Newsletter: January 2010

January 2010 Newsletter

Eco-Friendly Stalls.

Our love of horses naturally keeps each of us in tune with mother nature. After all, when caring for horses, we have always relied on mother nature to provide beautiful days for riding and green pastures for grazing. We're all learning to be more green by recycling, using energy efficient lighting and being mindful of our carbon footprint. But, how does this eco-friendly movement apply to our actions within the horse barn?

Recently, there has been much written about creating green horse barns. There are a wide variety of steps you can take to keep a more environmentally friendly horse barn. Some are easy. Others require a more significant investment in time or money. Either way, the time, energy and dollars we all invest in environmentally friendly actions will pay dividends for us, our animals and future generations.

You can, of course, apply green actions to your manure composting, water run-off and bedding selection. However, this article will just explore the eco-friendly options when it comes to your actual horse stalls.

1. Use proper ventilation.This is probably the most important aspect of green stall design. Proper ventilation can eliminate the need for energy-hogging fans, reduce the need for fly-control measures or chemicals, help control ammonia build-up and provide a healthier environment for your animals.

The end doors on your barn and, sometimes, the hairline gaps between the exterior planks can bring air ventilation into the barn. But, is enough of this air flowing into (and out of) your stalls? The secrets to stall ventilation are:

• Exterior stall windows/door openings that pull breezes from aisleway into stalls;

• Stall partitions that have sturdy steel crosshatch or bar grills when possible; and
  

• Vented doors to access aisleway breezes. Also consider having stalls open up to the roof to allow the hot air to rise out of the stall area.
  

2. Select materials wisely. The article below explains sustainable hardwoods, reclaimed wood and other building material options. Selecting building materials that are environmentally friendly is an important part of creating an eco-friendly barn and stalls. Look for wood certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council, reclaimed lumberor wood alternatives made from recycled materials.

Likewise, paint types can influence your environmental impact. For instance, the process of powder coating is, today, an extremely eco-friendly method of coating steels, versus some wet paints that can contain toxins.

3. Consider sustainable design. Several equine architects and designers specialize in designing eco-friendly barns. For example, Blackburn Architects recently launched Blackburn greenbarns. These barns can offer such innovative features as solar panels, greywater systems and vertical ventilation. At Lucas Equine Equipment, we work with many equestrian architects and designers that incorporate sustainable design practices,and we're happy to help you find these types of design professionals.

The best horse stalls create a healthy, pleasant and safe environment for both yourhorses and mother nature. Consider implementing these three points, as well as environmentallyconscious manure composting, stall bedding and water considerations, in your barn.

Hardwood Choices Today.

The old-world styling of traditional wood stalls and doors is definitely appealing. But, as we all strive to be good eco-citizens, it's important to understand your options when it comes to selecting hardwood for your barn.

Sustainable Hardwoods. Truly sustainable hardwoods are FSC-certified. The FSC is the Forestry Stewardship Council, a non-profit group responsible for certifying sustainably harvested wood. The stringent requirements placed on the loggers and forestry management organizations help ensure that forests are managed to meet the "social, economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual needs of present and future generations." FSC-certified woods can sometimes be more expensive, but offer the peace of mind that the harvesting of the wood was responsibly managed.

Reclaimed Wood. Wood salvaged from old barns, buildings and other locations can create a rich and beautiful look, while still relying on the principle of "reduce, reuse, recycle." Barns, doors and stalls can be built with reclaimed wood from your property or purchased through Lucas Equine Equipment. The image to the right shows a barn with stalls and doors created from steel and reclaimed lumber to provide a warm and interesting design.

Exotic Hardwoods. There are some exotic hardwoods that exhibit properties that make them particularly long-lasting. Many of these options can be selected in FSC-certified options. For example, a recently popular wood ipe (pronounced e-pay) is an extremely dense dark reddish-brown lumber, offering the same fire rating as concrete and steel! This durable hardwood is also rated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forestry as "very resistant to attack by decay, fungi and termites." Other interesting exotic woods include sapele (an African mahogany) and Brazilian cherry.

Domestic Hardwoods. Domestic hardwoods usually offer the most cost-effective option when it comes to lumber. Many domestic hardwoods can also be easily found in FSC-certified versions. These hardwoods can include oak, douglas fir, cherry and mahogany.

Softwoods. Softwoods are generally not recommended for use inside horse stalls. Due to the rough and tough nature of the environment inside a horse stall, yellow pine is the only viable option in the softwood category. While yellow pine sacrifices some of the strength found in other hardwoods, it offers a low-cost alternative to hardwoods.

Wood Alternatives. There are several high quality wood alternatives on the market today. One of the most interesting products is a composite that is environmentally friendly, long-lasting, fire-resistant and resists cribbing. This non-hazardous composite is neither a wood nor a plastic, but rather made of a mineral filler created with polyurethane and fly ash (recovered from the electric power generation industry). This composite, marketed under the name LifeTime Lumber, is just one of several types of wood alternatives.

Hardwood Selection. Check out our online Hardwood Selection Matrix to read more about the pros, cons and unique features that make each type of wood good, better or best for your horse stalls.

You can request a quote or consultation on wood, steel or combination stalls and doors from a Lucas Equine Equipment expert.

The Art of Building a Wooden Door.

This month, we snagged two of our expert woodworkers, Greg Ravenscraft and Lee Fryman, to help explain the art of making a Lucas Equine Equipment wood door.

So guys, what qualifies you two as "experts" in woodworking?
Lee: I've been a woodworker for 40-some-odd years, and building Lucas Equine doors for nine years.
Greg: I've been working in the wood shop here for over 20 years.
Lee: I just love it. I started out as a carpenter, then really found my love of fine woodworking. I'm always building something.

You mean between the two of you, we're looking at 60 years of woodworking experience?
Greg: That makes me sound too old!

In all that time, I bet you've learned a few things about crafting a wood door for the equine industry. Care to share some of your wisdom?
Greg: There are two important goals in making this type of door. 1) It's got to last, and 2) it's got to be beautiful, down to the tiniest details.
Lee: All wood is destined to try to move and warp. So, we take several steps to keep that from happening. Not many companies do these things. That's why you see some competitors' doors that have warped, cracked or sagged.

So...give us the scoop! Or, is this a trade secret?
Greg: No, it's just excellent workmanship. First, we start with the best lumber: #1 grade, no knots, completely straight. Then, we begin building the door with three solid layers of wood. All three layers are glued and screwed together. This double-adhesion method eliminates the warping or bowing.

Why three layers of wood?
Lee: Like I mentioned before, wood is always trying to move. We don't want these joints to pull apart. So, the middle layer of the door laps over the joints to tie the boards together. It's the sturdy structure of the door.
Greg: The first layer is the decorative outside of the door. The middle is the structure that ties everything together. The third layer is made of very smooth solid wood boards butted up together, with all the screw holes filled. In horse stalls, the smooth third layer faces the animal, so he can't catch a hoof on any edges when he paws.

The design of these wooden doors seem to vary from ornate designs to simple ones. How does the style of the door affect your building process?
Greg: We're working from very detailed design drawings, created by our in-house architect. These drawings tell us exactly what to build, down to every detail.
Lee: And, to make a Lucas Equine door, you've got to be a detail person. We never have any screw holes on the door front. And, all screw holes on the back are plugged with wood, keeping the grain going in the same direction as the rest of the door. Then, they're sanded down for a super-smooth finish. The entire door is then completely sanded, buffed and the edges are rounded. This really shows off the beauty of the wood.

What's this metal that goes around the door?
Greg: It's a solid steel chew guard. The chew guard is a frame of welded steel, with the joints ground smooth. It surrounds the wood of the door to provide additional strength and protection to the door. With the chew guard, there are no exposed wood edges for horses to chew on. We also apply a steel or brass guide strip for easy door glide and to protect the wood from any rubbing.

Tell me about this wood shop. I don't see a ton of lumber sitting around, but I do see a big barrel of wood shavings.
Greg: We run a lean wood shop, and we have great relationships with our suppliers. So, we only keep a limited stock on-hand. This way, using just-in-time manufacturing principles, we can quickly get the hardwood that we need. We build each item to order, without a lot of unnecessary waste or storage.
Lee: And, the wood shavings are a hot commodity around here. The other guys in the shop use the shavings for various tasks on their farms. It's great for covering your blueberry plants. They don't realize they're being "green."

You guys have created some gorgeous stall doors and end doors. What has been your favorite project?
Lee: It has to be the door we made of solid Black Cherry wood. The wood was brought in from Maine. The color was beautiful!
Greg: I like the projects with arched doors and arched openings. They take a little longer to build, but the end result has such a great look.

Ask an expert. If you would like to ask a Lucas Equine expert about designing or quoting wood doors for your stalls or barn, submit your question here.