keeping your horse barn clean requires having cleaning supplies within reach. A wall caddy can hold rags, buckets, detanglers, and curry combs to make stall cleaning easier.
An excellent way to enhance the look of your horse barn is by using a material different from standard pine for the walls. You could use durable hardwood such as oak, mahogany, or steel siding.
Size
When designing a horse barn, many considerations come into play. Ensuring the building has sufficient stall space to accommodate the horses in the facility and extra room for feed and hay is essential. It is also crucial to consider the safety of the horses and the comfort of those who care for them.
One of the most important factors is ensuring the stalls have enough ventilation to keep the horses calm and comfortable. A lack of ventilation can lead to respiratory problems in the horses and other issues, such as fly infestations.
Organizing and storing horse equipment becomes a breeze with innovative solutions like a wall caddy explicitly designed for horse gear, ensuring convenient access and a tidy storage solution for equestrian enthusiasts.
Another critical factor is the floor of the stalls. It should be soft, easy to clean, and safe for the horses to walk on. Choosing the right flooring is crucial, as it will affect how easy it is to clean and how much wear and tear it can take on the stalls.
Style
When it comes to building a horse barn, the details matter. The barn’s design, from stall sizes to flooring material, can affect your horses’ comfort and safety.
Stall sizes should be appropriate for the breed you’ll be keeping and the size they may grow into. Using a stall that is too small will not only harm your horse’s health and fitness but can reduce the resale value of your property.
A good horse barn should be well-ventilated. This can be done with windows and doors, vents on the roof, along the eaves, and ridgeline. These openings can help air circulation in the warmer weather and prevent moisture from forming inside the barn in the colder months.
Experts suggest having windows in the stalls and sliding doors for ease of cleaning and allowing for natural light. This will save you money on electric bills and encourage your horses to look around for environmental stimulation.
Material
In addition to stalls, horse barns need plenty of space for supplies and equipment. An expanded storage room helps eliminate clutter chaos and reduces the risk of accidents for horses and handlers. Consider including a water storage area and enough space to keep hay, feed, bedding, and practically any other supply that does not have a home elsewhere in the barn.
Stalls should be tall enough to prevent horses from contacting each other nose-to-nose, and the walls should be solid to reduce the risk of airborne diseases that spread through direct contact. Windows and doors may not be sufficient to control the build-up of ammonia that is released when urine breaks down, so stall fans are typically installed along the ceiling.
Other standard upgrades to the barn include:
- GFIC electrical outlets.
- Weatherproof outlets for a set of clippers or possible veterinary equipment.
- Electric baseboard heat for the feed room.
Ensure safety with these upgrades by placing all wiring in a rodent-proof metal conduit and out of horse reach.
Function
A well-designed horse barn is about more than just protecting horses, humans, and tack and feed. Often, horses are confined to indoor facilities for extended periods, and that means the horse barn must be well designed in terms of function to minimize boredom and provide easy access to supplies, such as water.
Dutch doors and grilled windows are a great way to increase natural light in the horse barn, but ventilation is a must, too. Ventilation allows fresh air to move through the barn and remove ammonia from urine. Adding windows, doors, and stall fans is ideal, but ventilated cupolas and ridge caps can help.
Lastly, the location of tack rooms and wash racks should be convenient for the stabled horses to save steps when preparing for work or play. Storage for riding apparel, bridles, saddles, and blankets is also essential. Organizing and storing these items prevents them from becoming a safety risk to the horse or handler during use or cleaning.