Building Indoor Stables

B

bluepegasus

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 August 2007
Messages
61
Visit site
My friend is going to rent a barn, next to her field, and wants to build some stables in it. I was thinking lovely american style barn, but obviously quite pricey. Anyone any ideas of building some indoor stables DIY-style?? Thinking just something like breeze blocks and either a 5-bar gate accross the front or reclaiming some bottom stable doors from somewhere.
Also, would it be ok for the horses to be able to touch/see each other over the top of the walls, if they were only about 4 foot high (the walls not the horses!!
tongue.gif
). I'm sure I used to ride at some stables that only had low walls between the stables.
 
Our stable walls are breeze block and about 5 ft high so horses can touch over the top. We did have to build up a bit so they couldn't touch where the corner manager was otherwise they could be tetchy when eating.
 
Yes, it's all fine to build on. She is renting it for 5 years, so at the end of the term the owner might tell her to go and she'll lose what she built, but as I said she's not looking for anything fancy and isn't short of money either
grin.gif
!!
 
I like the open ones as you have both said as I think it makes them much more airy and they can have that contact over the wall. Could you even get scrap building wood and build you own doors? It wouldn't be too difficult?
 
Yes, I don't think it'd be too hard building our own doors and my hubby is pretty handy, which is good because I've already offered his help in the project!!
grin.gif

Note to Self: Must mention this offer to hubby at some time!!
blush.gif
 
get some metal frames and hardwood like the monarch stables then if the guy says buy buy after 5 years she can dismantle them and sell them on !! or keep them and take them with her
 
I wouldn't use breeze blocks for the stables, they're too flimsey, one kick & you'll have some problems. Build them out of concrete blocks it'll be a much stronger job. I'd build lower at the from & put the partition walls significantly higher....in a perfect world horse will get on but in reality they will probably squabble over a lower partition.

The doors can be made up in a gate like fashion with substantial timber, remember horses are very destructive, either reclaimed or new. Remember alot of reclaimed has nails in & is dangerous to machine due to this.

Basically it's not a difficult job building them but remember to build them extremely strongle because when over half a ton of horse leans on something, something invariably gives
shocked.gif


Good Luck
 
I was wondering how you would make them strong enough, because assuming the barn has a concrete floor, how do you build the walls up from a flat floor?? I know you can cement them down but surely that wouldn't withstand a horse leaning on it?? Maybe you'd have to dig down into the floor and make foundations?? Maybe I should just stop bothering myself with the how's & why's and let the hubby worry about that later!!
 
You could Kanga drill the concrete floor away and dig a trench and start building your wall or alternatively bolt a concrete pan to the floor and then build the breeeze block wall above it. However the parallel breeze block walls need to be tied (secured) to the end walls and secured together to each other to strengthen them and avoid them falling over.

Make sure there is not a delapitation clause in your lease that obliges you to resore the building to the state you found it in.
 
I used to keep my horse in a barn, only had to "build" one wall to secion off the end, luckily it had huge opening doors either end, so plenty of air and light.

My grandad was a builder by trade and built it for me, and it was only about 5 foot high ish, and never had a prob.
Although with horses next to each other perhaps a double thickness would be better?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top