Horse facility temperature and humidity during winter conditions

摘要

During late winter three stables and two indoor riding arenas were monitored for temperature and humidity profiles. Study objective was to collect background information on current practices and conditions in horse stabling during cold weather conditions. Wireless datalogger/sensors were mounted on stall walls and protected by wire cages from horse damage. Horse stables are often under-ventilated due to the common use of residential (rather than agricultural) construction practices and a misdirected objective of providing tight construction for trapping animal heat. The study compares three stables with more typical agricultural construction. One was a well-designed naturally ventilated stable and two were renovated bank barns. The two old converted dairy barns relied on hundreds of meters of cracks for air infiltration between barn boards for cold weather air exchange. The well-designed stable retained barn-board crack ventilation which was supplemented with substantial eave and ridge vents. Allthree stables performed adequately, according to common natural ventilation guidelines, with the eave-ridge vent system providing the most uniform and desirable environment. The indoor riding arena environments were similar to outdoor temperatures but were more humid, presumably due to the large quantities of water added to the riding surface to decrease dust. This high humidity condition needs to be recognized in construction material selection and practices.