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[RC] barn ideas - A. PerezWhat I hate most about my barn is that it doesn't exist! My guys are out 24x7, with a row of cedar trees to get under in foul weather! I have had barns in the past, though. Here are my 'must have's: LIGHT!!! I hate nothing worse than a dark, gloomy barn. Use light panels, have lots of windows and make the most of natural light, as well as artificial. High ceilings are a must, too: less danger of a head injury should a horse rear. Don't go to crazy making it 'tight': fresh air and good circulation are critical to horse health. Solid (not dirt) floors. Filling in dug-out dirt floors gets old in a hurry. My ideal is asphalt with rubber mats. I used to work for a gal who had a $200,000 barn built (with only 3 stalls!) with fancy brick flooring... and the seams between the bricks caught sawdust and were a pain to clean. On the plus side, this barn had a heated feed room (with hot and cold running water), heated tack room, a wash stall, and a half-bath! It was also wired for closed-circuit tv and had windows fromt he opffice (up in the loft) down into the stalls for horse-monitoring. The same barn also had no way to pitch hay into the stalls without opening the doors: the bars went up to the ceiling, and there were no feed doors: a pain! Speaking of stalls, horses really don't need them. Loafing sheds are fine provided they are large enough (or multiples) so everyone can get in, especially the lower-ranking guys. One or two 'sick stalls' for horses that must be confined are sufficient. And I like BIG stalls: ideally 12 X 16. If you fell you must have individual stalls, each should have direct access to a paddock, so they can be free-choice access. Close to the house enough to be convenient, but not too close, or you'll get flies and odors in your house. Running water is ideal: cold AND hot water is divine! Old chest-type freezers make GREAT mouse and horse proof grain chests. A working fridge is also a nice-to-have, but a non-working one is good for storing meds and other things you want kept safe and clean. In an ideal set-up, I'd have one building for feed, tack, and equipment storage and sick-stall(s). This would be the most tight, and would have water, electricity, a heated tack room and wash stall (a girl can dream, can't she?). For horse-housing, I'd have separate loafing shed(s). Simple 3-sided sheds, no electricity needed except may to plug in the heated water trough. Lastly, separate shed for hay and shavings storage: could be open with just a roof. All within an easy walk of each other. Only the loafing sheds would open directly to the paddocks, so horses could not get into the feed if a door is left open accidently. Amanda (who clearly spends alot of time fantasizing about having a barn!) ________________________________________________ Get your own "800" number Voicemail, fax, email, and a lot more http://www.ureach.com/reg/tag ============================================================ We are talking about all the tools we can use to keep our horses safe and alive at the rides. Training/conditioning is one of the best tools available. It makes us better horseman and women, it benefits our horses and could quite possibly be the key to preventing most crashes. ~ Lisa Salas - The Odd Farm ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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