Transcript Buildings and Equipment

AGRI 3364 Equine Science
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
Welfare of Horses

 Providing welfare of horses begins with what?
 Understanding their natural environment
 Environment involves four main areas
 Physical
 Social
 Chemical
 Biological
Welfare of Horses

Physical Environment includes:
Temperature
Heat-Loss Factors
Stall Space
Feeder Space
Flooring
Welfare of Horses

Social Environment Includes:
Behavioral Considerations
Sex of Horses
Age of Horses
Level of Activity
Welfare of Horses

Chemical Environment Includes:
Water Quality
Various Gases
 O2
 CO2
 NH3
Air Contaminants (dust and mold)
Welfare of Horses

Biological Environment Includes:
Disease organisms in air
Water
Feed
Stall Materials
Other Animals
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
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
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
First Step in Building is Knowing the
Recommended Space Requirements

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
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
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
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
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
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
Site Selection

Consideration should be given to:
Clients
Traffic
Impact on neighbors
Manure handling
Conditions in neighborhood that will
startle or distract horses
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
Type of Construction

Buildings can be:
Metal frame
Pole
Conventional Construction
Type of structure may depend heavily
of economic feasibility
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Selecting the Right Fence

Draft vs. Miniature
Mare and foals
Yearlings
Stallions
Forage vs. Exercise pasture
Density
Types of Fencing

 Post-and-Board
 Woven Wire
 Pipe fence
 High-Tensile Wire
 PVC
 Cable
 Electric
 Barbed Wire
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
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
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
Manure Collection

 Horses housed in confined settings require soft
absorbent bedding
 Most common bedding includes:
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Wood shavings
Straw
Corn stalks
Shredded newspaper
Peanut shells
Peat Moss
Rice Hulls, etc.
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
Pasture Management

Avoid grazing during rainy periods if
possible
Refrain from excessive stocking rates
Damage to grass stand will increase
manure runoff
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
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
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