B.O. closes barn doors during summer nights. Am I overreacting?

[Albertabound]

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8192710]
Something should be left open for ventilation whether it’s the windows or the doors to the barn. Good airflow is important!

How many people would want to sit in a hot car with no air movement or an office with no ventilation? I can’t imagine a horse being happy under related conditions.

Some BO’s have what seem like silly rules that they stick to no matter what. If it’s their barn, their rules, but some stuff makes no sense. I boarder for a very short time at a barn that I discovered later did not feed horses any forage during the day. If there was no grass, too bad! So in essence, horses would be out from 7am until 4 or 5pm with nothing to eat in the winter. When I asked about tossing hay out or putting out round bales, they said “we can’t do that because if we do, the horses will fight”.

That was a a dumb-@$$ response. What it really translated to was “We are spending so much money on X, Y, and Z for ourselves, that we don’t have any left to feed our boarders’ horses the right amount of hay. Sorry, but our place is only for air ferns”.

Needless to say I left. It wasn’t worth trying to negotiate for a different situation for my horse there.

OP, I’d have another conversation with the BO to let her know you are concerned about air flow and would like your horse to have option X, Y, or Z (whether that be open windows, access to run-in, or whatever). If she hems and haws about it, start looking for another place. If you find one that you think is acceptable, but still want to make an effort to work things out, then you could say “I really like X and Y feature of your barn, but the airflow is of enough concern to me that I may need to find another place. I would prefer to say though if we can work something out. What could we arrive on as a compromise?”

If that doesn’t work, put in your notice.

A question for you OP - how much actual horse experience does this BO have? I boarded at another place where the farm was owned and managed by someone who was only a casual rider and didn’t have a lot of equestrian knowledge. They just wanted a farm to run because one of their kids was very into horses. This created a lot of problems because things this BO did were sometimes dangerous, even to the point where she herself got injured. Yet here she is making decisions that can affect the health and safety of some very nice performance horses. Sometimes there are certain BO who do this for their own ego trip and no amount of discussion will work.[/QUOTE]

BEEN THERE

[trubandloki]

It is had to judge the validity of the owner’s reason if you are not willing to tell us the reason.

My big barn doors are closed far more than I would like. But then my stalls all open to paddocks, there are fans above the aisle, over each stall and in each paddock. Plus, the panels are removed from the whole length of the wall under the overhang, so there is always air movement, even in the winter.

[js]

I close my doors at night unless it’s really hot, I do it to keep critters out, mostly possum and snakes that come out at night. Granted my stalls have paddock doors that are always open so there is some airflow and the horses stay out most of the night (they have access 24/7). If it’s for security reasons I can understand, if doors are open people feel they can walk in and if no one is around, opportunity for theft. Also open doors open is opportunity for night time critters to help themselves.

If your stalls have no outside access or windows then I can see how it would be bad but what solutions are there if the BO’s is closing up for security reasons etc.? Does someone live on site?

[Ambitious_Kate]

My BO does it to keep coyotes from trotting through from one end to the other. Horses are brought inside at night, and dutch doors left tops open. Horses are in at night because 70 thousand dollar client horses are just safer inside when everyone is asleep in the house. Too easy to get them running and going through a fence. Of course, day and night there are fans in each horse’s stall.

Technically, its cooler to keep the barn open at night, cooling off, then close it up to the sun during the day. If there is little activity in the barn, it stays cool closed up during the day. Feels airconditioned inside. HOwever, with activity that usually doesn’t last long, and you need the doors all open.

Good luck. I would just try to get some air moving. No reaso you cant have a box fan for him.

[saultgirl]

bears?

[LauraKY]

During the day, I keep the barn doors closed on the sunny side, so they are open in the front in the morning, open in the back in the afternoon. Mine are on night turnout, but if they are in, doors are open.

[toady123]

Not sure why OP is so cagey about sharing the reason?

Where I ride, the main doors are all closed for security in the evenings. Each stall does have a screened window that is left open, and the top of a ditch door at the back end of the barn is also open.

[SnicklefritzG]

[QUOTE=toady123;8193393]
Not sure why OP is so cagey about sharing the reason?

Where I ride, the main doors are all closed for security in the evenings. Each stall does have a screened window that is left open, and the top of a ditch door at the back end of the barn is also open.[/QUOTE]

Maybe she doesn’t want it to be too obvious who the BO is if people at that place happen to be on COTH.

[Isitme]

[QUOTE=babecakes;8193057]
I remembered seeing another thread a while ago, in the horse care forum

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?466491-Would-this-bother-you-how-would-you-handle-Air-quality-in-barn&highlight=barn+doors+closed[/QUOTE]

No, that is not my post if that is what you mean. I read it as; the horses have open Dutch Doors???

I have to leave in a few minutes, but will let people know why when I get home. I’m reluctant as I’m afraid friend’s of the B.O. might recognize my alter because the reason is so specific. (If they read or post on COTH)

I don’t want to get thrown out until I have a real face to face, yes or no answer from her.

[Isitme]

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8193406]
Maybe she doesn’t want it to be too obvious who the BO is if people at that place happen to be on COTH.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. As they say “The horse world is very small.”

Again, I have to leave in a few minutes, and will post when I get home this evening.

[Ibex]

Hmmmm. The BO has been closing up the big doors at night lately because, oh wait, we have a *&^@#%^ cougar in the area that has been taking out livestock close to houses (this is an area of small acerages), and we have several babies, ponies, oldersters, and a mini (most of whom are usually outside 24/7, and would make excellent cougar meals). However the stalls also have big barred windows so there’s still a good amount of circulation…

[amastrike]

[QUOTE=Tha Ridge;8192693]
I’ve never been in a barn that didn’t shut the doors at night… I always thought it was a safety issue—if a horse somehow gets out of their stall, they’re at least semi-contained in the aisle. [/QUOTE]
My barn has ropes that get put up across the doorways and aisles. Even if a horse does get out, he can’t go far.

[LauraKY]

[QUOTE=amastrike;8193565]
My barn has ropes that get put up across the doorways and aisles. Even if a horse does get out, he can’t go far.[/QUOTE]

LOL, clearly my QH doesn’t live in your barn.

[emipou]

Confession: I follow threads like these specifically to see if the OP’s secret ever gets sweated out. I’m very curious now. You should PM it to me

[toady123]

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8193406]
Maybe she doesn’t want it to be too obvious who the BO is if people at that place happen to be on COTH.[/QUOTE]

I see the point. However when the question is “Am I overreacting?” it’s really hard to answer without that critical piece of info.

Does the BO think horses are allergic to wind (or some other nonsense)? No - you are not overreacting.

Are there sightings of a pray animal nearby and the BO is worried about it getting in the barn? Yes, you might be overreacting.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=toady123;8193664]

Are there sightings of a pray animal nearby and the BO is worried about it getting in the barn? Yes, you might be overreacting.[/QUOTE]
Or there have been lots of skunks around and they do not want them wandering into the barn.

[poltroon]

So part of the question is what is meant by “doors.” On a post like this, what I interpret this as is the big, solid doors at the end of the aisles are closed.

A dutch door, or a stall door where the bottom half is solid and the top is open to air, is something I’d expect to be closed in normal conditions. Stall guards are not as secure and I don’t like leaving something like that as the sole horse containment if no one is around.

Having air flow through the barn is tremendously beneficial. If the design of the barn still allows air to enter and leave (ideally with an entry place low to the ground, for cool air coming in below horse noses), then all good. If the horses can hang their heads out a dutch door in the open air outside, that would be acceptable. If the design of the barn does not allow this, then to me it would not be acceptable in summer.

If there’s a temporary reason (a grizzly bear marauding the area snacking on ponies I suppose), that is one thing. If this is a permanent need, then adding some sort of air-permeable gates is something I’d expect. A chain link panel or a welded wire livestock gate might be just the thing, and not expensive.

[emipou]

[QUOTE=toady123;8193664]

Are there sightings of a pray animal nearby and the BO is worried about it getting in the barn? Yes, you might be overreacting.[/QUOTE]

I’m picturing over-zealous Baptists sneaking in at night.

[Pat9]

I’m picturing over-zealous Baptists sneaking in at night.

I was thinking more of a possible neighborhood sex offender who was into cross-species activity.

Hey, OP said it was crazy.

[emipou]

[QUOTE=Pat9;8193864]
I was thinking more of a possible neighborhood sex offender who was into cross-species activity.

Hey, OP said it was crazy.[/QUOTE]

It was a sly elbow jab at the typo (prey v. pray). But hey, you never know…