Some Basics About Barns

by Sarah Gee

A well-designed, well-built barn increases the quality of life for both you and your horses. The ideal barn should be light, airy, pleasant to work in, and easy to keep clean. The time, effort, and money spent building a quality barn will, in the long run, pay off with lower upkeep costs, fewer vet bills, and added property value.

The first step in any construction project is finding the right site. For a barn you’ll want somewhere that’s well drained and offers easy connection to utilities and to the road and/or your driveway. Make sure you examine all zoning laws before you buy a piece of property. Even if you think you’ve found the perfect location, the county or city has to agree. Try to buy in a horse friendly area to avoid conflicts.

Once you have the site, spend some time there on a blustery day to identify the prevailing wind direction. You want good air circulation in your barn but you don’t want your center aisle to be a wind tunnel. Plan to position your barn at about a 45-degree angle to the prevailing wind.

When considering the layout of your barn, take the time to look at as many existing barns as you can. Ask your vet, farrier, or feed supplier about the barns that they’ve visited and go look at the ones that sound interesting. Take lots of pictures and notes and talk with the owners to find out what works and what doesn’t.

Efficiency is key when designing a barn. Try to minimize the distance between things like your tack room and cross ties or your wash rack and tack room. Try to minimize mess. Identify all potential sources of mess and plan your layout to confine that mess. If you’re building a small barn, cluster the stalls at one end. That way, when you muck, the mess stays at that end. With a larger barn put you’re tack and/or feed room in the middle. Not only does this keep the middle of the barn mess free, it also keeps your tack and supplies centrally located.

Make sure your aisles are wide enough. There should be ample room for the tractor and manure spreader and ample room for your horse to turn around. Your aisles should be a minimum of 12 feet wide and wider if possible. Aisle doors should open to a width of at least 12 feet. Paired sliding doors are easier to open and close than single doors and they resist sagging. If flies are a major problem in your area, you might want to consider screen doors – hinged inner doors of household screening at either end of your aisle.

Stalls should be at least 12’ by 12’. The bigger the stall, the less its occupant walks in soiled bedding – so the easier it is to clean and the more you’ll save on bedding in the long run. Partition height needs to be at least 7 1/2 feet to prevent horses form getting legs over the wall. Since most kicking damage will occur in the lower five feet of the partition, use pressure-treated lumber for the bottom boards in contact with the ground. Plywood (at least 3/4 inch) is an alternative to boards, as it won’t shrink, warp, or crack. Plywood also dissipates kicks, giving it a better strength-to-weight ratio. Make sure partitions are flush with the stall floor to prevent hooves from getting caught underneath. If you’re using partitions with an open panel at the top, place bars no more than three inches apart or use a heavy-gauge wire mesh with approximately two inch openings.

Stall doors should be at least 7 feet high and at least 3 1/2 feet wide. If you’re using swinging doors, they should open into the aisle rather than into the stall. Latching them open will prevent them from sticking out into the aisles. Sliding doors are a popular choice but they involve more hardware and thus, are more labor intensive. Position door latches out of reach of horses that may find pleasure in learning how to operate them.

The higher warm, stale air can rise in a barn, the more cool, fresh air you’ll pull in. Therefore, high ceilings are a must. A ceiling height of 10 feet or higher is optimum. High ceilings will also reduce the chances of your horse hitting his head. Airflow can be increased by adding windows high in your outside walls, where horses can’t reach them. Open panels on the tops of stall partitions and open mesh doors help air circulate within stall interiors. You might also consider a roof exhaust fan or exhaust fans at either end of your barn near the roof peak.

A well lighted barn is easier to work in. Light also reduces the number of flies that congregate in a barn. The more you use natural light, the lower your electric bills. Windows and skylights should be placed wherever possible, although you’ll want to make sure you’re not subjecting your horse to scorching sunlight in the middle of summer. Put a light in every stall, at least 8 feet up along the front or side walls to decrease shadows in the stall. A shatter-proof cage around the bulb will provide further safety. Fluorescent “tube” lights work well for aisles.

Aisle floors and stall floors are two different things. Aisle floors need to have some sort of texture to prevent horses from slipping and they need to be easily maintained. Therefore, asphalt or textured concrete are good choices. Dirt or gravel, while a little more difficult to maintain, are always good choices for barn aisles as well. Good stall floors have some “give.” A floor that absorbs some of the impact and weight of a horse will reduce stress on the horse’s legs and ease foot problems. The floor should also be nonslip to prevent injuries. There really is no perfect stall flooring material. Dirt has “give” but is not durable; concrete is durable but has no “give.” Some of the hardness of concrete can be overcome by using rubber mats or deep bedding. However, rubber mats can be slippery when wet and deep bedding makes stall cleaning a bit more challenging.

It’s a good idea to install electrical outlets everywhere you think you might use them. Extension cords are hazardous and should not be used in barns. All electrical wiring in the barn should be placed out of the reach of horses and housed in metal or hard plastic conduit since rodents may chew unprotected wires, creating a fire hazard.

Ample clean water is vital to a horse’s well being. Place spigots where they will be convenient to multiple stalls. You may also want to consider having hot water available in the barn for cold-weather bathing and for cleaning equipment.

Lastly, make sure that all your fixtures are horse friendly. Fixtures include things like hay racks or mangers, feed and water buckets, cross-ties, and toys. There should be no sharp surfaces and everything should be mounted securely. Panic snaps are a good idea for cross-ties.

Putting a little time and effort into planning your barn could save you a lot of money and stress in the future. A good barn will last a lifetime and both you and your horses will rest easier.

References
Build a Barn that Works, EquiSearch.com at http://equisearch.com/farm/stable/eqbarn915

Horse Stall Design in Horse Facilities 1, Penn State College of Agricultural Science, Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension.