Horse Stable Ventilation

The objective of ventilation is to get fresh air to the horse.

Ventilation involves two simple processes (Figure 1). One is "air exchange," where stale air is replaced with fresh air, and the second is "air distribution," where fresh air is available throughout the stable. Proper ventilation provides both; one without the other is not adequate ventilation. For example, it is not good enough to let fresh air into the stable through an open door at one end of the building if that fresh air is not distributed throughout the horse stalls. Nor is proper ventilation satisfied if a tightly closed stable uses interior circulation fans to move stale air around the facility.

Common Ventilation Questions

What are comfortable conditions?

A horse's most comfortable temperature range is between 45 and 75oF. Our most comfortable human temperature is at the upper end of the horse comfort zone. Clearly, horses tolerate cold very well and adapt to chilling breezes when housed outside. If conditioned to cold weather, horses with long-hair coats and adequate nutrition can withstand temperatures below 0oF. Even show horses with a short-hair coat can be maintained in a cold but dry indoor facility when provided with blankets and hoods. Within a box stall, horses have the freedom to move away from uncomfortable conditions.

What is a well-ventilated stable going to feel like?

The stable environment in winter is almost as cold as outdoors but comfortably dry with no condensation dripping from the structure. Cold and humid conditions are uncomfortable for both horse and human and lead to a stuffy, dank environment within the stall. Upon first entering a stable, make an objective evaluation about its air quality before you have adapted to those conditions. In hot weather, the stable temperature will be within a few degrees of outdoors and more comfortable due to shading from the sun.

During winter, horse stables should be kept no more than 5 to 10°F warmer than the outside temperature. This guideline helps assure fresh air conditions, but it also means freezing will occur inside stables in northern climates. It is a management mistake with regards to air quality and to your horses' health to close the barn tight just to keep conditions above freezing in cold weather. If condensation occurs on interior surfaces, then the stable is too closed off for proper ventilation.

Horse owners often want warm stable conditions for their comfort during horse care activities. Instead of heating the whole barn or cutting off ventilation to trap horse body heat, provide a heated grooming and tacking area. If freezing conditions cannot be tolerated, then supplemental heat will be needed in susceptible areas, such as the tack room or washing and grooming areas. Frost-proof, self-draining hydrants (Figure 2) and freeze-proof automatic waterers are available. Water pipes within the stable need to be buried to the same depth as supply plumbing to the stable site.