Updating Your Barn
Working with What You’ve Got
Sometimes building a new barn isn’t an option. Perhaps you purchased
property with an existing barn and while the structure is sound and in
good repair on the outside, the inside could use some help. Take a cue
from popular HGTV design shows and renovate.
One of the most common problems with older barns is that they may
come with 10’x10’ stalls. Many were built before the influx of Warmbloods
and drafts and most of the horses were between 15hh-15.2hh.
Today, most horse owners want at least a 12’x12’ stall. There are a
couple of ways to handle making stalls bigger- or at least feel bigger.
1. 4.
Start over. Take down all the
inside stall fronts and partitions
and reconfigure for the correct
dimensions you want, whether 12’
x 12’ or even 12’ x 14’. You will end
up losing a couple of stalls, but all
the new stalls will be bigger.
Combine. Take down the parti-
tion between every two stalls.
This turns a 10’x10’ stall into a 10’ x
20’ stall – plenty of room for horses
to move around, though not in a
perfect square. Again, you’ll lose
the number of stalls and each stall
with have two doors – you may
want to permanently close one on
each stall to avoid confusion about
leaving doors open. This is also a
great way to turn any stall into a
foaling stall with room for both the
mare and foal.
Think outside “the box.”Rather
than reconfiguring the stalls,
add paddocks to each stall – the
larger the better. Even adding a
10’ x 10’ paddock can make any
stall bigger with more room and
more light. However, if possible,
make the paddock as long as
possible – while it may only be 10’
wide, make it 30’ or longer to give
your horse plenty of room to walk
around and socialize with his neighbors.
Given a choice, most horses
want to be outside, even in what
we think is cold and wet weather,
and will usually only come in at
feeding time or at night. Adding
a 10’ x 12’ overhang just outside
the stall will give your horse extra
protection from the elements when
outside.
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Create an illusion. There are
other ways to make a small
stall at least feel bigger. Use stall
fronts and partitions that let in light
and air, like those made of mesh.
European style stall fronts with low
arc or yoke fronts allow horses to
hang their head and give them
more freedom and less boredom.
Consider using stall partitions that
are wood fill on the bottom, but
have a metal grill in the upper section.
When you want to keep your
horse in from his paddock, consider
using Dutch-door style paddock
doors so he can still see outside. If
paddock doors aren’t an option,
adding a window can help.
2.
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