Positioning a field shelter.

[pistolpete]

If and it’s a huge if my field owner allowed me to buy a field shelter for the field my pony shares with three other liveries how do you decide where to position them? It’s chalk land so well framed and fairly flat. It does have a foot path through the middle. Gets quite a breeze all year round from the sea ten miles or so away. Ideally I’d like one that could be an emergence stable.

 

[Britestar]

Do not face it into the prevailing winter wind like the people down the road from me did.

Faced it north, and a soon as it went up we said that's not a good idea.

It wasn't, 5 months later it was splattered all over the road.

 

[Lois Lame]

Away from the winds and towards a sunny aspect, unless you live in a roasting climate. I'm in cool temperate, so I'd face it towards the sun: North for us. Or East if North is no good for some reason.

 

[Jojo2go]

If and it’s a huge if my field owner allowed me to buy a field shelter for the field my pony shares with three other liveries how do you decide where to position them? It’s chalk land so well framed and fairly flat. It does have a foot path through the middle. Gets quite a breeze all year round from the sea ten miles or so away. Ideally I’d like one that could be an emergence stable.

With its back to the prevailing winds. Around here you'd want it facing south or south-east because of the cold that tends to come from the north-west and to keep the afternoon sun out of it when it's the warmer seasons. So where you are will change how you build. Just make sure it is deep enough to be useful, a boss horse can keep lower ranked horses from getting any use out of it if it's not deep enough.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Here you would need to face it NE. Our prevailing wind is SW. I learned the hard way when I built my stables (out of scaffold boards) facing SW. Into the sun all day and the wind nearly blew the roof off. I had one other single stable that faced E and to be honest that was the best even when it snowed.

 

[meleeka]

Near an entrance is a good idea if you plan on using it as a stable too . That way you can put mats/slabs down if needed so you aren't wading through mud to get there.

 

[Patterdale]

The ponies will tell you, where do they usually stand?

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Here you would need to face it NE. Our prevailing wind is SW. I learned the hard way when I built my stables (out of scaffold boards) facing SW. Into the sun all day and the wind nearly blew the roof off. I had one other single stable that faced E and to be honest that was the best even when it snowed.

My 2 main ones are parked NNE for exactly the same reason. Still up, one is 1979 vintage, the other is 2011.
There is no worry about animals standing inside but still in the sun as its coming through the doorway and cooking.
The mobile one is facing west currently, means B can stand in it and peer at the main gate to see when I'm arriving.

My stable blocks face each other, one backs to north, the other faces north but the opposite stables obviously block the highest winds out in winter.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Is it like positioning a tent...not at the lowest point of the field and with the entrance facing uphill...you don't want it flooding easily.

 

[GoldenWillow]

If you get a lot of wind back to the prevailing wind and backed onto a hedge if possible. One of the features of my shelter that made me go for this specific one is that that it has approx two ft of Yorkshire boarding at the top of the back wall allowing wind to go through, it also provides good airflow which was important to me. Also not in a dip where water will run.