Inside And Out 12" Horse Stable Box Stall Front Horse Stable With Bamboo Board

Inside And Out 12" Stall Front Horse Stable With Bamboo Board

Natural ventilation is used in horse stables and riding arenas. Wind and thermal buoyancy (hot air rises) are the natural forces that drive this type of ventilation (Figure 3). Natural ventilation uses openings located along the sidewall and ridge (roof peak) to accommodate these air movement forces. (Figure 4 shows building terminology used in this publication.) The sidewall openings are more important than the ridge openings if stable design cannot accommodate both sets of openings. The stable ventilation system will work better when both ridge and sidewall openings are provided. The ridge opening allows warm and moist air, which accumulates near the roof peak, to escape. The ridge opening is also a very effective mechanism for winddriven air exchange since wind moves faster higher off the ground.

Wind is the dominant force in horse stable natural ventilation. With the variability in wind speed and direction, openings on the stable will frequently alternate between being an inlet for fresh air and an outlet for stale air. Wind will push air into the stable through openings on the windward side of the building while drawing air out of the stable on the leeward, or downwind, side. Once the wind speed is above about 1 mph, wind-driven ventilation will dissipate the effects of thermal buoyancy in horse stables. Since horse stables are typically unheated, they are considered “cold” housing. Thermal buoyancy (hot air rises) is dependent upon a temperature difference between the warmer stable interior, where the horses’ body heat will slightly warm the surroundings, and the cooler outside conditions. Because a properly ventilated stable has less than a 10°F difference between the stable interior and outside conditions, there is not a large temperature difference as a driving force for buoyant air movement.

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.

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