Scotts of Thrapston

Ventilation matters…

Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by Julia Berrie in Let's talk stables, Scotts News

The importance of ventilation for competitive advantage…

Recent research and modern theory have placed greater importance on draught free ventilation and raised awareness of the many benefits to the horse’s welfare.

Horses needs strong lungs, especially those in competition, and ventilation greatly affects their breathing and respiration, so providing good ventilation is a basic necessity for horses who are required to perform. The horse’s anatomy, with its respiratory passages close to its mouth, also means that there is an ever-present risk of contagious spore infection from anything that it might smell or eat.

The majority of older stables simply do not offer adequate ventilation; therefore horse owners should take this topic very seriously. Scotts of Thrapston has highlighted the basic principles of ventilation and provides some useful advice here to check whether the current levels of ventilation in your horse’s home is adequate.

The fundamental principle is fresh air, which should be continually available. Stale air should be expelled, but without introducing draughts.

To achieve good ventilation you don’t require mechanical extraction; it can be achieved by careful provision and positioning of adequate air inlets and vents when the building is being designed.

To check that you are providing the best levels of ventilation for your horse, follow these tips in your own yard:

• Boxes should not be sited immediately adjacent to large trees or other obstructions that may affect the free flow of air through the building. If they are, try to reduce the obstruction by keeping trees well trimmed

• Plenty of headroom within the stables is recommended as it increases the volume of air in each box and goes a long way to avoiding the problem of bad air. For example, Scotts standard height to eaves is 2.4m, and with a 25 degree roof pitch provides the perfect ridge height of 3.6m

• Check the air travelling through the window does not blow directly onto the horse. On a windy day this could cause muscle stiffness. Louvred windows can direct wind up into the box for better airflow. On windless days this type of window also works well with the stack effect – the heat rising from the horse draws in fresh air from the outside as the warm air rises past the louvres

• Install a top door at the rear of the stable to increase the cross flow ventilation and keep the stable fresh

• Steeper roof pitches form good resistance to wind currents and help promote ventilation in the box. Scotts employ their unique scissor trusses which offer increased space and headroom and therefore improved airflow inside

• Low roof pitches are prone to condensation and lack adequate air flow which will adversely effect the respiratory performance of the horse; they are also more likely to have corners, which encourage stagnant air

• A fully vented roof ridge can be added to the stable, as an additional feature, helping the wind passing over the ridge to create vortices that suck out some of the air from the box, increasing air movement within the box while not creating draughts. If this is not possible then a roof vent every two to three loose boxes should help

• Large overhangs create resistance to the wind hitting the wall of the building and the wind is deflected up into the soffit vents, increasing the ventilation rates within the stable. A 1.2m overhang is fitted as standard to a Scotts loose box

• Gable end vents provide cross ventilation and should be installed at the end of a stable block

• Don’t forget your tack room. To keep tack in prime condition it is necessary to have good ventilation and heating needs to be at a constant temperature to protect the leather without drying. Blanket rooms should also have some degree of high-level cross-ventilation to remove the humidity in the air that has been extracted from the wet blankets.

For more advice and further information please telephone 01832 732366.

Tags: rear top stable doors, Scotts of Thrapston, stable block, ventilation for timber stables