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Facilities and Management

This guide addresses essential considerations for constructing equine housing that prioritizes horse welfare, safety, and efficiency. It examines the physical, social, chemical, and biological environments necessary for optimal horse living conditions. Key topics include stall space, ventilation, environmental temperature, and behavioral needs, ensuring that facilities meet both the horse's and handler's requirements. This resource also covers site selection, construction types, and regulatory aspects to create cost-effective and sustainable equine facilities.

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Facilities and Management

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  1. Facilities and Management AGRI 3364 Equine Science

  2. Housing • When housing is built for horses, what should it provide for? • Welfare of the horses • Safety, health, and comfort (horse & handler) • Efficient use of labor • Cost-effectiveness

  3. Welfare of Horses • Providing welfare of horses begins with what? • Understanding their natural environment • Environment involves four main areas • Physical • Social • Chemical • Biological

  4. Welfare of Horses • Physical Environment includes: • Temperature • Heat-Loss Factors • Stall Space • Feeder Space • Flooring

  5. Welfare of Horses • Social Environment Includes: • Behavioral Considerations • Sex of Horses • Age of Horses • Level of Activity

  6. Welfare of Horses • Chemical Environment Includes: • Water Quality • Various Gases • O2 • CO2 • NH3 • Air Contaminants (dust and mold)

  7. Welfare of Horses • Biological Environment Includes: • Disease organisms in air • Water • Feed • Stall Materials • Other Animals

  8. Welfare of Horses • Horses use • Flight as a primary defense mechanism • When threatened, frightened, or in pain: • Strike, bite, kick, or attempt to leave • Can injure themselves • Facilities should provide for the safety

  9. Welfare of Horses • Horses do not spend long periods of time confined under natural conditions • What may develop if confined for long periods? • Vices • What tends to minimize vices? • Adequate stall space

  10. Welfare of Horses • Fresh air should always be available in barns • CO2, water vapor, and manure need to be removed • Adequate ventilation will • Reduce air contaminants such as dust, mold, and irritating gases

  11. First Step in Building is Knowing the Recommended Space Requirements

  12. Buildings • Horses are housed in buildings primarily for convenience of handlers • As a result • Human environmental needs plays a major role in facility design • This may be a conflict with • The environmental needs of the horse

  13. Buildings • A horse can do well in nearly any temperature if: • Humidity can be held to a comfortable level • Enough air movement through barn • Conditions that are most detrimental are: • High moisture • Barn is either too hot or cold

  14. Buildings • What must be considered in the construction of a facility? • Purpose of facility • Number and breed of animals • Room for expansion • Regulatory requirements • Budget • Layout of facilities to day-to-day activities

  15. Site Selection • Local zoning requirements should be checked: • Some areas restrict the number of acres to house livestock • Distance of boundary lines, dwellings, and neighbors may also be regulated • If regulation cannot be met, approval from zoning board may be necessary

  16. Site Selection • Site should allow water to drain away from buildings, etc. • A site of 2 to 6 % slope provides rapid removal of water without causing erosion • Detailed site plan should be developed before making final decision • Allows to ensure sufficient space is allowed

  17. Site Selection • Plan should indicate where • Water, sewer, and electrical lines enter the building • Building should be situated to • Take advantage of prevailing winds and airflow

  18. Site Selection • Consideration should be given to: • Clients • Traffic • Impact on neighbors • Manure handling • Conditions in neighborhood that will startle or distract horses

  19. Site Preparation • Getting a particular location ready involves: • Removing topsoil • Leveling the area • Bringing utilities to site • Usually means that local contractor will be engaged

  20. Type of Construction • Buildings can be: • Metal frame • Pole • Conventional Construction • Type of structure may depend heavily of economic feasibility

  21. Options in the Building • Windows: • Expensive additions • Only essential in those structures that must conform to health regulations • When used for light, should equal 8 to 10% of floor area

  22. Options in the Building • Siding: • Metal • Low maintenance • Pre-painted, will last 15 to 20 yrs • Wood • Will withstand abuse • Better insulating value • Requires periodic painting or staining

  23. Options in the Building • Siding: • Masonry • Very little maintenance • High initial cost • Difficult to insulate • When used with steel-frame or pole buildings, requires a separate foundation

  24. Options in the Building • Roofing: • Aluminum or steel • White colored has slightly better reflective quality • Requires less roof framing than shingles • Lower Cost • Less insulating value than wood

  25. Options in the Building • Insulation: • Many choices of insulating material are available (Considerations include): • Cold buildings operated at outside temperatures • Buildings where animal heat provides only winter minimum temperatures • Buildings with supplemental heating systems

  26. Ventilation • A good ventilation system must: • Provide fresh air • Control moisture buildup within the structure • Move enough air to dilute any airborne diseases • Control and/or moderate temperature extremes

  27. Ventilation • The basic process that occurs with all successful ventilation systems is: • Cool, dry air is drawn into the building • Heat and moisture are added to the air • Warm, wet air is expelled • Failure to provide for any part of this process will result in failure to ventilate

  28. Flooring • Stall floors must be made of • Durable material that is not slippery • Should be absorbent, easy to clean, and resistant to pawing • Common materials include: • Clay, sand and clay mix, limestone dust, wood, concrete, asphalt, rubber mats

  29. Other Structures • Arena and indoor training facilities • Pasture shelters • Feed and water facilities • Should try to keep feed off ground • Water should be kept clean

  30. Fencing • Fences must be: • Safe and strong enough to contain the horses • Affordable and acceptable in appearance • Important in making the handling, moving, and sorting of horses easy

  31. Selecting the Right Fence • Type of Fence Depends on: • Type of horses being managed • Intended use of the area • Density of animals on the fenced area • Availability of shelter • Neighbors • Desired aesthetics • Projected budget

  32. Selecting the Right Fence • Draft vs. Miniature • Mare and foals • Yearlings • Stallions • Forage vs. Exercise pasture • Density

  33. Types of Fencing • Post-and-Board • Woven Wire • Pipe fence • High-Tensile Wire • PVC • Cable • Electric • Barbed Wire

  34. Manure Management • An average 1,000 lb horse produces: • ~ 9 tons of manure / year • How the manure is stored and treated has a substantial impact on its value • Labor, storage, and utilization costs can be considerable

  35. Manure Management • U.S. Horse Industry uses two principle manure management systems • First permits horses to • Graze full time on pastures and manure is not collected • Second system • Confines animal feeding which relies on intense management

  36. Manure Management • Manure is typically managed in one of the following ways: • Compost (removed daily and composted) • Stockpile (removed daily) • Daily Land Application • Removed daily and spread on land

  37. Manure Collection • Horses housed in confined settings require soft absorbent bedding • Most common bedding includes: • Wood shavings • Straw • Corn stalks • Shredded newspaper • Peanut shells • Peat Moss • Rice Hulls, etc.

  38. Pasture Management • Management in pastures depends primarily on • Having good distribution across pasture • Rotational grazing • What will also encourage better manure distribution? • Several watering facilitates and moving of feeding facilities

  39. Pasture Management • Avoid grazing during rainy periods if possible • Refrain from excessive stocking rates • Damage to grass stand will increase manure runoff

  40. Storage and Treatment • Composting: • Produces a relatively dry end product that is easily handled • At proper temperature, can kill fly eggs and larvae, pathogens, and weed seeds • Has less of an odor • Acts as an excellent fertilizer

  41. Storage and Treatment • Stockpiling: • Adequate storage area allows for greater flexibility • Proper site selection for manure disposal is important • Place stockpiles at least 150 feet away from surface water to avoid runoff

  42. Land Application • Manure can be applied to pasture for disposal • Manure spreader aids in uniform distribution of manure • Avoid spreading manure close to surface water or eroded areas

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