To those with American-style barns, either at home or at livery

[soulfull]

I've been in several different types. Favourite is solid between the horses, bars at the front with half door so they can put heads over and see.
If not too expensive would second having the door in the middle so you can choose exactly where to put everything

I love water drinkers, mainly as I suffer an immune disease which makes me weak and sore

Some people like the sliding doors better, especially if the wind can whip through and blow them shut as you are leading a horse in or out

I would have space in the middle (Isle) a bit wider than 12ft if possible. Ours is about 15ft wide and often doesn't seem wide enough when 2 horses Attis opposite each other
Try and find somewhere you would hang rugs to dry too


Ps lucky you.

 

[Fides]

Do you have somewhere for for wet and dirty rugs

I our old barn the top floor was exposed to the stables below along one side with a 'boob' high railing - we used the railing for hanging rugs over. It also meant that if you were upstairs doing something then we would pop our heads over and cheak on the horses. Also upstairs we had a corner with a sink, 2 kichen cupboards, and electrics for a microwave and kettle. It didn't take up much room but was a godsend in the winter!

Also - do you have a loo planned or are you planning on squatting in a stable? My stables are at the house and it is a pain having to walk over to the house and take off wellies to go... I would redo with a loo if I could do it again...

 

[prosefullstop]

I our old barn the top floor was exposed to the stables below along one side with a 'boob' high railing - we used the railing for hanging rugs over. It also meant that if you were upstairs doing something then we would pop our heads over and cheak on the horses. Also upstairs we had a corner with a sink, 2 kichen cupboards, and electrics for a microwave and kettle. It didn't take up much room but was a godsend in the winter!

Also - do you have a loo planned or are you planning on squatting in a stable? My stables are at the house and it is a pain having to walk over to the house and take off wellies to go... I would redo with a loo if I could do it again...

Ha! Very good point. We have an art studio on the property, not fifty feet away, that has a loo, so no trekking back to the house.

Our upstairs is going to be similar, too, with a railing that'll run three quarters of the way round. Did the air ever get musty when you hung rugs upstairs?

 

[mynutmeg]

Personally I would have solid walls between the stables rather than bars - I've been in barns with both and have always found our guys are much more relaxed with solid dividers - on at least one occasion we ended up putting rugs over the bars to sperate ponies as they were trying to fight through the bars. My sister's two were in boxes with only a lowish wall between them on onccasion and the younger tb (like 2/3 yo) kept throwing his things into the cobs box and drove him mad - it was funny but the poor cob got very fed up of having balls and buckets thrown at him

 

[cptrayes]

You can get rotating mangers that save you opening the door to put the feed in. You swing it out, put the food in, swing it back inside. No buckets to get kicked into the bed and dirtied, they looked great when I saw them at a place I went to.