Stable sizes and door sizes...

[Gingernags]

We're hatching a cunning plan to stage a take over bid for a barn on the farm to move the stables...

Currently we have 4 stables that have a single door entrance from the yard, just behind the house, like about 20 feet away. (Not our house BTW, we just keep the nags there).

It looks like this layout wise:-

But what we don't like, and what caused a bad accident last year, is we don't have stable doors, we have gates, which worry me a bit re: getting legs stuck etc.

However, Farmer J has a barn that his neighbour C "borrows" for cows every winter, J lent him it for one year but C just assumes and uses it every year. J doesn't mind on the one hand as it keeps the farm as a bit of a working farm. On the other hand he does mind as they make a hell of a mess and stink and are still very close to the house (just behind our stables).

We are coveting this barn. We have plans

. Though we have 3 neds at the minute, a friend is looking for one to keep with us, which will fill our current stables, and Asti is getting put in foal next year. Fair enough it'll be another year til she has it then 6 months til its weaned and they have said there is a big bull pen we can use as a foaling box, and he will build us a couple more stables as we need an extra one but also couldn't really keep one away from the others.

So to this barn... we have measured it... hee hee... and we *could* fit 5 stables in. Another mate is an architectural techinician so she's done us some drawings!

However, the block would be L shaped, we'd get 3 stables along the back at 11'3" by 12', then I'd leave the 2 across the bottom as 1 huge foaling box and put the wall in later to split it in two, but it means a problem about a door to get out of the corner box...

Would a 16hh be OK in a box of 11'3" x 12' instead of the recommended 12' x 12'? I'm sure Asti has been in smaller... And what is the minimum width door recommended?

It may mean one stable ends up 11' x 11'3 to make sure you can fit a door in the corner box but again, would be OK for a 15hh really?

We have dropped the odd hint and he seems possibly remotely in favour as the C is building a new barn so J hopes he won't need the barn any more... And cheeky GM and Co. will stage a sneaky takeover bid

On the basis of course that it gives Mr and MRs J more privacy without nags being shod/bathed/plaited outside the kitchen window etc etc...!

 

[guisbrogal]

Not sure about door sizes etc but Ellie's stable is 14' * 11' and she is 16.3h. I think it is a lovely size for her but I also think she could get away with one a lot smaller really.

I certainly wouldn't think 11'3 * 12' would be a problem.

Go for it......I am all for cunning plans

 

[Gingernags]

Which one have you got? Byter used to be in the tiny one next to the tap, but then got the big end one, the first as you go into the yard, and Asti was next door, though she was foaled in one of the indoor concrete ones with a big step in the middle!

Heard anything more about the development of the buildings?

 

[miller]

My lad is 16.3hh and is currently in an 11' x11' and has been for 18 months - no problems.

Just had stables built at home 12 x 12 and door widths 4'6", height 4'9 - OH's mare jumps!

 

[guisbrogal]

Nigel built me one in the barn as the others were all taken and as Ellie lives out most of the time now, it is all I need really. Although she did live in it the first year I had her.

Our really old horse Gem has the little stable next to the tap room. The first one in the yard (with the extra tack room bit on it) is now Sids (same owner as Gem) and the one next to it is Jubilee's (the horse I used to loan).

We can't use the inside ones as they don't belong to us anymore

Heard no more about the buildings DM reckons nothing for a least a couple of years yet?

So make sure you build me a stable when you hatch your cunning plan as I may need it!

 

[Maesfen]

Crumbs, this forum is so slow today!

Forgive me for being thick but does this mean you will no longer use the 4 stables you already use IF you get this barn as well? What's the actual measurement of this barn and whereabouts are the doorways at present, will you leave them in the same places?
If you are using your present stables and are only worried about the doors being bars, have you not got a handyman there? - drag one off the street!! All you need is to measure said doors for 3/4" ply, get some coach screws,washers, etc, a drill; make holes in gates 3 - 4 " away from each corner of the frame, plus several evenly along each side too, cut and fit ply to match gate (ply towards the horses of course and Bob's your uncle, you have safe doors or you could cheat and have proper doors made by a carpenter, wouldn't be very expensive either!
As for new building, the sizes you quoted are fine but what happens if you suddenly get a giant?! Can't quite picture the layout as you describe; how do you get to the back boxes - along a passage or how?? Could you not put foal box along from front to back and have others at right angles to it in an L? That way, if you made an extra doorway in the foal box onto passage at the time of building the whole thing you'd only have to put up a dividing wall if you really need it. Just a thought, probably confused you too much especially as not knowing sizes, might not be feasable at all!

 

[Gingernags]

Big open barn, would hopefully look like this...

And then the old stables wouldn't be used at all.

We do have some plywood on two of them at the moment to stop the spawn of satan swinging on them...

 

[Maesfen]

Can understand that and it's not a bad layout either!! Are the sides of barn on left hand side going to be solid or just where box is going to be? If it's going to be solid, only thing I would change would be to put two boxes opposite the foaling boxes, another at right angles to them with a store for anything beside it so you get an 'E' without the middle leg; that way you could make the boxes slightly larger if you wanted but still have room in front of the boxes to tie up and do things.
Can you tell I've spent ages dreaming up my perfect layouts just on the off chance I can ever start with a clean slate rather than have to adapt as I've had to do!?

 

[guisbrogal]

No No No!

What do you mean......a horse no bigger than 16h?

Ellie is 16.3h

Where will she sleep?

 

[Gingernags]

Its "reserved" at the minute for my mate, who at 5'3" doesn't want anything bigger than 16hh... if we ever find anything!

 

[Gingernags]

The outer walls are already there, breeze blocks about 5 foot high, then slatted wood (so nice and airy)

The only reason the E wouldn't work, is the large door is at one end, hence the L shape planned! We wouldn't be able to do anything else. Unless we knocked doors through into the granary but I suspect that will be a no-no!

Ooh... actually that gives me an idea!!! Hmmmmmm... thinking cap back on...!

 

[Maesfen]

Always glad to give you evil ideas!!