Building stable yard - advice/tips welcome!

[Kacey88]

Hello everyone.

I'm very lucky and excited to be planning a new little yard this year. Currently have two cobs, I breed the odd foal and enjoy in hand showing. Plan to get back into the saddle at some stage also, for hacking and maybe some ridden showing. I am starting off with a three stables block building with a slight overhang, the third stable will be storage for now.

Each stable will have a window also to increase ventilation, and am thinking of a slight fall towards the front for drainage. I'll be putting in a concrete yard in front too. I have a field shelter already, hoping they can continue to mainly live out.

Next phase involves a loafing area with a field shelter I already have, I prefer them living out whenever possible. They have both needed stabling over the past few months for different reasons (injury and illness), before that I would have started with a loafing area. I don't have the budget for everything

Any do/don'ts for block stables? Drainage wise/drinkers etc? Or any clever ideas/thoughts welcome!

 

[Sanversera]

Box or trailer parking area. Big looseboxes with yard area.

 

[DSB]

Don't laugh,make sure that if the worst happens you can get a dead horse out of the box,

 

[Kacey88]

Don't laugh,make sure that if the worst happens you can get a dead horse out of the box,

Thank you, you're right. I'm going to have enough space to drive down in front of the stable doors, is that what you mean?

 

[Kacey88]

Box or trailer parking area. Big looseboxes with yard area.

Yes! A parking area, I have the house yard beside which can do for now. The stables will be about 4m x 4m, I'll have one bigger again for foaling.

 

[Red-1]

My best decision was in having a second door out of the back of the stable to a small loafing area for each box. It was where the window had been. I thought I'd have it shut most of the time, but actually the horses love being in an in and out situation. Both horses also prefer to poo outside and sleep inside, a real boon with a grey!!!

The other thing is drainage. My yard has been so much better since it was properly drained.

All of my yard is run off the outside tap from the house. I do have underground pipes, but they run from the outside tap, which is turned off and disconnected each time it is not in use. That prevents floods from freezing pipes.

Shade. Wooden stables especially can get very hot in summer. I have areas where both horses can rest in natural shade when it is hot. Trees that were small are now big, so I'd plan ahead and get planting.

 

[Abacus]

My best decision was in having a second door out of the back of the stable to a small loafing area for each box. It was where the window had been. I thought I'd have it shut most of the time, but actually the horses love being in an in and out situation. Both horses also prefer to poo outside and sleep inside, a real boon with a grey!!!

The other thing is drainage. My yard has been so much better since it was properly drained.

All of my yard is run off the outside tap from the house. I do have underground pipes, but they run from the outside tap, which is turned off and disconnected each time it is not in use. That prevents floods from freezing pipes.

Shade. Wooden stables especially can get very hot in summer. I have areas where both horses can rest in natural shade when it is hot. Trees that were small are now big, so I'd plan ahead and get planting.

I was going to say exactly the same about the back door and a loafing area. I haven't got it, and with my yard setup it isn't feasible (not enough field space at the back of each box) but would do if starting from scratch.

If you are able, a barn with a good sized door is very helpful for getting large bales into (again I can't do this as I only have stable sized doors, which restricts me to small bale hay - more expensive). Perhaps for your third storage stable, have a gate sized entrance - could always be infilled if you need to use it as a stable at some point.

I'm not sure if the land is new to you, but consider the prevailing wind when you plan the orientation, especially if you have back doors or the extra window. A bit of breeze is good, but not a howling gale through each stable.

All very exciting, good luck!

 

[cauda equina]

I love the idea of a loafing area
Also, think about situations when one horse needs to be stabled while the other is out - would they be able to see each other?

 

[Kacey88]

My best decision was in having a second door out of the back of the stable to a small loafing area for each box. It was where the window had been. I thought I'd have it shut most of the time, but actually the horses love being in an in and out situation. Both horses also prefer to poo outside and sleep inside, a real boon with a grey!!!

The other thing is drainage. My yard has been so much better since it was properly drained.

All of my yard is run off the outside tap from the house. I do have underground pipes, but they run from the outside tap, which is turned off and disconnected each time it is not in use. That prevents floods from freezing pipes.

Shade. Wooden stables especially can get very hot in summer. I have areas where both horses can rest in natural shade when it is hot. Trees that were small are now big, so I'd plan ahead and get planting.

Thank you, you've really made me rethink. I was going to build a separate loafing area in time with a shelter, but if I can incorporate one of at least one of the initial stables maybe I will. See I also need a concrete yard for washing, grooming etc and I only have one side of the stables to work with but I might jig it around a bit.

Planting loads of trees at present, my second favourite hobby

 

[Kacey88]

I was going to say exactly the same about the back door and a loafing area. I haven't got it, and with my yard setup it isn't feasible (not enough field space at the back of each box) but would do if starting from scratch.

If you are able, a barn with a good sized door is very helpful for getting large bales into (again I can't do this as I only have stable sized doors, which restricts me to small bale hay - more expensive). Perhaps for your third storage stable, have a gate sized entrance - could always be infilled if you need to use it as a stable at some point.

I'm not sure if the land is new to you, but consider the prevailing wind when you plan the orientation, especially if you have back doors or the extra window. A bit of breeze is good, but not a howling gale through each stable.

All very exciting, good luck!

Yes thank you, I am lucky I can back the stables against the prevailing wind.

I like the idea of leaving the third one more flexible, I could put a bigger door on or a gate like you said. Food for thought! I'm hoping I can build a mini open shed at some point, even if it just holds 3 or 4 round bales. So much cheaper!

 

[Caski]

Hello everyone.

I'm very lucky and excited to be planning a new little yard this year. Currently have two cobs, I breed the odd foal and enjoy in hand showing. Plan to get back into the saddle at some stage also, for hacking and maybe some ridden showing. I am starting off with a three stables block building with a slight overhang, the third stable will be storage for now.

Each stable will have a window also to increase ventilation, and am thinking of a slight fall towards the front for drainage. I'll be putting in a concrete yard in front too. I have a field shelter already, hoping they can continue to mainly live out.

Next phase involves a loafing area with a field shelter I already have, I prefer them living out whenever possible. They have both needed stabling over the past few months for different reasons (injury and illness), before that I would have started with a loafing area. I don't have the budget for everything

Any do/don'ts for block stables? Drainage wise/drinkers etc? Or any clever ideas/thoughts welcome!

Have as much overhang as possible, much more pleasant when doing the horses in bad weather!

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Thank you, you've really made me rethink. I was going to build a separate loafing area in time with a shelter, but if I can incorporate one of at least one of the initial stables maybe I will. See I also need a concrete yard for washing, grooming etc and I only have one side of the stables to work with but I might jig it around a bit.

Planting loads of trees at present, my second favourite hobby

If you're planting trees and thinking about building a yard it's worth considering the direction prevailing weather is likely to come from so the yard is sheltered
+1 for good drainage but also make sure the stables have a decent sized overhang

 

[Hackback]

Have as much storage as possible! I went for an L shape 3 stable and storage wooden structure. The third stable is used as a tack room/feed store and the storage area is basically two stables in one.

I too can only get small bales in the store. Although I have double doors (as well as a single door off the yard) I decided to have the double doors round the back rather than on the yard, not anticipating the access issues of having to get hay etc delivered in large vehicles, over muddy fields. Plus the storage items have gradually grown from just hay to spare fence posts, electric fencing spares, a cat climbing frame , buckets, spare feed bins, nets, handy plastic bags, etc etc. I wish I had four times the storage then I could have stocked up on nice hay this winter instead of scrabbling around trying to get dribs and drabs from all over.

Another mistake, although not really mine, was that the company who laid the concrete yard miscalculated and made it too big. The stable block was supposed to sit at the edge of the gentle slope towards the drain that's sited in the middle of the yard. Instead, they put it against the back edge of the (now too large) concrete pad which means the stables are sitting on a completely flat bit and consequently water pools outside the stables when it rains heavily and I'm constantly sweeping it away.

A point about drainage actually - we needed to install a soakaway, which involved quite a bit of groundwork. The planning inspector seemed to be particularly interested in the drainage arrangements and made a special trip to examine our soakaway.

Good luck, despite our mistakes I do love my little yard.

 

[Red-1]

Thank you, you've really made me rethink. I was going to build a separate loafing area in time with a shelter, but if I can incorporate one of at least one of the initial stables maybe I will. See I also need a concrete yard for washing, grooming etc and I only have one side of the stables to work with but I might jig it around a bit.

Planting loads of trees at present, my second favourite hobby

My small loafing area is rubber matted. That would work for both loafing and grooming. I got some secondhand ones over time and some 'seconds' that were new, plus some pit belting. It stands them even having a little canter LOL.

 

[Exasperated]

If you're planting trees and thinking about building a yard it's worth considering the direction prevailing weather is likely to come from so the yard is sheltered
+1 for good drainage but also make sure the stables have a decent sized overhang

Yes, probably also worth considering how close and high the trees will become, re branches breaking off in storms, and roots in relation to the concrete pad /drainage.