Advice on fan situation

[ridingonchance]

Hey y’all,

Hoping I can get some advice on something.

So my horse is in Scottsdale, AZ where the temperature in the summer can be 120 at the hottest and stays about 100 even at night throughout the summer. I board at a facility that changed ownership and 99% of the boarders have left, so the majority of the horses belong to the program. The new BO has been doing upgrades around the facility which is great, but they have put all the fans on the same switch in my mare motel, so at night (when they turn out all their own horses) they shut off all the fans. My horse and another boarder’s stay in because there are no more turn outs available. Before I leave in the evening I turn them on again but they are always off when I get here in the morning. And in a stall that is wood on three sides there isn’t a lot of circulation (even though it’s better than an indoor stall).

So I guess my question is what do I do. I know some people think they don’t need the fans at all, but I really think it makes a difference in this desert weather… A factor would be the cost, which I understand coming from the BO’s perspective, except for I pay $750 for a mare motel so I feel like that should include a fan 24/7 in the summer. Do I offer to pay to have an electrician make it so I can switch mine on alone? Do I just let it be what it is? How much does it really cost to run 1 fan?

Thank you in advance

[PrincessPonies]

I completely get this. When my horse was on stall rest and was the only one in I made sure she got a fan on 24/7 it seems to make a difference and if nothing else she enjoys it. Though all our fans were on one switch as well I provided an extra box fan that we could turn on and off depending on if the normal fan was on. For my BO the electric wasn’t an issue, very little change.

[J-Lu]

Can you talk to the new BO about this? The new BO may be open to your concerns, especially because they turn their horses out at night. Good communication is generally key, and don’t assume they won’t be open to your concerns/your indoor horse’s concerns.

[Chief2]

I would have a discussion with the owner to find out which problem they are heading off by shutting the fan off before offering to do anything. With that information you could then: offer to purchase a sealed motor livestock fan ($80+shipping at Valley Vet supply) if you are using an inexpensive box fan which can more easily catch fire and burn down the mare motel; offer to pay your horse’s share of the electric bill; or work out a better arrangement for turnout. If all roads to a solution fail, start shopping for better a better situation for your horse jmo.

[fordtraktor]

Many BOs have a no fans at night policy because of fire risk. I think that is very reasonable as many barn fires are started by fans. I would ask if you can buy a sealed motor fan for your horse’s use at night.

[walkinthewalk]

If the BO would be on board, go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and buy a HEAVY DUTY OUTDOOR timer. Put your mare’s fan on a timer. If you can’t find HD timers in the box store, look at Amazon or EBay.

i have three 36" and one 42" barrel fan on two of those timers in my barn that’s only 24x40. . I have them set to come on at 7:00AM, off at 6:00 PM to give the motor sa break, back on at 7:00 PM and they run until 1:00 AM.

everything needs to be heavy duty, including the fans. I used those crappy house box fans for two years then ditched them for the big barrel (floor) fans. We buy them from Northern Tool, TSC’s barrel fans have gone down hill and don’t hold up for crap, with all the hours I run them.

we aren’t as temperature hot in Middle TN as you are but we have horrible humidity. The last several days, my two seniors have spent their days in the barn in front of the fans. I’ve been giving them extra pasture time in early AM and after dark so they can do some grazing in peace:)

I just realized your stall is wood on 3 sides — hopefully the front is pipe panel so you could set a fan in front of it. All of my stalls are pipe panel, with kick boards part way up:)

[ridingonchance]

Thank you guys for all the feedback! I actually had no idea that most barn fires were caused by fans, but it makes sense, definitely don’t want that. They are all good quality expensive ones and are mounted really well to the ceiling. I guess I feel a little prissy now for wanting them on all the time, but I’m going to look into the sealed motor fan for sure!

[Cynical25]

Ditto Walkinthewalk’s advice, assuming there is an outlet by your stall. I’ve got a closed-motor fan on an outdoor timer in my loafing shed.