Ideal layout for a yard

[now_loves_mares]

I'm in the early stages of a potential buidling plan. As such I'm trying to figure out what the best layout for a yard would be. Field is about 10 acres, with mature trees along the north and west fenceline (about 40ft into field). The road runs along the south boundary.

So my questions are not "if money were no object"; but rather, what works and what doesn't. Specifically I'm thinking:

Internal (barn style) or traditional stables
Would the stables face the house, or towards the field
Would you put the stables facing the arena (does it make a difference for certain horses, mine are very bonded)
Does having stables opening directly onto fields work, or is it just a pain as horses squeeze into one stable, trash the yard etc
Getting to and from the fields - in an ideal world we'd build the house in the centre of the field so grazing was all around, but chances are we won't be allowed to do this. In which case, how do you separate winter and summer paddocks. Which ones nearer the stables?
Is your muckheap near the stables for convenience, or is that a pain because of flies/smell.
What direction would the stables face to keep them sheltered in winter/cooler in summer. I guess back to the prevailing wind, which is from the west here, and in an L shape so that they can be sheltered from sun. But then yard itself doesn't get much sun, which in my experience results in algae build up
Tack room - in house or in yard.
Lorry parking - out of sight or right in view for security.

Lots and lots of things buzzing round my head, but I'd be really interested in any good ideas or tips from your own yards (commercial or private). I'm trying to think of what makes life better for horses, easier for me, and more cost effective where appropriate. Sadly I won't be building gallops or indoor schools etc, but if something that is a bit of a luxury makes a huge difference, I'd be interested to know

 

[ChestnutHunter]

If money was no object and as a livery I would be looking for...
Internal stables - keeps the horses cool during the day in the summer and shelters in the winter. Also can mean space outside stables for straw/buckets etc.
If they were internal it wouldnt really matter where they faced, but probably the field so shorter walk for older/lame horses, but can still be seen from the house? If they were traditional probably facing the house as escaping horses is never good!!
Id face stables away from the arena as even though the horses are bonded, they wont have there friends at shows etc, and the arena should be a place of work where the horse should focus. Id also keep the stables on a concrete yard to minimize mud and I would want good drainage, and an area to be able to wash my horse, so probably away from muddy fields but still with easy access! Id say the summer/winter fields depends on where you are. We are on hills and the winter field is on the very top of the hill, so the water runs down and doesnt collect on the top to stop the risk of the field becoming too boggy, and the summer field is abit lower down but still quite steep. As long as the grazing is good I wouldnt really mind as a livery where my horse was playing out, just as long as it was secure and not full of mud!! Even though flies are a nuisance I would keep the muck heap as easy to access as possible..obviously muck is heavy and I wouldnt be happy dragging it round before I could get rid! I would keep the tack room on the yard and give each livery a key and there own section. I would also keep the lorry wherever.. depends if you want to be sure that it is safe, or if you want to enjoy the view without a huge lorry in the way!!

Sorry for the waffle.. I dont know if your looking to build for yourself or set up your own livery yard, but thats what I would look for :grin:

 

[starsnrunes]

Re stables facing the fields - I have a horse that kicks at his door and found that when he was next to my other horse and could see his field he started banging at 6am and didn't stop til turn out, after he got moved back to his orignal stable on the other side of the yard where he can see the other horses he's a lot better and only kicks a few times first thing.

Also I'd put the winter stables nearer the house....just so i wouldn't have to walk as far when turning out.

 

[now_loves_mares]

Primarily on my own but I am considering doing holiday livery. My OH wouldn't particularly want people around all the time, but happy (ish!) to have the horses

The field is generally flat, so not sure whether it will make a difference for mud. At the moment, my field is a 7 minute walk from my stables, and it's a nightmare in winter as they misbehave in the dark/wind/rain, so I'm inclined to put my winter fields where they can just be herded into their stables

I think in an ideal world I'd like internal stables, but with an opening to the outside ie top door only.

Good point re the arena, they are a bit of a pain. Strangely though both behave fine if taken away on their own in the box, so wasn't sure whether if they could see each other there would be less screaming and panicking. On the other hand it would be nice to just be able to take in the one I want to ride, not both of them. Now I really am dreaming

 

[now_loves_mares]

Starsnrunes, I think you are probably right, facing the house is probably better. That would I think also work in terms of the weather and the likely orientation of the house etc too.

Think you are probably right about the winter fields too. Especially in terms of breaking ice on water troughs, haying them etc. Hmm ok that one is a no-brainer now I think of it.

 

[martlin]

If you can get away with it planning-wise, go for an American barn - it's so much nicer to work in the winter and much cooler in the summer, you always have somewhere to tie a horse up under cover - your farrier will love you
The single little detail that makes my life easier is an internal washbay with a solarium - I can bathe them any time and dry them off regardless of weather.
Another super useful piece of kit is a rug dryer.
Winter fields are better closer to stables than the summer ones as well.

 

[kerilli]

i'd have tackroom on the yard but as close to house as possible. best of both worlds then. carrying saddles back and forth from stable to yard whenever you want to ride is a bit tiring.
winter grazing close, summer grazing further away. much nicer to walk a distance in the summer, and easier too... when it's muddy and slippery and horses are wanting to get in out of the vile weather, it's easier to lead them a shorter distance! ditto watering, haying.
all-weather turnout on woodchip if possible if soil type is not well draining...! i did this last year, just a small area, and they were so much happier than out in muddy wet fields.
i prefer indoor stabling, but with a really wide doorway to look out of, ideally stable windows in back walls too. really big stables ideally, i have two that are 15x15 and they are lovely.
i have never had stables facing arena, prefer to have it round the corner, sort of thing.
muck heap far from stables to avoid smoke and flies imho, as long as you don't mind having a trailer and emptying it.
i think field shelters are essential, more in summer than winter tbh. they love using the shade, but in winter they're usually well rugged anyway...
lots more thoughts (i've done 3 yards now!) but that's a start i hope.

 

[Cedars]

Oooh exciting!! =] Only real suggestions:

Having winter turnout areas somewhere where they are not a thoroughfair - otherwise come winter they'll be totally trashed (and it goes without saying, somewhere flat ish with good drainage).

Our fields are separated from our boxes by a field shelter with an open top door when a horse is in - i.e. they can see each other from box/field, but cant touch. Not sure about school as we dont have one but I'd imagine you'd have real problems getting them to leave the others and napping issues if they could see their friends?

Good luck, anyway! Also word of advice - if you're having concrete floors anywhere, MAT THEM! or have them PROPERLY sealed....we're STILL having problems with dust everywhere - after 3 coats of sealant!

 

[now_loves_mares]

Thanks Martlin and Kerilli, barn stabling would be lovely (I saw these amazing ones in Busch Gardens in Tampa where the Budweiser horses are, painted in pale blue and white, with ceiling fans everywhere. Perhaps not the most suitable for Scotland though LOL!).

K - I have a field shelter that I would move, my horses spent most of winter in it actually as one of them is a massive wimp. She was wearing a heavyweight wug with a liner underneath and would still hide out in her shelter all day. Which is a good point, mucking that out was a pain so need to consider poo picking too. My Dad built at his house an earth-ramp with a medium sized trailer parked by it. His OH then just tips the barrow into it easy-peasy.

Good point also on the tackroom. I guess so long as you build it securely it should be safe enough, or as safe as it's going to be.

I'm trying hard not to get too excited as there is a good chance the planners will say no. But I can dream

Thanks for all the ideas, keep them coming.

 

[now_loves_mares]

No Flamehead I WILL NOT GET EXCITED - That way disappointment lies Planning is certainly not a given so I have to be sensible and not get my hopes up

Good tip re the concrete. I have rubber mats but even so sealing it is probably imperative. Luckily my Dad is fairly practical and I'd be roping him into doing a lot of the building work. Not sure if he knows this yet

 

[CBFan]

oooh How exciting!

If it were me, as nice as a lovely courtyard block looks, I'd probably go for a timber clad barn with a nice big opening at the front. as others have said, They are cooler in summer, dryer in winter and iff well lit make it so much easier for farrier and vet visits as well as mucking out etc.

To be honest I probably wouldnt make any firm decisions about fields etc until you have been there a year or so, so that you know how well they drain and how much space you need seasonally and how frequently you will need to rotate etc. fence the perimeter and then use leccy fencing to divide it up.

I'd have house against a perimeter fence about half way into the plot with stables beside and then menage and haybarn. Then essentially you have fields surrounding three sides of the yard / house and access only up a drive directly in front of the house.

I'd have the tackroom inside the barn - breezeblock built with sturdy door and alarm it. have another room identical for feed and rugs etc.

 

[Lotty]

Luck you

I think it was last weeks Horse & Hound, they had pages of an ideal layout for a yard. It was absolutely beautiful

 

[Shazzababs]

You definately need somewhere to dry\store rugs that is separate from the tack room.

Was at one yard with barn stables where they had rails on pulleys which you could hoist rugs up to the ceiling in the walkway of the barn. Obviously you need the height, but it worked really well.

If I was building from scratch I would have a tackroom in both the stables and the house. Keep all the everyday stuff in the stables, and any special or little used stuff at the house. Gives you the option to move your stuff if you do have liveries at some point, and also means that if the stables get robbed\catch fire you don't loose everything. The one at the house is also likely to be less damp, so you can keep more stuff up there in the winter.

I'd also have CCTV in the stables\yard with monitors in the house. Good for looking up those strange noises, or checking that everything is OK before bed.

 

[now_loves_mares]

Hmm seems to be barn is getting the most votes. I wonder if they are more expensive overall? Better do some research

Good point re the field, other than thinking about the water supply I guess I can be fairly flexible in the short term. And of course I probably will have to think about the cost of fencing too, just fencing off smaller areas to start with. The homebuilding magazines don't seeM to include budgets for stables, fencing, hardcore, water troughs, etc etc etc

 

[FigJam]

How exciting! I have no experience of yard planning/design, but my ideals would be;

- Winter grazing closer than summer. As mentioned, nicer to walk a little further in the nicer weather and the less slip sliding you have to do in the mud in rubbish weather/dark the better!
- Muckheap a sensible distance from stables but not miles. Make this easily accessible for removing. A ramp with trailer permanently there which can just be hitched up to take away for disposal seems the best way to do this on a small scale?
- Allow for plenty good, weatherproof storage of hay/shavings/straw etc. Could incorporate lorry or trailer storage into this area too?
- Tack room somewhere between house and stable block seems most sensible.
- Concrete rather than hardcore/gravel in the main yard areas is easiest to keep looking smart and tidy. Although hardcore on main tracks to/from field/arena would be ace, especially in winter!
- Somewhere to bath/hose off between field and stables.

Are you looking to stay in a similar ish area? Is OH sure he wouldn't like a no-fuss livery....?!

 

[now_loves_mares]

Good idea re the CCTV, I've wondered how difficult it would be to put webcams up, so I could check on my precious babies whilst at my desk Though I suspect we're straying in to dreamland now, unfortunately.

I have a good rug storage solution in my current tackroom that I will probably just copy (for dry rugs) but a few rug rails won't go amiss. Though normally I leave my turnout rugs on overnight these days.

A small cupboard in the house might be an idea for putting expensive tack at least when not there eg whilst on hols or in winter if horse not being ridden much.

 

[now_loves_mares]

How exciting! I have no experience of yard planning/design, but my ideals would be;

- Winter grazing closer than summer. As mentioned, nicer to walk a little further in the nicer weather and the less slip sliding you have to do in the mud in rubbish weather/dark the better!
- Muckheap a sensible distance from stables but not miles. Make this easily accessible for removing. A ramp with trailer permanently there which can just be hitched up to take away for disposal seems the best way to do this on a small scale?
- Allow for plenty good, weatherproof storage of hay/shavings/straw etc. Could incorporate lorry or trailer storage into this area too?
- Tack room somewhere between house and stable block seems most sensible.
- Concrete rather than hardcore/gravel in the main yard areas is easiest to keep looking smart and tidy. Although hardcore on main tracks to/from field/arena would be ace, especially in winter!
- Somewhere to bath/hose off between field and stables.

Are you looking to stay in a similar ish area? Is OH sure he wouldn't like a no-fuss livery....?!

Yes fairly close to where we are now (but quite far from you I fear ) You can tell you live in Scotland. All this talk of mud, hardcore, more mud, bad weather. Winter must really scar us as even though we've hardly had rain in months, I'm still dreading it all over again

Maybe room for a small brown pony! In a few years when she is ready to be a slowed down version of her current daft self, she can come and be the nanny to the foal Madge is seemingly growing

On the muckheap front, one thing I HATE is forking my muck, it just seems like such a waste of time. So am I better with a big pile that just gets removed (with brick sides that the tractor can just push the bucket up against) or a trailer?I fear the trailer requires more keeping, otherwise it would need emptied quite often. It's the one thing that I hate doing

 

[FigJam]

Lol- poor Madge! I think Hopalong would love it with Madge and HB (and foalie?!? ) but on the other hand... don't want her slowing down just yet! I should have added to the end of my list that you should also create this perfect yard a little closer to my postcode pretty please?!

And yes, dreading the mud already.

RE: muck heap. I guess it's dependant on how much "output" you are adding to any muckheap as to how often it needs removed (even with a large, standing pile you would reach a stage where the pile had to be removed at same rate as trailer or take bigger piles away per run?). Also, are you disposing it on your own land (tractor with bucket over a short distance not so much of an issue) or having to take it further afield (trailer would be easier than balancing it in the bucket of a tractor?!)

 

[now_loves_mares]

Ah yes ISWYM - very logical! Currently farmer comes with tractor and trailer, scoops it into trailer, but has to do a couple of runs. I guess what was slightly in my mind is what my dad does, ie they have a big pile that he just keeps tidied/squashed with the jcb so it never actually gets emptied, it keeps sort of rotting down.

Hmmm might have to give that one some thought, as a trailer is expensive hence why I haven't bought one yet

Will see what I can do about teleporting the land over nearer the bridge

 

[FigJam]

Don't have to move it all the way to the bridge, just to Broxburn-ish will do!

If you can do what your Dad does, that sounds even better. I guess it depends how much muck you have compared to him whether it would rot down quick enough to keep up with the fresh stuff being added without spilling over! Would be less expensive than trailer, granted.

Am very jealous, you are definitely living the dream! Need to send Mr FigJam on more of those courses that he tells me makes contractors lots of money per day...!

 

[now_loves_mares]

Broxburn is only 15 mins away

Not living the dream, I am sadly only dreaming the dream. We have to be very organised, very budget conscious, and there is the small manner of convincing WL planning too.

 

[camilla4]

Starsnrunes, I think you are probably right, facing the house is probably better. That would I think also work in terms of the weather and the likely orientation of the house etc too.

Think you are probably right about the winter fields too. Especially in terms of breaking ice on water troughs, haying them etc. Hmm ok that one is a no-brainer now I think of it.

Yes, definitely to both of these! It's always a good idea to be able to see horses from the house and may help provide some sort of deterrent to no-gooders! As far as winter grazing is concerned, yes you do want these as close as possible to minimise trekking around in snow/wind/rain etc. It also means you'll have less pathway to deal with in ice if you need to put down something to prevent slipping.

 

[FigJam]

Ha ha, so same time away from current yard then! Now to convince the OH I'm reasonably normal?! Tell him I pay my livery on time!

Will keep everything crossed for you that WL planning dept are lovely and not meanies.

 

[now_loves_mares]

camilla4 - yes the memories of trudging through the snow all winter still haunt me. So close to the yard it is

FJ - I'll work on him If I bribe him with " FJ could look after them once in a while so we could go away for a weekend" he'd be well up for it! But keep those fingers, toes and highlights well crossed in the meantime