Barns and Holiday Decorations: Doing Festive Safely
Posted in MD Barnmaster Blog
Barns and Holiday Decorations: Doing Festive Safely
For many horse lovers, their horses are members of their families. Given how much time equine owners spend in their barns, it’s not hard to understand why some view their horse barns as simply an extension of their family’s living space. During this time of year when holiday decorations abound, horse and pony enthusiasts must answer the age-old holiday question: to decorate or not to decorate the barn?
If holiday-loving horse owners choose to deck their barns with a little Christmas cheer, their first priority should be to ensure that the festive touches are safe for both the structure and the horses that live there.
Seasonal decorators should keep the following safety tips in mind when decking the barn aisles.
Keep all decorations out of any horse’s reach. Avoid placing choking hazards or electric cords where they can end up in your horse’s mouth.
Consider decorating just stall doors. Often boarding facilities may even have stall-decorating contests for their customers during this season. Items to make stall doors festive are plentiful and inexpensive. Stockings are readily available at a variety of retail outlets beginning in October. With a little glue and a little glitter, you can customize each stocking with a horse’s name to add personalized Christmas touches throughout the barn. Stockings hung on stall doors can be filled with treats for easy sharing with your favorite equine during the holidays. Just make sure any stocking is hung with care – in other words, beyond the reach of your horse. Otherwise, there might be no treats left for Christmas morning.
Another simple stall decoration idea is to write a letter to Santa from each horse and hang it on his or her stall door. Heavier paper such as cardstock or construction paper works best for the letters, which can also be customized with stickers or other embellishments. If you are too old to write to Santa yourself, making such a horse-y wish list might be fun. Again, be sure anything adhered to a stall door in your barn is beyond the reach of the stall’s occupant.
Garland or lights can also be added to stall doors in a horse barn. Battery operated lights are more compact and reduce the need to run excessive electrical cords.
The addition of sleigh bells to stall or barn doors are an obvious choice for adding a uniquely equine spin to your barn’s Christmas cheer.
Wreaths provide another option for making your barn jolly. Wreaths can be light-weight and adorned with a variety of holiday accents. Avoid using glass balls on wreaths because broken shards of glass can be a safety hazard to both horses and the people who love them. Again, be sure any wreath hung on a stall door is out of the reach of the horse that resides inside.
Mistletoe can be a popular holiday decoration. What equestrian doesn’t enjoy planting a quick kiss on her favorite horse or pony’s velvety nose during the holiday season? If mistletoe is your decoration of choice, use silk or plastic versions, never real mistletoe as it is toxic for equine. Don’t run the risk of poisoning your horse or pony with real mistletoe this holiday season.
Garlands of pre-made tinsel can be added to stalls or put around door frames or strung nearly anywhere. Again, keep this decoration out of a horse’s reach. If consumed, tinsel can sometimes produce cuts in the soft tissue of an animal’s digestive tract. Also, for a horse, eating tinsel could easily result in choke or colic.
Of course, horse barns may offer a bevy of decorating opportunities beyond just decorating stall doors. The structure and outside areas can also provide ideal places for adding additional cheerful touches.
When decorating a horse barn’s exterior, Christmas lighting is one obvious choice. However, remember to limit and reduce the fire danger that lighting can introduce. Be sure lights are approved for outdoor usage and that any strands are in good working order. Avoid running extension cords. Too many can add to your fire risk. Also, cords across floors or doors present a safety risk so be sure neither horses nor people can become tangled in cords or trip over them.
Ribbons and garland can also add a festive touch to barn doors, posts and fences. Again, for safety’s sake, do not hang these where horses can either eat them or become tangled in them.
Barn doors may provide an ideal spot for larger evergreen wreaths.
For both your indoor or stall decorations as well as the festive additions you make to your barn’s exterior, always keep general safety principals in mind.
Never forgo general safety if you choose to decorate your barn for the holidays. If Santa is giving you and your horses a new barn for Christmas, ask for one by MDBarnmaster. MDBarnmaster barns have been given a 0% flame spreading rating.
Avoid highly flammable decorations. Avoid clutter and keep your barn’s aisles and doorways clear.
Make sure your electrical system is sufficient or skip the Christmas lights. Don’t run excessive cords. Keep all cords and wires out of the reach of horses and ponies.
Never use candles or other open flames as decorations in horse barns.
It’s not too late to share your holiday cheer with your favorite horses or at your preferred stable. Just remember to do it safely so that you can continue to celebrate all of your special moments with your favorite equine well into the new year.
