Since the winter season is fully upon us—and in our last blog post we covered cold weather care for your backyard chickens—we thought it might be useful to have our experts give you the scoop on how to prepare your horse barn for winter!
Your horses should have proper shelter to retreat to all year, but protection and preparation becomes especially important in the face of the winter elements. Make sure your horse barn is up to the job before the next cold front hits!
1) Do a walkthrough to check for problems.
Checking the structural integrity of your barn should be first on your list for winter horse care. Identify necessary repairs and potential safety issues at the start of the season, before the weather gets bad, so they can be addressed. Ensure your doors, windows, roof, stall boards, eaves, gutters, and door latches are all in good condition.
2) Optimize the ventilation in your barn.
The moisture that hangs around in the winter air combined with the heat pumping in your barn can seriously stifle your airflow. Poor ventilation can cause respiratory illness in your horses, bacteria growth, and structural damage from rotting, rust, and ruined insulation. Make sure your mechanical ventilation system is in good working order, and don’t forget to take advantage of natural insulation in your barn as well—windows, grilled or mesh stall partitions, etc.
Bonus Tip: If you notice condensation forming on your barn windows, you know your ventilation system isn’t up to par.
3) Stock up on supplies.
The other important aspect of winterizing your horse barn is to keep it filled with everything you need to ensure your horse is happy and healthy for up to two weeks at a time, in case of a weather emergency. Stockpile feed and keep it on hand, accounting for the extra calories your horses will need to continue burning energy to stay warm.
Have a reserve of horse blankets, stored water, and bedding for insulation and comfort. Don’t forget to store a couple of shovels and stall mats in your barn for snow, ice, and mud control when the weather starts to worsen.
There’s no need to worry about your horses in any season when you invest in a run-in shed, shedrow barn, or aisle barn from Deer Creek Structures! Our horse shelters can be purchased pre-built or customized to fit your individual needs and are constructed to last for years to come.
Give us a call at 254-546-2276 to see which barns we have on the lot for you to take home today!