If you’ve never worked around horses, then you have no idea how strenuous and difficult it can be.
Of course, there are large and strong animals who can throw you around if they feel like it.
You have to be careful to watch out for their heads, their legs, and their hooves. There’s no doubt that you can sustain many injuries working around large farm animals. However, another thing that you have to watch out for is the danger of environmental fatigue working around such large animals. Because horses require so much care, that means humans spend a lot of time outdoors lugging heavy things around to take care of them. In the summer, this leaves you susceptible to heat stroke. It isn’t uncommon to be outside, moving large bales of hay in the middle of a 90-degree day and sweating through your shirt. There is no air conditioning in most horse barns, and a simple standing fan will create a breeze but will not improve the overall quality of the air surrounding you. In the winter time, you have to be equally careful. The outdoor temperature can dip below zero, and you run the risk of hypothermia or frostbite working in such chilly conditions. Since most horse barns are extremely drafty, it doesn’t make much sense to pump heating or cooling power into a breezy receptacle. You’ll essentially lose all the expensive, high quality treated air directly into the atmosphere. That is, unless you spend a lot of money on expensive insulation for your horse stable first. This year, as global warming continues to throw our climate for a loop, I can’t take the climate anymore. Finally, we will be adding all new insulation to our drafty barn.