Air Quality In The Horse Barn

Horses are naturally designed to live outside. With shelter from the wind and elements and access to fresh water and good quality hay most horses can live quite comfortably surrounded by their companions without a stable. This is not always a convenient option for their human counterparts.
The life of a domestic horse requires consumption of hay and often grain to provide enough energy for the tasks we ask. The domestic horse is frequently stabled and ridden on sandy surfaces which can introduce many dusts and moulds that increase the chances of respiratory ailments

Air enters the nostrils where it is warmed and humidified before entering the trachea. Then air travels along an everincreasing number of initially larger airways bronchi to small airways bronchioles. Airways lined by cilia move mucus and particles up from the lungs. There are also mucus producing cells in the linings of airways. In a state of infection mucus can become tenacious. Finally a gas exchange occurs at the end of the journey in the alveolar sacs. A final defense barrier exists in the alveoli. Tiny inhaled particles are cleaned up by cells called macrophages which engulf material ranging from tiny particles of dust to bacteria. However a heavy burden of dust can decrease the ability of those cells to fight infectious agents such as bacteria.
Fresh air without drafts will go a long way to minimizing a horses exposure to harmful environmental irritants. A combination of inlets vents and outlets cupolas help provide ventilation especially once barn windows and doors are closed up to provide warmth in the winter. Mechanical ventilation is another consideration.
Insulation
Minimizes temperature fluctuations caused by warm days and cold nights. Proper insulation not only keeps the barn warm in the winter but when combined with good ventilation a barn will avoid condensation problems which can