How to Keep Your Horse Barn Cool This Summer

Let’s face it: when it comes to keeping your prefabricated barn at a temperature that is suitable for your horses, many options arise. Should you opt for fans? Opening doors and windows? Ventilation systems? Or, perhaps shading is the way to prevent overheating by taking into account the placement of local trees, shrubbery and buildings. 

Although you are correct to assume that any of -or a combination of- these choices is a great place to start, there is more to understand about cooling wooden and metal horse barns before making a decision about which is the selection for you.

Weighing Which Options Are the Perfect Fit for Your Horse’s Needs

You might be surprised to learn that many horse owners choose fans as the primary source of keeping their barn cool during the hot season. A common second runner-up is keeping available doors and windows open to circulate natural breezes and currents. 

If your horses have an aversion to other popular cooling agents, such as equestrian misters, these alternatives might seem attractive. But are they truly the only -or best- options available to you? 

If insulating your barn is more your style, try exploring barrier products made with woven film and aluminum radiant barrier coatings. Don’t have a horse barn yet? No problem! There are plenty of steps you can take before investing in your final purchase that will maximize your ability to keep your horses at a comfortable temperature. Read on.

Building Placement to Maximize Ideal Temperatures

Although cooling methods such as misters are great options for many individuals, some livestock and horses are easily spooked by such systems. If this is the case you find yourself in, why not consider an alternative placement for your existing horse barn, or moving your storage system to a better location?

Some characteristics that are typical of suitable placement points for equestrian barns include:

• Technological Ventilation Sources
• Natural Ventilation
• Lighting
• Landscape
• Accessibility
• Local restrictions

When planning the site for your new or pre-existing modern horse barn, you should consider the sources available for quality ventilation. These might include any fans, vented roof ridges or eaves. In addition, you should consider whether mechanical sources of ventilation are suitable for your environment. 

As a rule of thumb, you should provide plenty of inlet space when placing exhaust fans! Although it may be tempting to pair a fan size to an inlet, such as buying a 12-inch fan and coupling this with a 12-inch shutter, you should proceed with caution. 

According to most experts, you should plan to consult your fan company provider to understand the features and limitations of your individual inlet spacing requirements. 

Roll-up curtains aren’t just for the home anymore! You can plan to incorporate these into your modern horse barn design to boost ventilation while minimizing materials that can stand to get in the way.

Have a hilly backyard? Or one that floods easily? All of these things (and more variables!) should be taken to heart while deciding where to place your existing or future horse barn. No one knows your property better than you: use this to your advantage while planning the layout of your structure. As a rule of thumb, plan to keep 75 feet between your house and your livestock.   

The Long Short Of It: What Will YOU Ultimately Enjoy?

During these times, we can all agree that it is important to take into account what layout works for you, your family and your lifestyle. More than ever, we are all spending time at home and wondering about the ways we might optimize our current situation and environment!

Have a massive, perfectly placed living room window with a view of rolling countryside? Why not plan to incorporate your prefabricated barn into the picture? You can plan other enhancive features, like gardens or livestock areas, while taking into account the slightly nature of your property.

Next Steps: Contact Raber Portable Storage Barns

Now that you understand more about how to keep your horses cool this summer, do not hesitate to reach out to ask how we can upgrade or compliment your current portable storage systems.

View our website to access testimonials from our loyal customers, as well as those who tried our service and were delighted on the first visit! Peruse our photo gallery of high-quality metal, aluminum and wooden horse barns to find your perfect match.