and also if horses are stalled they like to see their buddies. You can use thick wire mesh made for stalls or wooden slats (but horses get bored and chew) between the upper areas. 10X10 is a good size 12X12 is ideal. Gee what a treat you are in for. If you are set up for it I would recommend letting the horses choose when to go to shelter. Access to a treed area in the summertime as well as a dark run in shed is mentally and physically healthy for horses than a stall. Now if you are buying that big dollar show horse than the stall is a must - horses get scrapes, bumps and bruses every day playing in the pasture and trees. Take them off the trees in the winter time. Without pasture to keep them busy - horses are meant to eat about 20 hours a day - the will eat the bark off the trees. A very good permanent or temporary pasture is electric rope - buy white - it shows up. Set up wooden posts for corners and 12' gates (a must if you want to drive a truck and hay trailer through.) Don't use regular electric wire unless it is in place. Again horses don't see it as well - and we've had a few get caught in it. ROTATE YOUR PASTURE. Can you tell we've made our share of mistakes? we bought our first horse when we were 42 - now we are trainging others. I'm working my second colt. He is going to be a keeper. If you have any specific ? I think you can respond to me. Good Luck and have fun. Jessie

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Yes, it is perfectly fine!

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it will definitly get too hot in the summer b/c of the metal. you can put in instilation and some kind of ventilation system an it should work.

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Does it have door ways on both ends for a breeze to blow through? You can always add windows in the stalls for the breeze too, and close it up in the winter. Definitely fans will help in the summer.