We have hot summers and cold winters. I can’t decide if we should put a ridge vent in our barn roof for hot air release in summer, or closed ridge roof for warmer barn interior during winter. It’s a bare bones post + beam wood barn (metal roof) we’re renovating, currently no roof vent but we could add it. 4 stall center aisle with one of the stalls to be a closed and insulated tack room, no inside wash rack. We’ll have fans, though can’t decide between ceiling or wall fans. Oh the decisions. . Thanks for any feedback!
Yes Ridge vents and ceiling fans too ~ IMHO
Summer months without a ridge vent and with fans … ceiling and stall …many barns will feel like a convection oven = Shake & Bake :eek: ~ IMHO …
In the winter the ridge vent allows fresh air and does not make the barn unbearably cold ~ IMHO
Yes, I had to have a ridge vent added …a remake … because one summer in one new stifling barn was simply too much.
- I recommend ceiling fans up and down the barn aisle …as well as an exhaust fan on one end wall…yes the horses have stall fans too…
If heat is an issue I rec ridge vent … I’m in the Midwest with a pronounced winter.
ETA…yes I have two cupolas that are most beneficial too!
Zu Zu thanks for the input. Perhaps I’m overthinking the winter aspect. For the aisle I may just do one or two of those large heavy standing fans…they’re portable so I can point them in any direction at any given time. For the stalls, I’m still torn between installing ceiling fans or stall fans in the corner or fronts. The ceiling is not particularly high…
And unfortunately an exhaust fan installation is not in the budget. That’s why I was thinking a ridge vent would be better than nothing for rising hot air release…
I appreciate it too, Zu Zu. I’m having a new barn built and I opted for the ridge vents this time because my biggest complaint about my current barn is that it’s absolutely sweltering in the summer. Summer is when they all want to stand in the run-in part of the barn, and they get completely drenched in sweat.
My barn should be done Wednesday, so unfortunately I don’t have much insight for you, Iride. Haven’t had a chance to test it out yet.
We have ridge vents plus gable vents in the peaks of the end walls. As Zu Zu said, you need the air flow even in the winter. My barn is usually 2-5 degrees warmer than the outside air in the winter and 2-5 degrees cooler in the summer. Part of this is the venting / air flow, part is the location of trees around the barn, and part is the orientation to sun.
star
Always always always vent.
Much better to be cold and DRY than warm and moist. Air needs to get OUT of the barn, especially in winter.
ShotenStar, you’re mention of orientation to the sun is probably going to affect our barn. The side facing West, where the afternoon sun will be hottest, is of course the side that does not have an overhang. The other side facing East, has an 8-foot overhang. Wish another overhang were in the budget. 
Our aisle runs South/North.
I had ridge vents installed at the builder’s suggestion.
With bird screening.
While they do keep the barn cooler in Summer & warmer in Winter (as compared to friends’ barns with no ridge vents) they also house a village of starlings.
Noisy, messy, pack-the-vents-with-hay, starlings. :mad:
Short of someone - Not Me! - getting on the roof & clearing the vents I just live with these squatters.
I tell myself they eat mosquitos & provide amusement when their stoopid fledglings blunder around the barn looking for a way out… even when end doors are wide open, not to mention stall doors at the back that never close.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8554118]
Always always always vent.
Much better to be cold and DRY than warm and moist. Air needs to get OUT of the barn, especially in winter.[/QUOTE]
Agreed!
My barn walls are not insulated at builder’s suggestion, just the roof.
So no condensation making “rain” in the stalls
The WORST thing you can do is allow the build up of heat in a barn, winter or summer. Horses are creatures of the short grass steppe. They LOVE temps between 15F and 60F. Unless you’ve put them under lights to prevent coat growth or clipped them to keep them “show pretty” cold is rarely an issue (except for keeping water buckets from freezing).
The second worst thing you can do is make a horse live in a tight barn in the winter with a big buildup of ammonia, bacteria, and “horse breath.” Under all circumstances a “tight barn” can very quickly become an unhealthy barn. Even in winter you’ve got to have an adequate exchange of air to prevent the creation of conditions for disease transmission and general unhealthiness.
We humans need lots of help to deal with both heat and cold. Horses need help with heat but usually that’s not much more than a shady place to get out of the Sun (and some of the bugs). They need little help with cold unless we humans have compromised their natural “defenses.”
We are in East TN and our temps can run from below zero to 100+. Mostly they run from the upper teens to very high 80s, biased to the warm side (this is The South, afterall 
) with LOTS of rain. Our barn is anything but “tight” and was designed that way. We also have a ridge vent and a cupola. We do not have “barn” fans but individual stalls do. The barn was oriented such that the prevailing summer breeze will “scour” the barn aisle and move as much air as possible. We also built very high a very high roof to allow heat to escape. That’s a negative for heat retention in winter, but IMO doesn’t have a negative consequence for the stock.
I’m not a devotee of “natural horsemanship” in many aspects but this is one where I kind of am.
G.
I have a ridge vent, a cupola, and gable vents and like others have said, my barn is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than the outside temp.
Similar to you, the back of my barn where their paddocks are (no overhang) faces west and it gets hot with the sun beating down, but there is a noticeable breeze and temperature difference in their stalls because of that ridge vent…so glad I put it in.
Ridge vent, cupola, gable vents, tall 12’ doors on both ends, half walls with bars between stalls, Dutch windows on the 4 stalls which are across from each other (cross vented), barn oriented to have aisle doors in prevailing wind direction, and 10-12 ft overhangs, no hay loft, but a very tall roof. When very warm out with little breeze, I will put a large industrial fan at one end of the barn. The interior roof is insulated. For the most part, the barn gets a nice breeze/good ventilation in the summer. However, my pasture has quite a few shade trees, and I have a run-in shed in our dry lot (with and open front and large windows on three sides) so the horses are usually outside unless there is a reason for them to be in. In the winter, I can close the doors and/or windows and still have decent ventilation. I usually leave a couple windows open even in winter to ensure the circulation is good. We try to keep dust to a minimum to prevent respiratory issues. I know someone who did not have the windows, but opted to leave an open space at the top of the exterior wall where the wall meets the roof in addition to the ridge vent.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8554139]
The WORST thing you can do is allow the build up of heat in a barn, winter or summer. Horses are creatures of the short grass steppe. They LOVE temps between 15F and 60F. Unless you’ve put them under lights to prevent coat growth or clipped them to keep them “show pretty” cold is rarely an issue (except for keeping water buckets from freezing).
G.[/QUOTE]
Thanks Guilherme. I definitely never close barns up tight.
Yes my horse prefers cool weather, but now that he can’t chew hay all day long to keep warm the way nature intended - because of his missing and/or useless teeth - sometimes his natural coat isn’t enough. I’m all for keeping horses unclothed when possible in winter but when it comes to the seniors, they often need blankets and extra help (ie a barn that’s a little warmer than it could otherwise be), albeit with adequate ventilation always.
[QUOTE=neversaynever;8554175]
When very warm out with little breeze, I will put a large industrial fan at one end of the barn.[/QUOTE]
Which fan did you buy? I’m in the process of looking for one (or two), open to suggestions.
[QUOTE=Iride;8554210]
Which fan did you buy? I’m in the process of looking for one (or two), open to suggestions.[/QUOTE]
We got a large drum fan with the sealed motor, appropriate for dusty places. Don’t know the particular model/price, but it is similar to this. It moves a lot of air.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200658046_200658046
If you use cupolas instead of ridge vents, you can frame a trap door underneath, with a simple screw eye/cord arrangement that you can pull to close the trap door or release to drop it open. Even closed, some air will vent upwards. Wire mesh fabric can be used to keep birds out of the cupolas.
I like to keep my barn at least 25 degrees, even in below zero temps , and use a better designed stall base and bedding system that keeps ammonia to a bare minimum. No reason for a barn that smells of ammonia, even closed up.
Even if you can’t put in the exhaust fan now, I strongly recommend saving your pennies and adding it as soon as possible. Here in humid Virginia, the ability to change the air in the barn overnight in the summertime is absolutely invaluable.
I have the big sealed-motor exhaust fans from Farmtek and they work beautifully.
Any recommendations for barn ceiling fans and light fixtures? Electrician comes out this week.
I have cupola,loft with end doors that I will leave open when hot and dry. Lots of Dutch doors and big sliding doors on three sides. Overhangs on the north and south for shade,extra storage and horses to walk in and out. The overhangs also keep it cooler and allow Dutch doors and the side sliding door to stay open,even when raining.
I live in the south but we can get some cold wet weather and also severe storms. Our worst weather,IMO, is the hot,humid summers. We can also get hurricanes and tropical storms.
My horses will spend more time indoors in summer,out of the bugs ( I’m installing a fly system once we have electric and water) and more time outdoors in winter,with barn overhang as shelter and turnout sheets blankets as needed.
[QUOTE=Huntin’ Pony;8555379]
I have the big sealed-motor exhaust fans from Farmtek and they work beautifully.[/QUOTE]
Huntin’ Pony, is this the one you have from Farmtek?
[QUOTE=Doctracy;8555393]
Any recommendations for barn ceiling fans and light fixtures? Electrician comes out this week.[/QUOTE]
I’m no help with fans (don’t use them) but for the lighting learn from my Fail & GET ENCLOSED.
I opted for cold-ballast fluorescent because I hate the buzzing & wait time for halide.
But with my barn mostly open year-round, dust & moisture have corroded the ballasts & when it is very damp/rainy or humid they take their sweet time going on. Cool to cold & dry they go on pronto.
Also do not let the electrician overestimate the number of fixtures you need.
I scaled down from his initial proposal to 4 - 2 banks of 2 - for my 36X36 center-aisle barn & 15 - in 3 banks of 5 - for my 60X120 indoor & when they are all on you could do neurosurgery in there.
Even if I ride at night all I usually do is flip on the center bank in the indoor.
And have fixtures above stalls on a separate switch so if you need to put on a light at night you do not levitate sleeping horses by flooding their stalls with light. I can put on one bank of 2 and have sufficient light while leaving the stalls darkened.
If I need it, the bank above the stalls provides plenty light for working inside them.
Don’t forget about outlets by the stalls for plugging in stuff: heated buckets, clippers, etc.
