I don’t know about fire risk. On one hand it could be worse as when you open the doors the fire gets more oxygen but on the other hand the fire will get more oxygen from the get go if the doors are open. Does anyone know more about this? Firefighter please weigh in.
IMO most barns are fire traps no matter how you look at it. Doors open or closed. Too much flammables.
[QUOTE=roseymare;8195021]
I don’t know about fire risk. On one hand it could be worse as when you open the doors the fire gets more oxygen but on the other hand the fire will get more oxygen from the get go if the doors are open. Does anyone know more about this? Firefighter please weigh in.
IMO most barns are fire traps no matter how you look at it. Doors open or closed. Too much flammables.[/QUOTE]
I enjoyed the psycho barn owner at the last place who stated that lights could not go up in the metal barn because it was too much of a fire hazard. Forget about safety and horse emergencies. Can’t burn down the metal barn.
Exactly it is all a mitagated risk. Too me someone getting hurt in the darkbis much more of a risk without lights than the risk of fire with lights.But each there own I suppose.
[QUOTE=emipou;8195003]
Maybe we could get little ventilator masks going for the horses then?
I have my own personal concerns about my trainer’s decision on bedding for the horses… She uses those pellets that break up when they get wet. So they get spread in the stall and break up into a fine dust, that is all encompassing when it’s time to bring the horse out and groom. Does that go for their lungs as well? I should talk to her about this actually because she was complaining about the dust. I think wood shavings would be smarter. Though I have my own concerns about cedar and pine shavings as well- toxic fumes that can cause a lot of issues for small mammals… wouldn’t they also be bad for larger mammals? I learned a long time ago that only aspen shavings are safe for small mammals as bedding.
– I think the point about the heat and boarding up vs winter and boarding up has to do with ammonia and whatnot being worse when it’s warm out than in the cool air. Did you know that scent travels further in heat?[/QUOTE]
You’re supposed to add water to pellet bedding. If done right, there is zero dust with that product. It’s basically the same as green wood (fresh cut, not kiln dried) sawdust which is not dusty, nor super fine. Don’t add some moisture back, or let it dry out too much in the stalls of horses that are super tidy and it does get dusty, but it shouldn’t if managed properly.
This is another thread where something doesn’t add up. Either, as the OP says, the care is excellent – and in that case, can we assume that the BO knows what she is doing, and is taking all the various factors into consideration, including the horses’ health and comfort, before deciding to close the barn doors? Or – is this a very stupid decision, resulting in sweltering horses breathing in a lot of dust? In that case, clearly the BO is NOT providing excellent care.
So, it’s one or the other, and we cannot tell from the original post.
[QUOTE=sascha;8195061]
You’re supposed to add water to pellet bedding. If done right, there is zero dust with that product. It’s basically the same as green wood (fresh cut, not kiln dried) sawdust which is not dusty, nor super fine. Don’t add some moisture back, or let it dry out too much in the stalls of horses that are super tidy and it does get dusty, but it shouldn’t if managed properly.[/QUOTE]
That’s good to know. I think maybe the stall guys are getting lazy with their maintenance then because it was kept moist when we first moved in but has been getting dusty and oftentimes I see pellets just sitting there like they never hosed the stall down.
[QUOTE=ybiaw;8194907]
Just a quick question for everyone who is up in arms about their horses’ respiratory health when the barn doors are closed…how do you feel about the barn being closed up in the winter? How is that different? I mean this in a genuinely curious way, because I understand that it’s not hot in the winter like it is in the summer and that air circulation is needed in the summer so it doesn’t get too crazy hot in the barn.
But the whole “I can’t believe a barn owner would close the barn doors! All that dust and particulate matter flying around is terrible for little Pookey!” doesn’t hold water when you consider, you know, winter.[/QUOTE]
Well, I really don’t like a closed up barn in winter either, and I don’t keep my horses in one. But, when rain is storming sideways, there’s a need to keep the water out of the barn, and there’s a lot more turbulence in the air enhancing the ventilation.
I would not close the doors to keep out chilly air, but I would do so to keep out a storm. That’s the difference - closing them up for a specific day for a specific reason, versus doing it all day every day.
[QUOTE=ybiaw;8194907]
Just a quick question for everyone who is up in arms about their horses’ respiratory health when the barn doors are closed…how do you feel about the barn being closed up in the winter? How is that different? [/QUOTE]
Well, I don’t know 'bout you all, but in the winter the crazy west wind adequately ventilates our barn no matter, door closed or not.
[QUOTE=poltroon;8195107]
Well, I really don’t like a closed up barn in winter either, and I don’t keep my horses in one. But, when rain is storming sideways, there’s a need to keep the water out of the barn, and there’s a lot more turbulence in the air enhancing the ventilation.
I would not close the doors to keep out chilly air, but I would do so to keep out a storm. That’s the difference - closing them up for a specific day for a specific reason, versus doing it all day every day.[/QUOTE]
I see you are in California. I’m sure it is much easier to take this position in a warm state. But here in Wisconsin, where the actual air temperature before factoring in wind chill is sometimes -17F, we do have to keep the barn doors closed in the winter so that the horses’ body heat will prevent the pipes from freezing. And…you know…ensure that people can physically stand to be in the barn long enough to feed/water/clean stalls. LOL.
Winter ><summer, ever notice garbage piled up in the streets in winter doesnt smell, but in summer you notice it?
I think it is very hard to make a call on this situation because we do not know the location, the direction the barn faces, the construction of the barn, whether there is shade, whether there is perimeter fencing and a multitude of other things. There are situations where closing a barn at night is really not an issue and there are some situations where it would surely be detrimental to the horses health.
Still waiting for OP to divulge “the reason”.
[QUOTE=merrygoround;8195261]
Still waiting for OP to divulge “the reason”.[/QUOTE]
Why? We’ve come up with all the good ones
- Lions
- Tigers
- Bears
- Bugs
- Escape Artists
- Sexual Deviants
- Baptists
[QUOTE=SmartAlex;8195272]
Why? We’ve come up with all the good ones
- Lions
- Tigers
- Bears
- Bugs
- Escape Artists
- Sexual Deviants
- Baptists[/QUOTE]
Best list ever.
Didn’t somebody mention aliens somewhere? They need to be on the list too.
[QUOTE=ybiaw;8194907]
Just a quick question for everyone who is up in arms about their horses’ respiratory health when the barn doors are closed…how do you feel about the barn being closed up in the winter? How is that different? I mean this in a genuinely curious way, because I understand that it’s not hot in the winter like it is in the summer and that air circulation is needed in the summer so it doesn’t get too crazy hot in the barn.
But the whole “I can’t believe a barn owner would close the barn doors! All that dust and particulate matter flying around is terrible for little Pookey!” doesn’t hold water when you consider, you know, winter.[/QUOTE]
The worst thing you can do is close the barn up tight in winter. These are animals with a coat designed to keep them warm even in sub zero temps.
In a barn they are pretty well out of any direct wind/ rain, snow, ice and if you add all the blankets people pile on they need all the air they can get.
The occasional horse might have special needs , but 99% do just fine with fresh air all year round.
[QUOTE=candyappy;8195418]
The worst thing you can do is close the barn up tight in winter. These are animals with a coat designed to keep them warm even in sub zero temps.
In a barn they are pretty well out of any direct wind/ rain, snow, ice and if you add all the blankets people pile on they need all the air they can get.
The occasional horse might have special needs , but 99% do just fine with fresh air all year round.[/QUOTE]
This doesn’t make sense. So I should have kept the barn door open when it’s -40 degrees and windy?
Let’s all argue at cross-purposes, apples to oranges. It adds post count and makes the thread look more important. 
[QUOTE=ybiaw;8195458]
This doesn’t make sense. So I should have kept the barn door open when it’s -40 degrees and windy?[/QUOTE]
Absolutely! They need fresh air far more than they need water. :lol:
[QUOTE=Chall;8195200]
Winter ><summer, ever notice garbage piled up in the streets in winter doesnt smell, but in summer you notice it?[/QUOTE]
That’s because in the winter (at least in this neck of the woods) your nose is frozen closed. 
Back to the OP, no way I’d want my horse in any barn I’ve had her in with it all closed up in the summer. Even in the great white north, barns get pretty darned hot if the air can’t circulate. Love the barn she’s in right now, it’s a coverall and the owner has put great ventilated doors on it, wonderful air flow 24/7 while the warmth lasts, though I think I’ll have to dress the incredible naked horse up like the Micheline Man come winter even though the doors will be closed then. LOL
