tell me about your field shelter pls

coffeeandabagel

coffeeandabagel

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As the title : how did you choose the one you have, whats good about it, what would look for next time. Whats a problem? How have you got round any problems. Any pics?I have two 17.1 boys and they share with a 16hh tb in the daytime. One has arthritis and needs to be out as much as poss so working on being out in all but worst weather ie continous wet and windy. Thinking of a 24 x 12 with an overhang and two openingsDo you feed in your shelter and if so do you use nets? Water in there? thanks everyone - its a big purchase and feel a little research is necessary - such a choice out there
 
My field shelter is trees and hedges! I look after an older mare who is kept with my horse, she gets very stiff if she stands about so instead of encouraging her to stand inside a shelter she moves around the field to find different shelter spots if she needs them.

In winter I scatter hay round the field so they have to move round the field in search of it, rather than getting stiff from being stood still in the cold munching from one big pile.

If you have access to stables for when the weather is REALLY bad then you can probably get away without a shelter.

Remember, horses keep themselves warm by eating, so scattering the hay around to encourage them to move to eat will be a lot more beneficial to the arthritic one than being stood still in a shelter eating!
 
I have a 10 x 24 shelter for my 16.3, 16.1 and 13.3. It is split into two sections so i can use it as stables but they do share well. Recently they have been in my neighbour's paddock which has a 12 x 24 also split in two. The two larger horses usually stand in one and the pony in the other, sometimes all three in one side!

I've now got planning permission for a 24 x 24 but if that's not possible I would say 12 x 24 is ok for three and I would have it without the partition if you have no need to close it and use as two stables.

I had rubber mats with straw in as a base but they didn't work well on wet ground. I then used some sand leftover from my arena and this works really well.

I don't feed or hay in mine, they get hay in TubTrugs two or three times a day outside no matter what the weather. My water trough is outside when for me is essential as I tend to forget to turn the tap off.

This year I have access to stables to but am planning to just leave them open so they can come and go as they do with the shelters as my older TB gets stiff if stabled overnight. Living out with shelter has been the best thing for all three.
 
I got a double shelter recently. The two horses can't share a field due to agressive nature of one of them so they groom over fence etc, hence the shelter has a diving wall which is on hinges so if one eg was ill or I need to use it for storage, the dividing wall swings back flat against the back wall.

I chose the shelter I did because we live in a VERY exposed location and the make I chose (Saltire) have the option of instead of the slatted vents, you can have a full length ventilation across the top foot of the back wall, made up of vertical slats about a foot to 18 inches high. This is well above the horses and the slats are narrow but it makes it hugely less likely to be damaged or destroyed in a storm, as the winds force can pass through partially.

We are on free draining land so the only flooring as such is a layer of sand.

We have proper guttering both front and back, a large overhang and water butt to collect water from the roof.

I willfeed hay in there in the winter but haven't yet as its only been up a few months.
 
Thanks guys

Some interesting points - I

p87 see what you mean about them standing still in a shelter, so I could offset that by feeding outside as well as inside - maybe just inside at night. Trouble is I am worried about waste and hay blowing around the field making it look untidy! (not my land). We have hedges on two opposite sides of the fields but not the other two sides - owner cant picture where the prevailing wind comes from and I have only been there a few weeks so not experienced much weather yet! but I feel it will be the two without the hedges making them a funnel.

Dry Rot - your shelter is an amazing recycling project - you are obvioulsy very practical - I am keen but inept and since its not my land I feel i am a bit constrained - but maybe not.

Will see if I can use sand as a base and maybe my spare rubber mats on top - see how slippy they get.

Lachlanandmarcus I havent seen that make - thanks. Agree about a good overhang from previous threads I have read - and guttering must help too.
 
Mine is a double one, but divided into two single shelters by central tack rooms (so a door opens from each little room into one half of the shelter). It has guttering on the front and back and drain pipes at each corner. Things I need to improve on are directing of rainwater from the pipes. I used to have a huge water butt at my old place, which worked really well. It's more tricky where I am now, as it's on a yard.

Inside I have rubber mats with no bedding (I might change my mind on that, but the last time I tried it they used it as a toilet and slept outside!). This means that during inclement weather I can feed inside. I've used both nets and loose on the floor (piles in each corner). Mine are equally messy with both methods! I will only put water inside if it's freezing outside, as I will have the water containers inside anyway (insulated with haynets around them). When using nets, I hang one inside and one under the overhang. Both places are sheltered and it means they're not overcrowded.Both ponies are around 12hh, but the shelter is I think 12 x 12, not including the tackroom. I sweep the mats periodically, but that's about it.

To improve things for the winter I intend to dig a drainage channel going from the pipes to the front of the paddock (about 20 ft). Beyond that is a ditch, so it should help a lot with poaching at the corners.
 
coffeeandabagel said:
is this the one you have l&M

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...E9E9E8AE77BB1A582A54CF1B295D4&selectedIndex=4
Click to expand...

Hi no that's the Budget one. similar principal but not as sturdy and too much of a wind catcher for our place!

The one we have is the double (24') Colonsay, with full height boarding and uprated framework cos of our wild and woolly location :-))

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page below it shows the slats

http://www.saltirestables.co.uk/EZ/sstb/sstb/page104.php?range=2&cat=Field Shelters
 
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