Irrespective of whether you keep horses for sport, show or recreation, a good horse stable will save you plenty of time, effort, and headaches. When you take away horses from their original living space – the wild – it is indeed your responsibility to build a fully equipped home for them that is safe, has plenty of airflow, access to feed and plenty of fresh water, is comfortable and functional. There plenty of options for stabling from custom stables to a standard range of portable stables, prefabricated stables and standard stables. If you have horse stable project in the planning, read below for some tips for you to consider.
Building Place
If you’re looking for a cost-effective option, turning your barn or Shed, into a horse stable can help you save a lot of money. Using your existing shed will give you full advantage of dealing with changing weather and keeping your horses safe and secure. If you do not have an existing shed or barn, then you can pick a site that has easy access to roads and utilities, good drainage provision and air circulation.
Number of Stalls and Size
Considering how many horses you are taking care of currently and if you would like to expand the count in future, you can decide on the number of stalls you need to build. The breed and size of your horse as well as your discipline or what you do with your horses will further determine the size of your stables. Ideal size is a minimum 10 to 12 square feet (3m x 3m or 3.6m x 3.6m) that allows your horse to move around comfortably.
Storage and Ventilation
Multiple supplies are needed in a horse stable. Building a storage facility in your stable can allow to store feed, hay and bedding all at one place and this will help you in cutting down time spent in carrying around your supplies. Ventilation is the most important factor generally overlooked. You need to ensure proper ventilation to enable flow of fresh air, as Australia is a hot country, Australian stables should have good airflow.
Doors, Aisles and Breezeways
You can choose between swinging and sliding doors with latches that are tamper-proof. Although, sliding doors is preferred over swinging doors as they operate smoothly and don’t protrude into the breezeway creating a potential hazard. Aisles and breezeways should be at least 3m (10ft) wide so that you and your horse have enough space to move around and pass another horse comfortably without risk. It is a good idea to lay tenderfoot rubber mats over your breezeways to keep noise down and for easy cleaning. Tenderfoot rubber mats will also eliminate slippery surfaces for your horses.
Flooring and Ceiling
When choosing flooring for your horse stable, there are many options though concrete is the most common flooring option as it is durable, affordable and offers a great surface to lay, Tenderfoot rubber matting. The stable rubber matting, Tenderfoot, is non-skid, durable, easy to clean, doesn’t harbour urine smells, cuts down on bedding and provides great cushioning and protection for your heavy horses. Ceiling must be high enough to; allow for a play full horse rearing in his stable, the ceiling height should be no less than about 4m.
Electricity and Safety
Along with ample ventilation, you need to ensure your horse stable has a combination of natural and artificial light. Installation of transparent panels can let in natural light, while fitting in lights in the stable for artificial light can enable ease of work. With incidents in stables sometimes occurring due to fire, it is essential to take precautions with electric components and avoid storage of flammables. Also, considering the fact that horses usually find a way to hurt themselves ensure your horse stable does not have access to protruding objects, wires or plumbing.
Additional options
Horses require enough open space to exercise, as well as relax. If you are considering of building your horse stable consider where it is built in relation to your arena and exercise paddocks so you do not have too much down time riding to and from the stable. A high quality arena rake works great to keep your working arena in optimum riding condition and provides a good footing for your horse. Try to find a multipurpose arena rake as you will need to harrow the paddocks, rake the arena and groom your roads and the regular, cheaper, poorly designed arena rake will not do a good job and will probably fall apart. Another great investment to your stable complex is a good horse walker will save you time money and improve your horse’s mental health and physical conditioning.