Cold Weather, Hot Weather... And the Effect of Airflow on Your Horse
Horses closed up in stalls are prone to health issues due to dust, endotoxins, urine, feces, etc. I have boarded my horse at 9 different barns in the 15 years I have owned him, moving 13 times for various reasons from lack of proper care, raised board fees, death of the owner, to simply not getting along with owners or boarders. Some were small family barns, others large public barns. All varied in the degree of airflow from too much (a wind tunnel) to not enough (stifling and hot inside). Some offered windows of various sizes or even run-outs so the horses could remain outside if they wished or go in if the weather was bad. Barns! The worst, however, (something I find mostly in larger barns), are barns with no windows and are shut up at night (one barn I was at even shut the place up and locked it all summer, the horses sweating horribly inside). Barns can get hot at night with the heat of the horses' bodies (even winter, so keep blanketing in mind). I've seen hors