Safety Tips for Housing Horses in Barns

Keeping your horse in a barn can be a luxury—your horse has a shelter from sun, rain and wind, your tack and feed are close by, and you can escape to the barn whenever you need a break from life. However, barns can also pose safety hazards such as fire or personal injury.  If you have a barn that you keep your horses in, you may want to keep these safety tips in mind.

• Post a contact information sheet with everyone’s information on it that has a horse stabled at the barn. If something happens to one of the horses, you will know immediately who to contact. Also be sure to include on the list your local veterinarian, farrier, and the fire department.


• Keep aisles, entryways, and walkways clear at all times. Leaving a wheelbarrow or chair in the way could cause someone else or a horse to get injured. If you don’t clean up after yourself, you could be creating safety hazards without even knowing it.


• Never ride a horse or attempt to get on a horse while in the barn. Unlike being outside where there are wide open spaces, barns often have low poles or support beams that you could easily run into when you are sitting higher on a horse.


• Keep hay, grain and other dry feeds away from any heat sources or electrical outlets.  The heat may be off in the summertime, but if fall comes and your hay is stored too closely to a heater, you could have major problems on your hands.


• Do not buy low quality hays. If they were bailed when they were wet, the hay can actually self-combust.


• Make sure your feed is kept in containers that are impervious to both barn pests and weather. Pests can create dangerous waste and rain can make your feed mold in a hurry.


• Keep your pesticides and cleaners in a secure location away from all animals. By nature, horses can be very curious and get into something that may be very harmful.