Newsletter: May 2010

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Making Barn Safety a Priority: 10 tips for a barn safety audit

As you well know, horses can make safety hazards out of some of the most benign conditions. That's why grill spacing, door/wall strength, and the quality of stall materials are so important to us when we design and build horse stalls. Now is a great time to conduct a safety audit of your barn and stalls.

Below, you'll find 10 key tasks that will help you make your horse stalls and barn a safer place for you and your horses.

1. Check the inside of your stalls, doorways, aisleways and wash stalls for protruding nails, screwheads or sharp edges. The best stalls have sturdy steel mesh crosshatch, grills, tongue and groove wood inserts, or screens that do not use nails at all.

2. Audit your grill spacing and/or crosshatch mesh. To help keep horses from injuring themselves, grills should be spaced no greater than 3-inches on-center. (This means from the center of one bar to the center of the next bar.)

3. Protect chewable surfaces. Chewguards should cover all edges of any exposed wood. Make sure that the materials used to create your stalls and guards are thick enough to withstand serious abuse. Horses can quickly destroy exposed wood edges. Don't forget to include chewguards on your structural posts and window ledges.

4. Enclose any exposed wiring. Double-check for any electric wires, outlets or switches that may be accessible by horses or children. Integrating electric into the structure of your stalls helps increase safety and offers a built-in, seamless look for your barn.

5. Make sure light bulbs are properly protected and light fixtures are high enough that a raring horse couldn't reach them.

6. Check those box fans. We're always preaching about the importance of ventilation. In some barns, box fans can help accomplish this...along with good stall design. If you do install box fans, make sure they are exterior-grade fans. The moisture found in a barn can make interior-grade fans a fire hazard.

7. Install fire extinguishers, making sure they are well-marked and easy to find. Consult your local fire department for recommendations on placing and inspecting fire extinguishers. The Humane Society of the U.S. published a horse barn fire safety recommendation, which you can read here.

8. Re-stock your first aid supplies. Make sure this first aid kit is easy to find!

9. Clear out your aisleways. Over the course of the winter, it's easy to let clutter find a home in your barn's aisleways. Use this safety audit as a time to make sure there is plenty of easy aisleway access in case of an emergency and to make daily operations more efficient.

10. Post emergency numbers prominently. Are the telephone numbers for EMS, fire department, vet, farrier and yourself posted in your barn? Make sure this list is easy to find and up-to-date. Even if you don't have boarders, you never know who may need to contact emergency personnel from your barn.

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Show Off Your Stalls...You Could Win Free Gear!

We know you're proud of your Lucas Equine horse stalls...so, show them off! Send in a picture of your Lucas Equine Equipment stalls, and you could win a free Folding Saddle Rack. Simply submit a photo of your stalls to info@LucasEquine.com, along with a description of your stalls and why you love them! Feel free to include yourself or your horses in the photo, too!

We'll feature the stalls of one lucky person in next month's newsletter. Plus, the winner receives one of our Folding Saddle Racks (a $95 value) for free!

Submit your photo and write-up by May 28, 2010 to be eligible.