Starting from scratch - Yard

[Nic]

Hi all, due to moving house we are in the fortunate(?!) position of creating a new yard. So my question is if you could build your yard from scratch what would you change/keep exactly the same?

Keep it sensible though, no horsey swimming pools!

Vague plan is new minibarn & outdoor arena but that's all we've got for the moment. The horses will, for now, be going into the shed which houses makeshift stables but will form the indoor eventually.

All suggestions welcome!

 

[blitznbobs]

large indoor area for grooming between stables .. basically on a wet day make it so you can do everything inside. loads of big cupboards for spare rugs, saddlecloths boots etc. hard standing between stables and arena . parking area for wagon/ trailer/s

an extra stable for that extra horse thats bound to appear.

if you can afford it a spare 'wash box' put an electric shower in it.

small lockable tack and feed room.

ph and get a cat or two to get rid of the mice.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Our farrier wishes every-one had a 'box' with a transparent roof like ours for shoeing. It is so much brighter than even good electric light.

 

[vallin]

A track around your fields for warming up/cooling down/safe post injury hacking. And plenty of turnout to allow for 24/7/365.

 

[Nic]

an extra stable for that extra horse thats bound to appear.

Lol, have you been talking to my Mother?!

if you can afford it a spare 'wash box' put an electric shower in it.

ph and get a cat or two to get rid of the mice.

Yes a wash box with shower is definitely on the wish list. No cats allowed, Mum is very allergic & we have a terrierist which will be equally dangerous for cats and mice. Saying that I wouldn't be surprised if vendor owner "forgets" a few cats

Our farrier wishes every-one had a 'box' with a transparent roof like ours for shoeing. It is so much brighter than even good electric light.

great idea, we certainly want inside to be as light as possible.

A track around your fields for warming up/cooling down/safe post injury hacking. And plenty of turnout to allow for 24/7/365.

Turn out won't be an issue thankfully, but a track may be slightly out of reach at the moment. There is a decent length driveway to use in the meantime though.

Thanks everyone. All ideas appreciated. It's amazing what some people suggest & you think "why on earth did that not occur to me"!

 

[Wells]

We've just built a yard from scratch - it's very rewarding but can be slightly stressful!
Plan for lots of storage for rugs etc & covered area for wash down / farrier that isn't a stable. We've put an electric shower on the wall in the wash down box as it was easy while the electrician & plumber were on site.
Work out how you think you're going to use all the space & make sure you get all the water taps / electric sockets in the right place. Do you need an outside loo / horsey kitchen area / washing machine?
I know it sounds obvious but also decide where you are going to keep all your hay & bedding - do you want it in the main barn or do you want hay in a seperate building? Don't forget about where to put the muck heap either!
All of our fields have 2 gates with the water troughs in the middle so that I can easily split the fields into smaller individual turnout paddocks later if I have to.

Good luck!

 

[Nic]

Thanks Wells, that's an excellent point about being able to split fields easily, and one we should be able to put in to practice as almost all of them need re-fenced!

Muck heap & storage won't be a problem luckily. The layout of the house means that access to loos & utility (huge so enough room for separate horsey washing machine much to Dad's delight!) doesn't involve stomping mud everywhere either.

 

[Polos Mum]

Have the walkway in the barn wide enough that when you lead one through he can't be nipped by those in the stable.
Lots of clear plastic in the roof for lights
Drain under each tap - I was on a very expensive yard built new by professional horsey architect where this was forgotten !!
Doors in the middle of the stable wall so you have more corners for hay bar, corner mangers, water buckets etc.
barn in middle of field so you don't have some fields miles away from yard - or proper hard core/ planinings paths to the fields,
hard core gateways
Think of how much storage you need - then double it ! Hay bought off the field is half the price of hay bought in Feb - each horse c.150 bales a year which almost fill a 4m by 4m stable
I prefer my plainings outside the barn as it doesn't get slippy in ice/ snow like concrete does.

 

[sparhawk]

an open fronted barn to put tractor/quad under cover - nothing worse than trying to repair machinery out in the pouring rain.

separate storage for hay in case of fire - if it goes up in smoke the horses are still ok

similar with keeping muck heap away from the stables a ways if that goes up in smoke

 

[Nic]

an open fronted barn to put tractor/quad under cover - nothing worse than trying to repair machinery out in the pouring rain.

separate storage for hay in case of fire - if it goes up in smoke the horses are still ok

similar with keeping muck heap away from the stables a ways if that goes up in smoke

Thanks Sparhawk. All vehicle repairs will take place in Dad's "Man Cave" so we have that covered! Muck heap will be separate but yes, need to work out safest place to store hay.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Wow, Your so very lucky!
I was going to say a washbox but see someone beat me too it. Of course I don't know anything about your sizes etc but a yard near us has an indoor barn arrangement with stables round the outside- each horse having a back window so a choice of scenery. In the middle they have wash bays. Rubber floor with metal stalls where the horses are tied for bathing/grooming/tying to muck out in awful weather, anything really and they are a brilliant idea. I always think if I had a barn I would definitely do that.
Think about drainage carefully- We built a stable last year and over winter it became very obvious where my whole field apparently naturally drains too! (very depressing!)
A lady I worked for had all her water troughs made to drain into a main drain- or at least away from the field and this is something else I wish id have done as in winter when its wet around troughs anyway the last thing you want is to empty more water onto already saturated ground.
Hanging rug storage to dry wet turnouts-

Im a little bit jealous

 

[Honey08]

I built our yard from scratch. Personally I prefer loose boxes than a barn system. Ours have their backs to the prevailant weather, so are sheltered, and the horses all get lots of air and views. I think barn stables are boring for the horses and quite cold (especially with windows in the back of each stable that open!).
The best things about our yard are -

A large hardcore/road chippings area around the yard that provides winter turnout in all weather, never floods, is great for outdoor boxrest etc.

Two stables that are actually field shelters with doors on, so they have wide enough doors on to roll a large haylage bale in.

The roofs are quite high on the stables, and the overhang provides storage which is out of sight. We had all our tack and rugs stolen a few years ago, so I like that all clean rugs wrapped in plastic can go up there out of sight.

The yard is L shaped, with the two "hay" shelters facing, so the horses can always get out of the wind when on the turnout area. It also means the farrier etc can work outside usually, out of the rain.

Have as many stables as you can! We have nine stables and two horses, yet only have on empty!!

Things that I would change about our yard -

I would kill to have them in anything but wood (planning wouldn't let us). It gets hot in sun, and needs so much maintenance.

I would like sky lights that can be blocked out in summer.

 

[mtj]

I've been lucky enough to build a yard to my own design. Consider the "highlights" to be an immersion heater to provide hot water (tack room sink/horse shower); utility box with cross tie poles, shower for horse, rubber mats, infra red heat lamps and excellent lighting - very popular with farrier and physio. Lastly, rear doors on each stable accessing individual pens. Wish i had put an all weather surface in these pens during construction. Other suggestion is "carefully" located security lighting - could assist schooling on dark evenings.....

 

[LynH]

I'm in the middle of the build stage of my new yard atm. We did the arena first as I felt that was more important than stables as they could live out with a field shelter but riding on the field last year was a nightmare.
I'm having a L shaped yard with three large stables, a really good size tack room, a hay barn and a large wash bay/covered walkway through to the school. One added extra I went for was a 6' overhang with oak posts. It should look really nice but will give plenty of shade and cover from rain. I chose not to have clear roof panels as they can lead to condensation in the box and also can get very hot. I have the covered area anyway so can groom etc there where it should be a lot brighter.

I'm also having the tack room fully lined and insulated as although it is right outside my back door I know I will probably spend a lot of time in there so the warmer the better.

My concrete base goes down tomorrow so hopefully the boxes will go up in the next week or two. Only advice I have re the arena is go for the best drainage possible, read the small print and make sure you go for a reputable company who will make repairs if necessary (see my arena thread as clay has caused havoc with my new arena).

Good luck, it's very exciting having a yard built specifically for your needs and to your spec. Have fun.

 

[Nic]

Thanks all. If having a block of stables built then we'd go for the large overhang but I think we're settled on a barn now. Heat lamps are definitely on the wish list too. Exciting prospect and lucky that we have the makeshift stables in the shed for now. Just can't wait to have it all done

 

[Asha]

We are just planning our new yard too, having just moved into our new house
On our previous yard, we did have a L shaped wooden block, which turned into a U shape by adding an additional stable. Planners wouldnt allow an american barn. This time, we will be converting an existing agri steel shed, so can now have what we wanted in the first place. Our barn is a 5 bay, so 3 and a bit bays will be converted, leaving the rest open for parking, tying up etc.
One thing i did learn, is to have good drainage everywhere !, and plenty of hard standing.
My wish list is fairly simple. 6 stables, tack room, hay store and wash bay. Seriously excited about the wash bay. Our golden retriever spends most of his time in our pond, so as well as washing the horses, it will be the dog bath area too.
Plus we will be having windows at the back of each stable. That way when we look out of our house we will hopefully be able to see them looking out of their stables.
Plans have just come through today, so hopefully submitting them this week.

Good luck with your yard, maybe post pics when its done ?

 

[Nic]

Thanks Asha, hoping to do top doors for the outside so ponies can see out but we will now possibly be using a metal agri shed too, how are you going about putting windows into the steel? Not something I've thought about other than on timber blocks before.

Oh yes I'm sure we'll manage a pic overload when it's eventually done!

 

[Asha]

Thanks Asha, hoping to do top doors for the outside so ponies can see out but we will now possibly be using a metal agri shed too, how are you going about putting windows into the steel? Not something I've thought about other than on timber blocks before.

Oh yes I'm sure we'll manage a pic overload when it's eventually done!

Hi Nic, We are having all the cladding replaced as its a bit grotty. So going with timber cladding. The barn is right at the back of the house so think it will look nicer in timber. ( as long as planners agree !!)

 

[Jo_x]

The things I loved most at my old yard, were the heated rug room and the hot tap in the tack room!

 

[guido16]

Nic, as you are in Scotland I would say that it's also so so important to make sure the area between stables and fields has something on the ground that won't turn into an ice rink. Know plenty people who can't get horses out on nice sunny but freezing days as yards are like an ice rink. Go for gravel, stones or similar. NOT Tarmac or concrete.

 

[Nic]

Thanks Guido. We've used road scalpings at current house to good effect so would probably go for them again.

 

[christine48]

Indoor barn with wide alleyway and I'd have top doors looking to the outside too.
Rubber matting- better for the joints.
Wash box with heat lamps.
Tack room with separate room for rugs, with drying racks if possible.
Outdoor school.
Lunge pen.
All year turnout.

 

[Nic]

Indoor barn with wide alleyway and I'd have top doors looking to the outside too.
Rubber matting- better for the joints.
Wash box with heat lamps.
Tack room with separate room for rugs, with drying racks if possible.
Outdoor school.
Lunge pen.
All year turnout.

Yep, yep & yep again! Although don't need a lunge pen, with the 2 schools to lunge in it will probably never be a priority.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Yes a wash box with shower is definitely on the wish list.

It's invaluable - I don't know how I ever lived with one until I built a new block and included it. BUT, you need a plastic board lining (we painted a wood lining with 3 layers of exterior yacht gloss and it wasn't enough - the boards have rotted)! A human shower with a LONG hose is fine BUT you MUST build an insulated box around it - a bad frost and they DIE!

 

[Asha]

It's invaluable - I don't know how I ever lived with one until I built a new block and included it. BUT, you need a plastic board lining (we painted a wood lining with 3 layers of exterior yacht gloss and it wasn't enough - the boards have rotted)! A human shower with a LONG hose is fine BUT you MUST build an insulated box around it - a bad frost and they DIE!

Whats the minumum size you would recommended for a washbox ? Its something i'm struggling with as i can't seem to find any information/guidance.

 

[Lark]

I wouldn't be without paddock boxes.
The usual benefits like increased freedom and head space however they are so unbelievably practical for so many other things.
Box rest made EASY!
Mucking out EASY!
If you need extra space you can put one out close the door and put another into the stable.
Because the gates can all be opened we can use them to coral and seperate youngsters for vet and farrier.
Hard to figure out how we managed without them. You could have only one and it would be such a worthwhile investment.

The key thing is the grid system which stablilises the surface outside. We have these down in the all weather turn outs too and they are fantastic.



Hmmh images not working anymore??

 

[Lark]

I wouldn't be without paddock boxes.
Hmmh images not working anymore??

Got it!

 

[Spring Feather]

I built my farm from scratch and I'm so pleased I did and didn't have to contend with someone else's idea of what should work and what shouldn't. I think there are a lot of 'depends' when building a yard from scratch and one of those depends are how many horses will be housed on the farm/yard and how they will be kept.

Facilities are an individual thing so you'll build what works for you. Stabling, again what works for you so I'll leave that up to you to figure out. I will however comment on field situations and say what works for me and maybe there's some ideas you can pick out from my situation.

I have between 45 and 60 horses living on my farm at varying times throughout the year so what I do may not be what you want to do but here goes. All of my pasture fields are large and have great topography which is great for keeping horses fit and in good shape. I like big fields, not so keen on small paddocks however I do have a few small paddocks as it's good to be able to run smaller herds who maybe don't do well in larger herds.

All of my large fields have small (1-2 acres) corrals/paddocks attached to them. This is invaluable when you need to separate horses for short periods of time or for corralling them for worming, farrier, breeding work.

My fields all have internal gates which allow all fields to be opened up if I ever wanted to keep all horses together in one enormous field; I don't do that but I do move whole herds around from time to time and this is so much easier than having to go in and catch up every single horse to move them into another field.

I have barns and field shelters in all fields and automatic waterers. Most of my fields are fenced with vinyl fencing as I've found that is the safest fencing around. We are slowly but surely taking down all the post and rail fencing although I have decided to leave some of the stock fencing, most runs along hedgerows/tree lines anyway.

All of my fields have double entrance gates so that I can get any piece of farm equipment into every field.

My farm is more sprawling than it used to be so now instead of just having one tack room and feed room, I have a couple so that tack and feed can be kept closer to the particular horses in the fields at each area of the farm.

My arenas are central to all fields and all fields surround my house so I can see every horse from within my house (this is not something I'd compromise on as it's very important for me to be able to see the horses at any time).

Finally, I have driveways that go to each area of the farm so that people can drive right to the part of the farm where their horses are kept.

 

[Spring Feather]

Got it!

I had those at my last yard and they were invaluable, but then the horses I had there came in at nights and in the UK it rained more so I did use them in the winter. They wouldn't be of use to me over here as all horses here live out and we don't get so much rain as you guys.

 

[Suelin]

Lark, that is a lovely set up.