1. Facilities and Management
AGRI 3364 Equine Science

2. Housing When housing is built for horses, what should it provide for?
Welfare of the horses
Safety, health, and comfort (horse & handler)
Efficient use of labor
Cost-effectiveness

3. Welfare of Horses Understanding their natural environment Physical
Providing welfare of horses begins with what?
Understanding their natural environment
Environment involves four main areas
Physical
Social
Chemical
Biological

4. Welfare of Horses Physical Environment includes: Temperature
Heat-Loss Factors
Stall Space
Feeder Space
Flooring

5. Welfare of Horses Social Environment Includes:
Behavioral Considerations
Sex of Horses
Age of Horses
Level of Activity

6. Welfare of Horses Chemical Environment Includes: Water Quality
Various Gases O2
CO2
NH3
Air Contaminants (dust and mold)

7. Welfare of Horses Biological Environment Includes:
Disease organisms in air
Water
Feed
Stall Materials
Other Animals

8. Welfare of Horses Horses use When threatened, frightened, or in pain:
Flight as a primary defense mechanism
When threatened, frightened, or in pain:
Strike, bite, kick, or attempt to leave
Can injure themselves
Facilities should provide for the safety

9. Welfare of Horses
Horses do not spend long periods of time confined under natural conditions
What may develop if confined for long periods?
Vices
What tends to minimize vices?
Adequate stall space

10. Welfare of Horses Fresh air should always be available in barns
CO2, water vapor, and manure need to be removed
Adequate ventilation will
Reduce air contaminants such as dust, mold, and irritating gases

11. First Step in Building is Knowing the Recommended Space Requirements

12. Buildings
Horses are housed in buildings primarily for convenience of handlers
As a result
Human environmental needs plays a major role in facility design
This may be a conflict with
The environmental needs of the horse

13. Buildings A horse can do well in nearly any temperature if:
Humidity can be held to a comfortable level
Enough air movement through barn
Conditions that are most detrimental are:
High moisture
Barn is either too hot or cold

14. Buildings Purpose of facility Number and breed of animals
What must be considered in the construction of a facility?
Purpose of facility
Number and breed of animals
Room for expansion
Regulatory requirements
Budget
Layout of facilities to day-to-day activities

15. Site Selection Local zoning requirements should be checked:
Some areas restrict the number of acres to house livestock
Distance of boundary lines, dwellings, and neighbors may also be regulated
If regulation cannot be met, approval from zoning board may be necessary

16. Site Selection
Site should allow water to drain away from buildings, etc.
A site of 2 to 6 % slope provides rapid removal of water without causing erosion
Detailed site plan should be developed before making final decision
Allows to ensure sufficient space is allowed

17. Site Selection Plan should indicate where
Water, sewer, and electrical lines enter the building
Building should be situated to
Take advantage of prevailing winds and airflow

18. Site Selection Consideration should be given to: Clients Traffic
Impact on neighbors
Manure handling
Conditions in neighborhood that will startle or distract horses

19. Site Preparation Getting a particular location ready involves:
Removing topsoil
Leveling the area
Bringing utilities to site
Usually means that local contractor will be engaged

20. Type of Construction Buildings can be:
Metal frame
Pole
Conventional Construction
Type of structure may depend heavily of economic feasibility

21. Options in the Building
Windows:
Expensive additions
Only essential in those structures that must conform to health regulations
When used for light, should equal 8 to 10% of floor area

22. Options in the Building
Siding:
Metal
Low maintenance
Pre-painted, will last 15 to 20 yrs
Wood
Will withstand abuse
Better insulating value
Requires periodic painting or staining

23. Options in the Building
Siding:
Masonry
Very little maintenance
High initial cost
Difficult to insulate
When used with steel-frame or pole buildings, requires a separate foundation

24. Options in the Building
Roofing:
Aluminum or steel
White colored has slightly better reflective quality
Requires less roof framing than shingles
Lower Cost
Less insulating value than wood

25. Options in the Building
Insulation:
Many choices of insulating material are available (Considerations include):
Cold buildings operated at outside temperatures
Buildings where animal heat provides only winter minimum temperatures
Buildings with supplemental heating systems

26. Ventilation A good ventilation system must: Provide fresh air
Control moisture buildup within the structure
Move enough air to dilute any airborne diseases
Control and/or moderate temperature extremes

27. Ventilation Cool, dry air is drawn into the building
The basic process that occurs with all successful ventilation systems is:
Cool, dry air is drawn into the building
Heat and moisture are added to the air
Warm, wet air is expelled
Failure to provide for any part of this process will result in failure to ventilate

28. Flooring Stall floors must be made of
Durable material that is not slippery
Should be absorbent, easy to clean, and resistant to pawing
Common materials include:
Clay, sand and clay mix, limestone dust, wood, concrete, asphalt, rubber mats

29. Other Structures Arena and indoor training facilities Pasture shelters
Feed and water facilities
Should try to keep feed off ground
Water should be kept clean

30. Fencing Fences must be:
Safe and strong enough to contain the horses
Affordable and acceptable in appearance
Important in making the handling, moving, and sorting of horses easy

31. Selecting the Right Fence
Type of Fence Depends on:
Type of horses being managed
Intended use of the area
Density of animals on the fenced area
Availability of shelter
Neighbors
Desired aesthetics
Projected budget

32. Selecting the Right Fence
Draft vs. Miniature
Mare and foals
Yearlings
Stallions
Forage vs. Exercise pasture
Density

33. Types of Fencing Post-and-Board Woven Wire Pipe fence
High-Tensile Wire
PVC
Cable
Electric
Barbed Wire

34. Manure Management An average 1,000 lb horse produces:
~ 9 tons of manure / year
How the manure is stored and treated has a substantial impact on its value
Labor, storage, and utilization costs can be considerable

35. Manure Management
U.S. Horse Industry uses two principle manure management systems
First permits horses to
Graze full time on pastures and manure is not collected
Second system
Confines animal feeding which relies on intense management

36. Manure Management
Manure is typically managed in one of the following ways:
Compost (removed daily and composted)
Stockpile (removed daily)
Daily Land Application
Removed daily and spread on land

37. Manure Collection
Horses housed in confined settings require soft absorbent bedding
Most common bedding includes:
Wood shavings
Straw
Corn stalks
Shredded newspaper
Peanut shells
Peat Moss
Rice Hulls, etc.

38. Pasture Management Management in pastures depends primarily on
Having good distribution across pasture
Rotational grazing
What will also encourage better manure distribution?
Several watering facilitates and moving of feeding facilities

39. Pasture Management Avoid grazing during rainy periods if possible
Refrain from excessive stocking rates
Damage to grass stand will increase manure runoff

40. Storage and Treatment Composting:
Produces a relatively dry end product that is easily handled
At proper temperature, can kill fly eggs and larvae, pathogens, and weed seeds
Has less of an odor
Acts as an excellent fertilizer

41. Storage and Treatment Stockpiling:
Adequate storage area allows for greater flexibility
Proper site selection for manure disposal is important
Place stockpiles at least 150 feet away from surface water to avoid runoff

42. Land Application Manure can be applied to pasture for disposal
Manure spreader aids in uniform distribution of manure
Avoid spreading manure close to surface water or eroded areas