Are Metal Barns Safe For Horses?

Aug 20, 2024

Farmers and ranchers have a crucial role in providing the best possible care and environment for their horses to ensure they live healthy and happy lives.

While stables and barns are commonly used to house horses, there are numerous other options available that can also create a comfortable and safe space for them to thrive.

When it comes to housing horses, metal barns have become the top choice for many horse owners. This preference is largely due to the flexibility they offer in customizing the design and structure, ensuring a long-lasting and comfortable home for your horses.

While wooden barns and stables often come to mind first, metal barns offer numerous advantages for housing horses and other livestock. Their durability and customizable features make them a smart investment for any horse owner.

Customized metal barn for horses

Why a Metal Barn Is a Safer and Smarter Choice for Your Horses

Easily Expanding Your Horse Stable

One of the significant benefits of choosing a pre-engineered metal barn is its flexibility for future expansion. If you plan to grow your herd or add extra features to your stable, a metal structure allows for easy modifications.

These additions could include tack and feed storage, restrooms, changing rooms, extra stalls, or even a workspace. By discussing your future needs with your building designer during the planning stage, you can ensure that these elements are smoothly integrated when the time comes.

Keeping Your Horses Safe and Secure

Horses can sometimes exhibit restless behavior while in their stables. They might pull on stall doors or rails, chew on wood, or kick the stalls.

These actions can cause damage to the stable and potentially injure the horse, leading to expensive veterinary bills. A metal barn minimizes these risks, as the sturdy materials are less likely to be damaged, helping to keep your horses safe and your maintenance costs low.

For instance, if a horse kicks through a wooden panel, there’s a high chance it could get splinters in its leg. In contrast, the paneling in pre-engineered steel structures is strong enough to resist breaking, yet flexible enough to absorb impact.

Additionally, horses cannot chew through steel.

By choosing metal as your main building material, you’ll create a safer environment for your horses while significantly reducing maintenance compared to a wooden structure.

Putting Your Horses’ Well-Being First

Have you ever driven past an old, weathered wooden barn and thought, “What a charming sight?” Likely not.

Those familiar with aging wooden barns know they pose serious risks, such as moisture seeping in, leading to mold and rot, which can attract pests. These issues can compromise the safety and health of your horses.

By using steel structures for your stables and other farm buildings, you’re ensuring a safe and functional environment for your animals. The steel frame, roof, and other structural components are designed to withstand high winds, resist corrosion from harsh weather, and protect against fire.

Conclusion

Metal barns offer a range of benefits that make them a superior choice for housing horses compared to traditional wooden barns. Their durability and flexibility in design ensure that your horses enjoy a safe and comfortable environment, essential for their health and well-being. Metal barns are not only resistant to damage from horses’ natural behaviors—such as kicking or chewing—but also less susceptible to issues like moisture damage and pest infestations, which are common in older wooden structures.

The ability to easily expand and modify metal barns is another significant advantage. As your needs evolve, whether it’s adding more stalls, storage areas, or other features, metal structures can accommodate these changes with minimal hassle. This adaptability makes metal barns a long-term investment that grows with your needs, ensuring your horses continue to have the best possible living conditions.

Choosing a metal barn is more than just a practical decision; it’s a commitment to providing the highest standard of care for your horses. The robust construction and low maintenance requirements of metal barns contribute to a safer, more secure environment for your animals, ultimately saving you time and money.

For those looking to invest in a quality metal building, consider partnering with Prestige Steel Structures. As building specialists dedicated to the Eastern United States, they offer the largest selection of high-quality metal buildings in the industry. Discover how they can help you create the perfect home for your horses, blending safety with versatility and durability.