Run-In Sheds: Are They Worth the Trouble?

You go to great effort and expense to build a spacious run-in shed in your field. When it’s finished, your horses seem to ignore it completely, and you wonder why you bothered! Actually, you did the right thing, according to a study that observed both Arabian horses and draft horses for a year to record use of run-in sheds in their pastures. Overall use by horses standing or lying in or next to the sheds was less than 10%. However, in snowy or rainy weather, particularly when a strong breeze was blowing, usage jumped to a high of 62%. Obviously, some horses appreciate a run-in shed more than others, and for the ones who like to seek shelter from wind and dampness, the shed is very important at some times.