Anything that is painted, powder coated etc and will be in direct contact with horses. Will show wear and tear in short order.
At 62 and having been born into horses and the business of. I have seen a lot, learned a lot will continue to learn even more about “all things horse”.
When it comes to “barns” and the “look of”. It is not our house and how we like to keep our house. It is the house of the horse and how they like to “keep” things. Their idea of aesthetics is completely different then their caretakers. Not much different then roommates,lol.
I’ve never had a brand new barn. Let alone one that was only built a few years ago. 2006 is a “few” years compared to the age of all the barns I have in my life, I’ve only had 1 brand -new car. As a horse person the only thing worst than a new car is a “brand-new” used car. I fussed about keeping it clean and nice far longer then all my used cars/truck combined. Learned my lesson.
I love the look after I paint my jump rails, don’t much like the process. And I get annoyed when horses hit/mare them on their first trip around the ring. People leaving them on the ground etc. But anything painted will only look as good as the day you pick it up, buy.
So, if chipped scratched paint is annoying don’t paint anything that a horse can come into contact with. If it is wood either leave it “natural” or stain it. Stained wood that gets scratched, chewed etc by horses be addressed easily by just touching up using the same stain. It may not blend exactly but IMO close enough, We are not working with fine furniture.
To answer you question. What I do, have done. Buy a wire bush wheel that goes on a drill. Clean up the rust, it will also remove the loose paint and “feather” the edges of the paint that still had good contact. Lightly brush. take the “gloss” off the remaining paint for good contact and repaint everything. Spraying is easier and usually give a better finished look. Personal feelings on using “spray” paint is “personal”. But it is not an efficient use of paint. A lot is wasted with over spray. Brushing out of a can goes a lot further.
IMO the 2 most important power tools for a farm owner to buy. 18 volt battery Drill/driver and Impact driver. With the basic accessories. The basic hand tools for this job is a wire brush and steel wool of different “coarseness”. Much easier to work with on rounded surfaces and on metal.
IMO and experience and what I advise when asked. Do not buy painted or powder coated bars. Anything that a horse can play with. Unless you are prepared to paint every X amount of years. The “X” depends on one’s tolerance of things.
If you like, want horses to stick their heads out of their stalls. Use the tops and or full doors that have the “V” drop downs. They can hang their hands outside but they can’t reach far enough to chew on things. If designed properly.
The best cure for people that are, can be anal retentive about things and I was one. Is to own a barn, horse farm. They will be cured in a few months, years. Unless they have the disposable income to employ a full time maintenance person.
The term Anal Retentive derives from Freudian psychoanalysis. If Freud had owned a horse farm I bet he would have prescribed, buy a horse farm to his patients.
Bit of advise to anyone thinking of renting their barn, farm. Don’t rent to someone who shows signs of being anal retentive, lol. They will drive you nuts. The same when it comes to boarders, lol. Though I love boarders who don’t complain and just take it upon themselves to address things that annoy them. In other words pick up the broom and “sweep”.
