Pictures Help me design/plan equestrian facilities?

ImmyS

ImmyS

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So after over a year of an emotional roller coaster and waiting (not very patiently) me and partner finally completed on our dream home.. or potential dream home should I say, as it is a complete project!

We have essentially bought a bungalow that needs complete renovation and a few outbuildings all on about 2.5 acres.

It’s certainly not a huge plot but as you fellow horsey people can imagine, I am already thinking of ways I could potentially make having horses at home possible!

.. that’s where I need your guys’ help as I have a vague idea where to start and however not sure exactly how to best plan/utilise the space we have got to make it work.

So the bare bones of the plan is I have a 15mx9m open barn, around 0.15 acres behind the barn that I feel could make a good loafing area and then we currently have about an acre of useable grazing which I would strip graze/track.

We have the option of renting further grazing down the lane (about 6acres) and the dream would be to eventually buy some of the neighbouring agricultural land for more grazing of our own.

I would be looking to have probably a 15-16hh riding horse for myself and a pony companion. There will be horses next door for extra company.

I’m looking for ideas of what to do for the barn? I like the idea of keeping it fairly open rather than internal stabling? It currently adjoins a bigger barn so would need to divide it from that somehow? Would you have internal stabling or just keep it open with maybe one internal stable in case needed for treating injuries/box rest etc? I have no idea how would be best to divide it off/close the front up? I would ideally like to open up an area that’s currently the back of the barn, but backs on to the suggested loafing area.

We wouldn’t have a huge budget to spend so looking at fairly low cost options to make it horse practical and safe.

And grazing I don’t know whether it would be better to use the acre we have at home for winter and use the barn/loading area and then rent summer grazing to allow the acre to rest?

Lots of options and to process! I would like to start planning and putting things in place over this winter.. you know.. just in case the right horse happened to come along!

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Rough plan -
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Barn

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Acre of grazing

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Loafing area and back of barn -
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Ambers Echo said:
No ideas as I'm hopeless at visualising anything but CONGRATLUTIONS! It's very exciting and I look forward to seeing it taking shape.
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Ahh thank you!! I can sort of visualise, but struggle to know how to make it happen or where/what to source to bring it to life!
 
cauda equina said:
My feeling would be not to rush into anything, but live with it for a bit and do temporary fixes with hurdles, electric fencing and so on; see what works for you and what doesn't
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Absolutely this.

After a year plus, then you'll know where it's best not to put a gate, where a fence line might be better, which bit of the barn might be more usable for light, access etc.
Good luck OP 🙂
 
What a brilliant outcome after a long time . You must be thrilled. I’ve always liked the idea of a barn with access to the fields so horses could make their mind up if they wanted to be in or out. You could set up a sort of pen inside if you needed something on box rest and I would like to be able to shut them in the barn rather than have it completely open . I would want them to winter at home and put up with the trashed field and put the out 24/7 in the rented field, as long as you don’t have a lammy pony… very exciting , let us know how you get on..
 
splashgirl45 said:
What a brilliant outcome after a long time . You must be thrilled. I’ve always liked the idea of a barn with access to the fields so horses could make their mind up if they wanted to be in or out. You could set up a sort of pen inside if you needed something on box rest and I would like to be able to shut them in the barn rather than have it completely open . I would want them to winter at home and put up with the trashed field and put the out 24/7 in the rented field, as long as you don’t have a lammy pony… very exciting , let us know how you get on..
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Good ideas thank you! Will do, will probably realistically be a while before we have any proper set up for horses but exciting to plan!
 
Exciting :D

Once you decide layout, the first thing you definitely should do is put down rroad planings on the tracks you'll be using - it'll make all the difference in the winter :) Don't forget to think about where you'd put your muckheap for ease of emptying/collecting too.
 
stangs said:
If I were you, I'd be tempted to have a stable system like this at the back of your barn so you can maximise the amount of space they can roam when not stabled.

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7.7K views · 109 reactions | So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining. | Gawsworth Track Livery

So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
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Love that! Looks amazing! Love that it keeps the barn open but you can separate them if needed.
 
stangs said:
If I were you, I'd be tempted to have a stable system like this at the back of your barn so you can maximise the amount of space they can roam when not stabled.

www.facebook.com

7.7K views · 109 reactions | So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining. | Gawsworth Track Livery

So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
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I love that too.

OP I don't have any useful suggestions on your set up, but one thing I wish I had more of is storage. I would love to be able to store multiple round bales instead of having to buy small ones, plus I hadn't thought about where to store all the spare fencing posts, electric fencing, buckets, trugs and cat paraphernalia etc, not to mention the ride on mower that we had to get for topping the paddocks.

Just something to bear in mind for your plans. How very exciting 😁
 
stangs said:
If I were you, I'd be tempted to have a stable system like this at the back of your barn so you can maximise the amount of space they can roam when not stabled.

www.facebook.com

7.7K views · 109 reactions | So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining. | Gawsworth Track Livery

So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
Click to expand...


I was going to suggest this, saw it and loved the idea
 
Also the Jelka Mud mats are brilliant, have a look at their Facebook page as they have loads of videos of them in use. And the ones from Abbots View Track Livery are 100% genuine, i know some of the liverys there.
We brought six last october and layed them down on wet deep mud, they were perfect, did not move and gave the horses a good solid dry area
 
Super excited for you. Its my dream to have a similar setup. The barn looks a great space and the track/ loafing area is a great idea. Winters seem to be getting wetter so all weather surface areas will be a good investment.
 
cauda equina said:
My feeling would be not to rush into anything, but live with it for a bit and do temporary fixes with hurdles, electric fencing and so on; see what works for you and what doesn't
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This for sure. You also need to find out which bits of field get wet, where the driest areas are. Which direction the weather comes from etc.
when we moved here the plan was internal stables in an existing shed. I was gutted when I was told it was a no go and I had to have wooden ones, however the barn floods fairly regularly! So that would have been a bad decision in hindsight!
I love your barn! That’s going to be so handy.
So exciting!
 
I would go for some gates which swing back against the walls inside the barn, these could be swung out to make temporary pens/stables when needed but leave the barn itself for the equines to loaf inside at will.

I would also build up a collection of mud control slabs, easily moved/reconfigured at will. My loafing area has mud control slabs down one long side against the barn so there is always hard standing, no matter what the weather is doing.

Good boundary fencing and then electric tape until you decide if you are going to erect permanent fencing internally.
 
I agree with not making permanent decisions for at least a year. We have been here 30 years and have reconfigured several times. The biggest change was moving to 24/7/365 turnout, which has only been possible because we use mud control mats in front of the field shelter in the winter field.
 
stangs said:
If I were you, I'd be tempted to have a stable system like this at the back of your barn so you can maximise the amount of space they can roam when not stabled.

www.facebook.com

7.7K views · 109 reactions | So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining. | Gawsworth Track Livery

So many people ask and inbox about our custom build gate/pen system in the barn. Here a small video explaining.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
Click to expand...


OP - congratulations! How exciting!!

I like the gawsworth livery barn system too. I'd always suggest having enough 'stabling' to close the number of horses you have in if needed (if you have the space to do it).

With regard the land - I wouldn't put any permanent fencing up until you have lived through all seasons and know how all your land holds up to various weather conditions. You can then make a more educated decision on fencing etc.
 
When you think you know where you are going to divide the grazing as above put in scalpings for tracks but also dig in the piping for water troughs in the fields. Aim to have one trough shared between 2 grazing areas. The pipes ideally need to go down 1m so this will make a mess but is so worth it in the long term.

Also do not put troughs in right beside where you have a paddock entrance. Put the trough at least 8m away from the gate to help control winter poaching. Doing this enables the gate area to be electric taped off to recover without keeping the horses away from a water supply.

Additionally when configuring the stables/barn think about bringing up the water mains riser well inside the building where it is shielded from frost by the building and only leave the tap itself exposed to the elements where it pokes through the wall and can be easily covered to prevent freezing in the winter.

Also think about where you will run electric supplies to lights/power points and make sure you have sufficient power supply to support kettle, etc when all the lights are on as well in the winter. Put all power lines in conduit to make it rat/mouse proof.

If the roof of the building needs attention see if it is possible to incorporate clear roof panels above each stable to gain light into the stable and reduce the need for using electric lights.
 
Thank you everyone for the tips and suggestions! Really helpful!

Does anyone know where you would source those gates used in the barns? Like Gawsworth livery have? Wouldn’t know where to look or any idea how much something like that would be!
 
That looks great :) I'm another who would make pens with gates, so keep it as a loafing barn that can be turned into a couple of stables if needed for box rest etc. I'd use agricultural galvanised gates with the mesh at the bottom so they can't accidentally put a leg through, you should be able to get them at your local ag store.
 
Don't rush. Have a system so the horses can put themselves in at night, or day.

My sister had a brilliant system where she had stable, hayfeed store and roofed shelter area, surrounded by a loafing area/corral which had a separate gate to 3 or 4 paddocks and these were different sizes. So she could just open the gate to whichever paddock she wanted to use, or open all the gates and let them circulate.

A track system can be good to keep them walking and restrict grass.
 
reynold said:
When you think you know where you are going to divide the grazing as above put in scalpings for tracks but also dig in the piping for water troughs in the fields. Aim to have one trough shared between 2 grazing areas. The pipes ideally need to go down 1m so this will make a mess but is so worth it in the long term.

Also do not put troughs in right beside where you have a paddock entrance. Put the trough at least 8m away from the gate to help control winter poaching. Doing this enables the gate area to be electric taped off to recover without keeping the horses away from a water supply.

Additionally when configuring the stables/barn think about bringing up the water mains riser well inside the building where it is shielded from frost by the building and only leave the tap itself exposed to the elements where it pokes through the wall and can be easily covered to prevent freezing in the winter.

Also think about where you will run electric supplies to lights/power points and make sure you have sufficient power supply to support kettle, etc when all the lights are on as well in the winter. Put all power lines in conduit to make it rat/mouse proof.

If the roof of the building needs attention see if it is possible to incorporate clear roof panels above each stable to gain light into the stable and reduce the need for using electric lights.
Click to expand...
Or you could just use a hosepipe, making sure that you drain it when it's finished with in winter. We have an x-hose for days when it's freezing. Our lights are solar powered, it was much easier than running electric cable across the yard when we rewired the house.
 
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