Cloball
Well-Known Member
My favourite has been a traditional stone barn, slate roof and internal stables. Cool in summer, sturdy and quiet in winter weather and well ventilated but I appreciate that would be astronomical to build scratch 
Indoor barn or traditional stables?
- Thread starter lauraxxx
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marmalade76
Well-Known Member
I've never had a wooden stable, they've breeze block or Cotswold stone or sandstone.
JoannaC
Well-Known Member
I love my barn, it means I can leave the field gate open and they can come into the middle bit or be shut in the stables. The farrier appreciates it too. I can also shut the gate on the front and leave the stables open so they are in but still moving about together.
Irish-Only
Well-Known Member
We had two barns, one with sliding doors and one with hinged. The hinged door was lethal if it was windy.
Annagain
Well-Known Member
I had my horses in traditional stables for years but have now moved to a yard with barn stables. There are pros and cons to both. The barn is great for mucking out in wet weather and is more sociable (but that's not a consideration if you're at home, I suppose) but, having had Wiggy on box rest since August, I've realised it's fine when they're all in overnight but when they're on their own it can't be nice for them not to be able to see out. I'd definitely have at least a window to the outside, if not access to a turnout pen. On the other hand, it's been nice to shut the door and let him wander while i muck out, he wouldn't have been able to do that on our old yard so if you go traditional, an enclosed yard would be a must for me.
The other con of a barn is that a minor disaster in one stable can affect others- we have taps in ours and Wiggy managed to turn his on overnight. I ended up having to replace the bedding in 4 stables as he flooded them all. Had they been traditional stables the water wouldn't have got into the others, it would have just run down the yard. I know most stables wouldn't have taps but there's potential for other things to go wrong.
The other con of a barn is that a minor disaster in one stable can affect others- we have taps in ours and Wiggy managed to turn his on overnight. I ended up having to replace the bedding in 4 stables as he flooded them all. Had they been traditional stables the water wouldn't have got into the others, it would have just run down the yard. I know most stables wouldn't have taps but there's potential for other things to go wrong.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
A barn with external top and bottom doors to each stable for ventilation plus an emergency evacuation route for each horse in case of fire would be ideal.
PurBee
Well-Known Member
I prefer the large barn idea, especially in northern hemisphere climates. Everything under one roof is especially useful in bleak winters.
I’d have hay,straw,bedding sectioned off behind panel walls though to prevent the dust from them while sorting hay into nets from flying throughout the barn though, to reduce dust inhalation and other risks. Essentially i’d divide a large section off to store the dry good/feeds. That likely would have a separate external large entrance for loading, and a smaller internal access large door to go from stable area to feed/bedding area.
If breathing outside fresh air is important - it would be possible to design windows, stable top-door type openings, similar to traditional stables, on the back wall of their indoor barn stables. They can be utilised as needed and shut when weather is really dire. Or even have them as full doors to enable horses to go out to separate external paddocks, or 1 shared hard-standing loafing area/paddock.
I’d have hay,straw,bedding sectioned off behind panel walls though to prevent the dust from them while sorting hay into nets from flying throughout the barn though, to reduce dust inhalation and other risks. Essentially i’d divide a large section off to store the dry good/feeds. That likely would have a separate external large entrance for loading, and a smaller internal access large door to go from stable area to feed/bedding area.
If breathing outside fresh air is important - it would be possible to design windows, stable top-door type openings, similar to traditional stables, on the back wall of their indoor barn stables. They can be utilised as needed and shut when weather is really dire. Or even have them as full doors to enable horses to go out to separate external paddocks, or 1 shared hard-standing loafing area/paddock.
paddy555
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't want stables in a barn without external doors because of the fire risk. I think stables with a lot of horses in the typical American Barn arrangement would cause deaths if there was a fire and someone had to start and lead each horse out through the barn.
do you (you in general) have to have stables in a barn, can't some horses just wander in and out and some live in pairs in pens. (plus many other variations)
my friend had a barn with a large opening for the main doorway. She solved the problem by sheeting the top in green weather proofing sheeting which kept the weather out but provided ventilation.
For the bottom she used 5 bar gates which closed together so that to get the horses in or out she just opened one gate. Alternatively one or both gates could be left open.,
Peglo
Well-Known Member
I would love to have an open barn but I wouldn’t trust my 2 not to fight or hurt each other. But also the gales we get up here it wouldn’t be safe having doors open and more often than not it would be draughty and not particularly comfortable for the horses with the weather blowing in. I have windows in their stalls but they don’t really get open for above reason.
Mari
Well-Known Member
Have your horses experienced both types of stable? My 3 have & definitely prefer our internal barn loose boxes. We have a large area in front of the stables which I use for a variety of things - tie up for grooming, tacking up, farrier, physio, vet. Practice in hand work, handy pony type games, teaching new skills using my golden oldie as the role model (as he does everything well) for the younger / newer ones to see & copy. Loose one at a time to wander / talk to others whilst I muck out stables. They can all see, touch & communicate with each other & watch the barn cats & me working in there. Plus it’s brilliant in bad weather!
marmalade76
Well-Known Member
Yes, they were more relaxed if they could look out to the outside world. Obviously these internal stables did not have windows, barns often don't. My current stables have corner hay mangers (like home made haybars) with windows above so they can see out when they're eating aswell.
PeterNatt
Well-Known Member
Traditional stables every time. Far better air quality. Micro-dust and air circulation being the issues to me.
ycbm
Overwhelmed
Sight of the sky as well, for me. I've had a horse who seemed much happier when he had view of the sky. My best stable ever was inside a barn with an unobstructed view forwards.
HufflyPuffly
Well-Known Member
I quite like the stables I’m in now, breeze block barn but with outside windows for two of my stables. All the positives of both I think, my third stable is central to the barn so no window but as the barn is high with great ventilation it’s still a nice space and suits that horse better with more privacy.
quizzie
Well-Known Member
Totally depends on the design...... Many proper old fashioned brick built stables with high roofs are good. However modern wooden stables are designed to a cost, which tends to mean a low ridge height and hence poor rate of air changes, their ventilation can be very poor.
Some barns also have very poor ventilation, but if designed with air quality as one of the principle considerations, can be the best of all.
As ever...it all depends!
dreamcometrue
Well-Known Member
I am referring to the individual stable doors, not the main doors to the whole barn.