Pro's and Cons of American Barn style stables?

[pipper]

We are thinking of bringing a few liveries onto our farm to help out with finances and also maybe enable us to have a bit of a holiday now and again. We have 2 choices - we can convert/do up a row of old stables - or - we can convert a barn into american barn style stables.

What are your experiences of A/B style on a livery yard?

Thanks

 

[PorkChop]

I don't have experience of livery however for me the ideal would be an American barn set up with opening windows to the outside iykwim.

 

[SpringArising]

I've used both and whilst American style ones are lovely when it's cold/raining etc. there are some drawbacks. Ventilation isn't as good as open stables so not great for COPD type horses (e.g. if yours is stabled on rubber and next door's horse is on straw) and they're a bit of a nightmare if the aisle isn't wide enough for two horses to safely walk past each other/be tied within close proximity etc. I would much prefer to have my horses stabled 'outside' if that makes sense.

 

[rachk89]

I love American style barns makes life so much easier in winter.

 

[fathorselover]

I love the american barn style stables where my horse is at livery- the walls also only go to a bit above door height in there so it all feels very open and the horses can groom each other over the walls if they want!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I prefer old type

I always think back to Black Beauty when the fire spread easily within the closed barn

always worry about diseases spread quicker in the barn also but much more risk of kicks if the barn does not allow another horse past with plenty of room and tying up within the barn can lead to problems


so I say do up or replace the old stables with new identical but new.

 

[danda]

The American barn style stabling is NOT good for horses with allergies to dust etc and if a border line case for COPD then can tip them over the edge.

 

[Enfys]

I would never go back to row style stabling unless it was there.
I no longer have a barn, it is about the only thing I really, REALLY miss from the old place

American barns all the way, I have been in dozens and dozens and have very definite ideas about what I would like if I was designing my own barn.

I would have :

1) an aisle at least 10' wide.
2) full height sliding doors on stalls, half walls or 'windows' so that horses can still put their heads into the aisle.
3) windows, or, even better, dutch doors on the outer wall.
4) as much natural light as possible (clear roofing etc)
5) central tackroom/feedroom/storerooms rather than at one end or the other.

 

[Polos Mum]

A good American barn is perfect but a bad one is much worse than traditional ones

Whether yours is better as American depends on how big the barn is - too low a roof, no windows on the outside and too narrow a gap between the stables outweigh all the good bits.

 

[rachk89]

I would never go back to row style stabling unless it was there.
I no longer have a barn, it is about the only thing I really, REALLY miss from the old place

American barns all the way, I have been in dozens and dozens and have very definite ideas about what I would like if I was designing my own barn.

I would have :

1) an aisle at least 10' wide.
2) full height sliding doors on stalls, half walls or 'windows' so that horses can still put their heads into the aisle.
3) windows, or, even better, dutch doors on the outer wall.
4) as much natural light as possible (clear roofing etc)
5) central tackroom/feedroom/storerooms rather than at one end or the other.

Only problem with the clear roofing is it becomes extremely hot in summer. Our indoor arena has lots of clear panels and it's a sauna in summer.

 

[MuddyMonster]

As a livery, I don't like American Barn stables myself.

I have found them to have cramped aisleways - which on a busy yard, or with a horse prone to kicking, is a nightmare - ventilation has never been right - either not enough or so much it's always draughty and cold - plus I find diseases really do spread faster.

Unless an exceptional American barn, it's actually a deal breaker for me.

 

[Tiddlypom]

IMHO, american barns are great and convenient for people, whilst row stables are better for the horses, especially for ventilation.

 

[Cocorules]

Hugely prefer stables as quieter and warmer as do not have that massive expanse of concrete. As a livery I hated being crammed in and having grilles rather than full height partition between stables.

 

[Luci07]

Loved being in an American barn but ours could have horses tied up on each side and they still couldn't touch. There were doors which could be opened on each end so no risk of being trapped. Some horses couldn't cope with the grids in between but as someone riding after work, the ability to groom and tack up in the dry and in a well lit area was a godsend.

 

[Enfys]

IMHO, american barns are great and convenient for people, whilst row stables are better for the horses, especially for ventilation.

Yes they are easier to work in I agree but rows are horrendous when it is -35C and there is a blizzard blowing Half the time you would have to shut the top door and dig yourself there in the first place

When I was in the UK and had shedrows it was miserable in winter I hated it.

My experience with barn style stalling is in Canada, where there are very few shedrows simply because of our climate.

Most barns I know of have fans installed for hot weather, and some are heated for winter, just saying what we have. As someone says, there a good ones, and there are bad ones, I have seen some dreadful ones - like the black hole of Calcutta, I have also seen some fabulous ones. Spring Feather for one, has a marvellous barn, very much set up for our climate with a huge indoor arena attached.

My own barn had 10 stalls, a 15' aisle and sliding doors at either end, windows in each stall too, it was always at least 10C warmer or cooler than outside, and we never had a dust problem.

 

[Casey76]

We have boxes inside an open barn

This barn now has a full height wall in the middle of the open side as a wind break (and a wall to put our lockers against)

Absolutely no issues with ventilation, but still protected against the weather.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

If I didn't live in SW Scotland, I would want traditional stables. When I lived on the East coast I had a beautiful, brick, listed yard with huge, cool boxes that had internal grilles between stables and some had doors on both sides too. Large built overhang over the doorways, cobbled yard-gorgeous place. However, I now have internal stabling and on this side of country it's fab-I live on a moor and its very windy, the only type of rain we get in the winter is horizontal. There is no direction to site external stabling here that wouldn't get rain blown straight into it on a regular basis. So it would depend on where you are but rows would usually be my first choice.