Your horse is your companion and its responsibility lies completely on you. Being said that, having your own horse requires adequate care and proper management of the horse in order to ensure its well-being and make it live long.
Taking care of your horse is not just about feeding it properly, what is also very important is how you keep it and what kind of environment you provide it.
Properly built and well-maintained horse barns are a must when you look at the long term goals and want to keep your horse fit, healthy and happy. You might wonder what a proper barn looks like.
There are a lot of particulars that need to be taken into consideration before you build the dream horse barn for your fellow pet. It covers various aspects like comfort, hygiene, space, health, etc that need to be looked at for your horse.
American barns are usually made in a particular way, matching to the above-mentioned requirements.
Here are 5 helpful tips that will make it easier for you to plan and build your horse barn:
1) Well-Spaced:
Spacing lists amongst the most important characteristics of an appropriate barn. A small barn can not only make your horses feel crowded and congested, but it can also severely affect your horse’s health by restricting its moving space.
2) Wash Stall:
A separate wash stall space should be arranged within the barn for bathing your horses. Having a wash stall within the barn is important because it supports all weathers and you can bathe your horse at any time you want. Within the wash stall, there are a few things that need to be kept in mind.
Firstly, there should be a proper drainage system within the stall to ensure that the water completely drains out. If you have any concerns regarding the maintenance of your drainage system contact a service like Sharp Plumbing & Heating for more guidance.
Secondly, there should be a hose system with long pipe overhead so that the water can reach all the parts of your horse. What is equally important is the flooring and mats that need to be placed on the floor for a good surface and footing.
3) Ventilation and Adequate Airflow:
An adequate amount of airflow and proper ventilation is very crucial for maintaining the good health of your horses.
A ventilation system should be installed along with big windows to ensure a good quality of airflow in your horse barn.
Windows not only maintain the airflow and ventilation but at the same time also provide natural lighting to your horse that is very much needed.
However, make sure you conduct regular maintenance to prevent mold and mildew. When it comes to closed spaces like these, pole barn insulation might be a practical choice to consider.
Additional overhead fans and manual fans can be installed for better ventilation and to provide cool air and appropriate temperature to your horses.
4) Sliding Doors:
Sliding doors are a better option to choose from than the other kinds of doors. These doors usually come in 2 or 1 piece where you either have to slide them in one direction or split them open. IN both cases, they make lesser voices than the other noisy doors that can possibly annoy, disturb and scare your horses.
Another important characteristic to look at is that they are easier and quicker to use. The icing on the cake is their low and cost-effective price that is the cheapest amongst all the types of doors. If you’re renovating your barn doors, you might want to check out this Barn Door Hardware Guide to make sure you buy the best stuff in the market.
5) Water and Food Storage:
Horse feeding is yet another critical point that determines the health of your horses. Not only should be proper feeding and hydration space given for all the horses, but also the storage of their food and water should be properly done.
Hygiene is very important in both- food and water storage as well as feeding. The food should be stored in a separate, clean and safe space while the feeding space should also be kept clean and healthy.
With all the above aspects rightly put into action, it can be assured that you’ll build a perfect horse barn for your mates and will help them live a happy, comfortable and safe life.
While the sizes of horse barns depend on the number of horses you have, you should not forget to think about your long term plans and how many horses do you plan to keep in the near future.
Keeping extra space will help you in cases like these. In all, a house will be a home for your horses only if you cater to their needs and give them a homely feeling.
Author Bio:
Emily Davis works at Cheval Liberté as a community manager. Cheval Liberté has been designing, developing and producing stalls, internal stables, and stable equipment since 1995, Driven by their passion for horses, Cheval Liberté was founded by both riders and breeders and since 2005 this passion has been implemented in the UK, with our North Wales company being the sole importer of Cheval Liberté products for distribution and erection throughout the UK & Ireland.
