Today, we wanted to touch on a very sad and disheartening article that we read. One of the most dreaded nightmares of a horse owner is watching their barn catch on fire. This is a scary thought, especially if any people or horses are in there. In this particular case, the horse owner sadly ten show horses in the blaze. The horse trainer tried his best to get them out, but was only able to save one.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the horse owners, trainer and anyone else who loved and cared for those horses. We would like to write about a few simple preventative measures that you can employ to help you avoid a similar misfortune. Here are some tips:
1) Put smoke detectors in the barn and routinely check to make sure that they are working. Additionally, keep fire extinguishers in the barn to prevent a small fire from becoming a devastating one.
2) Make sure you have a proper storage system for your hay. Ideally, you want your hay to be stored separate of the barn. However, if you have to store the hay inside the barn, be sure it is neatly arranged. Also, avoid placing any wet hay in the barn, as wet hay is more likely to ignite a fire.
3) Habitually check any electrical cords that you have in the barn. As we learned from the article, combustible debris nears your cords could create an issue. Also, you want to check for any possible damage to the cords and get it fixed immediately.
4) Keep your barn clean. Dust, debris, towels etc. can all be potential fire hazards. A clean barn ensures that you will not miss or forget any of these potential hazards.
5) We recommend that you do not smoke, or allow others to smoke in your barn.
These are just a few simple tips that can help you avoid a tragic misfortune to your barn, and put your own life and your horses’ life in danger. If you would have any good tips that you would like to share, please do so in the comments section.