What qualities does the perfect barn have?

[Black Magic]

Yesterday, we went to closing on our construction loan for our new house... (Finally)... Anyway, hubby wants a "Show barn". (He saw that phrase used in a real estate phamlet... (I thought a show barn had 'SHOW HORSES'... guess not!) So in the not too distant future we're going to go to contract with the people that are building the house to build us a new barn, (to match the style of the house). I get the idea that not all the people that work for this company are horse savy... so any suggestions are appreciated while we make a list of what we must have for our new barn. We're talking six stalls, and four full size and two mini stalls. Our "R" mini would do better in a full size stall anyway, and our QH of course needs full size. Hubby wants an office, tack room, feed room and "coffee bar" in the barn for his expresso machine... (lol).

We thought we'd have two full size stalls left over for the possibility of a boarder or two... (there aren't any decent barns in our development that has 29 horses, and during hurricane season... people without trailers are freaking where they can take their horses).

I need the works folks... From floors to ventilation and manure disposal, to fun items for the horses... to storage, bug control, ventilation, brood mare size stalls, best stall bottom etc... I'll forward all this to my military hubby, so he can compile a list for the builder and what things I need to research. (Hint: our horses have pretty complete wardrobes, as far as sun blankets, fly sheets, fleeces, winter blankets, waterproof blankets, saddle pads and blankets, etc. What do I do with all this stuff??? )

Oh, and I'm converting our mini barn to a place for anything in the cart family. We only have 3.7 acres right now, (looking at an adjoining 2 acres that is attached, and we already have another acre across the street).

SO help??? Before I go to contract on something I might later hate, or is so over priced, my husband hates it... Lol.. He's very generous with the horse hobby of mine, but he wants me to submit a budget to him, before we go to contract. I can't begin to even give him a figure when I can't even imagine what I need!!! I suspect he's thinking that if the barn is nice enough, we'll have a boarder and so money will come in to offset my horse spending.

God Bless,

Lynn W

 

[Lauralee]

VENTILATION VENTILATION VENTILATION

I can't stress the importance of year round ventilation for any horse barn.

Wash rack and clipping area

Automatic watering system with CUT OFF VALVES for each

Electrical outlets for camera systems

Thick rubber mats

Drainage system in each stall so that it can be disinfected easily

 

[Kim]

Here are some features of out barn that I really like:

-wash rack with huge hot water tank

-gas heating system which can heat up the whole barn almost instantly

-bathroom

-sliding doors on each end

-concrete aisleway

-lots of shelving and hooks along one side for storage

-lots of electrical outlets at convenient locations

-good lighting (fluorescent lights all along barn with multiple switches so you

can turn on only one section if you want)

-water taps between every 2-3 stalls

-non solid stall walls - this really helps with ventilation, and also the horses

can see each other, which is nice. The stalls are made of a metal grid which

allows air through and is see through, but the horses can't get legs or noses

through

-storage room with heat and good door so animals can't get in

I would like the following instead of what we have:

-concrete and then thick rubber mats in stalls.

-a drain in each stall so I could wash down the stalls easily.

-a drain at the non-washrack end for dumping water buckets. It's inefficient to

have to walk to the other end of the barn.

For a barn in Florida, having heat and hot water is probably not as important as in Canada, but you might want to consider hot water--it's great to have. I would think that you also need to put a lot of thought into how to keep your barn cool--a problem we don't have.

Good luck--sounds really fun!

 

[Cathy_H]

Designed so that the stall doors can be opened & the horses can walk without being led to the pasture or dry lot or wherever they are headed................ We hope to move & build a new barn in the near future. We are designing ours so that each stall has its own individual dry lot outside of the barn.

 

[Bluerocket]

You are getting lots of good input -- assuming money is no object

Here are some links that you might find useful!

Miniature horse and full size horse Stalls:

http://www.armourgates.com/new/ look in PRODUCTS -- and Mini stalls are in there

http://www.armourgates.com/new/horse-gates...e-miniature.htm

http://www.horsestalls.com/minihorsestalls.htm

http://www.rammfence.com/RF_about_links.htm

http://www.classic-equine.com/index.shtml

These are GORGEOUS Mini Stalls:

http://www.wdstar.com/catalog4.php?_cat=mini_stalls

Here is a photo of the stalls in the above link:

Interesting idea - could be done indoors - Mini stalls:

http://www.quickstalls.com/ministalls.htm

A link to several places that make stalls:

http://www.abetterbuilding.net/horse-stalls.html

A link to several places with barn building plans etc..

http://www.abetterplan.com/horsebarns.html

 

[Kathy2m]

Living in florida I would rethink the flourescent lights the humidity get to them and they wont work I'm trying to get my husband to replace ours. IMO I dont like auto waters you can't see how much they drink. And fans of course! It gets HOT in Ocala! Good Luck, its beautiful up there, Kathy

 

[Becky]

Here in Oklahoma, metal barns are the most common so that is what I used when I built a new barn in 2000. Mine is metal over wood framing with wood trusses. Others here in the area are completely metal on a metal frame.

Light and ventilation was very important to me, so the barn faces north - south for air flow. A window over every stall is a must. I had my barn fully insulated for warmth in the winter and help with heat in the summer.

Full concrete floor here. I never wanted to have to worry about uneven floors or horses digging. Plus it can be completely disinfected. The stalls are fully matted. My stalls are all metal with expanded metal 'windows' between the stalls. Horses can see and visit with the horse in the stall next to them. They can also see out the front of their stalls through bars, but I do want stall walls high enough so they can't get their head over.

I also have a Pyranha fly control system which I would highly recommend!

A separate grooming area with a wash area. Mine is designed for clipping at one end and bathing at the other. Hot water is a must! My groom room is fully enclosed and insulated so it's heated for winter use and air conditioned in the summer.

Overhead doors at either end of the barn work better for me than sliding doors.

I have flourescent lights down the center aisle and individual pull chain lights over each stall. Electrical outlets at the back of every other stall.

And one last thing for me, a bathroom in my tiny office!

 

[Bluerocket]

Manure disposal systems ---

1) Dumpster that gets hauled away

2) Composting systems:

http://www.transformcompost.com/

http://www.composter.com/

http://www.soilcc.ca/ggmp/gg_news/a_LiqManure.html

http://www.compostguide.com/

http://www.ecochem.com/t_cbct.html

I am sure there are more links -- but this is a start.

 

[dannigirl]

Two or three things that I really like about my barn are the hooks near each stall door. Great for hanging lead ropes, halters ect. Also a tiny shelf of some sort at the highest point in the stall to put meds and such while you may be working on a horse. Just finished working with one that had eye problems and was using 2 kinds of meds and working with a flymask so it was nice to put the meds somewhere until I used them (I use the top of the stall posts cause they are flat and work as a shelf for me) I also have gates at the ends of nearly every aisleway. That sure is nice for sending them anywhere in the barn without actually catching each individual horse. Also would be easier for you to help someone else if their horse(s) are not as easy to catch as yours are. I just have cattle wire gates and can put them back against the stalls when they are not being used so they are not in the way. Also, make sure the aisles are wide enough to get equipment for cleaning ect. Some of mine are only 4 ft wide and I wish they were wider.

Have fun designing your new barn. I am almost jealous

Angie

 

[Marty]

What qualities does the perfect barn have?

Happy, healthy horses.

 

[Marty]

OK I can tell you one thing: to me, looks doesn't really matter. My new barn is certainly not state-of-the-art, nor is it fancy. It is servicable, and to me, that's what counts more than any fancy, dancy, stuff you can do to it. Barns are supposed to be for "using".......that's what I think anyhow. One thing that I do think is important is that the walls are low so that the horses can all look out and look at eachother easily without having to struggle. I do not like the bars, the "jailed" look. I think horses should enjoy their stalls and not feel imprisoned. Does that make any sense?

I don't know what "show barn" is supposed to mean. I never could figure that one out. But no matter what you do or what you build, the most important thing is that you are happy and the horses are happy. Good luck and best wishes for your new home and barn.

 

[USMCshamusmom]

read the book "keeping Horses on small acreage" by Cherry Hill for very good ideas for building your own barn. So much depends on what you want to accomplish, what your land is like, etc etc... take your time and discuss thoroughly with your builder. Study local barns, usually a certain style of barn is popular in an area because it works best for that area. Biggest issue to start with is to make sure the whole thing is located properly on well drained land with proper grading and tiling, gravel, etc preparation of the site... without good drainage and high and dry conditions to begin with, all else is a useless waste of time and money. Give plenty of thought to how the water flows when it rains, and where it flows, and how construction will likely change some of those flow patterns, because without site preparation and remedial grading and maybe tiling afterwards, there can be some pretty major problems!

I have seen a barn that had a "river" flow around it every time it rained, essentially turning the whole outside foundation into a moat the horses and owners had to walk through to clean stalls or bring animals in or out of the barn. The owners had to put up plywood ramps over the mud every winter just to get wheelbarrows and horses in and out . I have seen water after rains seeping into the 9 stalls on one side of a local barn and flowing down the middle aisle, filling the arena and flowing to a hole they dug on the opposite side of the arena to release the water! I have seen a barn standing after rains with 6 inches of water on all floors for a month or more, with stalls that never dried. you get the idea!

 

[Charlotte]

[SIZE=14pt]VENTILATION[/SIZE] ventilation, ventilation and light and ease of cleaning. Hmmm, my list can go on and on, but I've seen lots of my 'needs' mentioned by others already.

Concrete aisles

rubber mat stalls

insulated groom room with heat and air cond, hot water...LOTS of light

insulated walls and roof (metal barn)

everything located to make MY work easy and keep the horses healthy & happy

I'd rather plan a barn than a house

Charlotte

 

[minimama]

A loft game room/office!! It is my dream barn!!

 

[Margo_C-T]

I have a wonderful barn which I love, but living with it for 25 years has shown me both the features I love BEST, and the ways I would improve it!

The ideas already expressed that I ESPECIALLY agree with, and/or hadn't thought of, but find GREAT(and would add to my own "wish" list,) are:

NO automatic waterers-as said, you can't tell whether or not they are drinking water as they should. At first blush, they seem a great idea-very convenient for the humans involved(we put them in here; now they are not used), but...I'd rather see a faucet(freezeproof, if needed)between every couple of stalls-with a coil hose, it would be easy to top off buckets, using heated in the winter(where needed), 'regular' in the summer.

Concrete or asphalt stall floors, but ONLY if there is an adequate drain in EVERY stall-otherwise, careful prep of the stall floors, according to what is most suitable to local soil/drainage conditions- good matting over that,and THEN using a good, absorbent, non-dusty bedding material,at least for the "pee"corner, which can be safely/easily disposed of in your area.

Like the idea of the well but safely-placed shelf in every stall! This WOULD be helpful.

I certainly agree, too, with:well-planned and careful execution of site preparation-proper drainage is SOOOO important; big, wide, overhead doors,and at least one walk-in door, and wide concrete (or asphalt)aisles, LOTS of good(natural as well as artificial)light(with multiple switches/options), ventilation, ventilation, ventilation!, available hot water, wash rack with drain(perhaps, placed in the middle of one side of a large barn, so as to not entail such a long walk to utilize the drain?), tack room/office/ bathroom that can be heated/cooled, and are "tight", against dust, etc.,direct access to outside runs from EVERY stall, plenty of GFI electrical outlets, stall partitions/fronts which allow the horses to see each other and out into the aisle, yet are impenetrable, insulation if the barn is metal(no matter what the climate!)and 'lining' of the horse areas with wood if the walls are metal, plenty of accessible, safe tie-up locations for the horses---

I like hay/feed storage under the same roof, if possible. I would also strongly advocate making the individual stalls as spacious as is possible, for both small and large horses. Moveable partitions could make stall size even more versatile.(Have to add, I think *many*of these ideas could be implemented, through careful planning, without the barn being HORRENDOUSLY expensive; some of the ideas would, however, be most feasible if "money were no object".)

There's lots more that *could*be covered; this post would go on forEVER, though!

Think I'm like Charlotte-would rather design a barn than a house!!

 

[Miniv]

Having a door and aisle wide enough for a pickup truck to get through.

Lots of electrical outlets.

Hot and cold running water and a sink!

An actual bathroom is a bonus.....

Overhangs to the roof large enough to allow for a loafing area against the barn.

Some backdoors or gates to the stalls for the horses to access run-out areas.

Plenty of overhead lights on different switches.

Rubber mats, ventilation, and the stalls designed for easy drainage.

MA

 

[qtrrae]

When we first decided to build our barn, the first contractor that we talked to tried to talk us out of a window in every stall. Needless to say, I went with a different contractor. I love having a window in every stall for both light and ventilation.

One of my favorite things about my barn is my foaling stall - it is 12 x 20 and has a window that looks into my tack/office room. I can observe my mares without them knowing (of course that was before having a camera system)

We have only one stall leading into a turnout pen - wish we had done that with every stall. Later, we added a lean to off of one side of our barn, that is one of the best things we ever did.

Our barn was built for quarter horses and we have improvised for the minis.

Good luck building your barn, it is so much fun planning - one of the things that I did was get graph paper and used 1" to equal every foot. It really helped to visualize and gave us a good idea where to place everything.

 

[wildoak]

We are in the process of building a new barn - and living in it till we build a house! It's been quite a project, as we had to be out of our old house way before this was ready but I am really pleased so far with my barn. Some of the things we improved on from the old barn - a much wider aisle (15'), split slider doors at the ends instead of one heavy one, an enclosed wash/groom area, high enough ceiling to pull a load of hay through or to comfortably ride through, individual cut offs for stall waterers (I like my waterers

). I have alternating windows and dutch doors on the back of the barn, so each stall has one or the other. Have a large covered area backside of the barn too, and will have fenced runs down from there. Stalls aren't done yet but dividers and front gates will be something that allows horses to see through and allows plenty of circulation. We have put an apartment in too, which will eventually be my office and an extra bed for guest or when I want to stay out with a foaling mare or whatever. It's a pole barn - metal siding with wood frame, which gives you something to nail into on the inside.

One thing you might consider - if you are spending the money to have your house builder do your barn anyway, you might at least get a bid from MD or some of the professional barn builders. They will know all the available goodies to put in and may be in line pricewise with your builder.

Jan

 

[Ashley]

I personally like how my aunts barn is set up. IT is basically a long pole shed made into a barn. its 40x 120 I think*. She has a tack room, in that tack room is the show room(for the reindeer sleighs, and horse awards), then there is the actual tack room, a bathroom, and then a little office area that the horse meds and washmachine is. This whole room did have slab heat in it, but the lightening killed it a few years ago.

The main barn has the one side set up as all run in pens. Our horses are never locked in unless they are sick, showing or foaling. The run in pens have indevidual feeding stalls with dishes in, and they front ally they can stick there heads through. Babys love this as when we are in the barn they can jump in and out at there own free will.

Then there is a heated room on the one end for all the small critters that need heat in the winter. Which right now is just heaters but will eventually be furnace powered.

The middle isle is concrete.

The other side of the barn, has the above mentioned tack room, then a heated wash stall. Completely inclosed, concrete floor. Room for 6 horses to be tied if necessary, but mainly only used for 2 at a time.

THen we have 3 foaling stalls, with a forth that is normally used as storage. But this area is going to be redone to be turned in to four long foaling stalls, two of which will be inclosed and heated for some of the exotic kids that arrive early.

Then at the end of them is our hay storage area.

THe barn stays cool in the summer and in the winter its cool but decent. One end of the barn has a big garage door, and one little door, the other end has 3 big garage doors so plenty of air movement, espceially since they live on top of a hill.

Most all the pastures run down the hill so it helps with drying up faster in the spring thaw.

The animals all seem to be content and happy, its nothing overly fancy, but its a nice working do able barn.

If it were me, I would put more stalls in then you are planing. Plus why make a difference in size between big horse and mini?