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Building Efficient Horse Barns
Pat Murphy
Future champions deserve royal treatment. Someone who helps you
in your work needs must be treated the same as well. So why put
your horses in barns that are not liveable? But before moving
them from their makeshift barns to the most expensive and
priciest horse barns you could find, there's a lot of things to
consider. Well-structured, well-constructed horse barns are
well-ventilated, light, roomy, comfortable to work and stay in.
Top horseman and horse barn builder Champ Hough even suggests
that horse barns should be as homey to your horses as your
house feels like home to you. He shares several tips from over
thirty horse barn building experience.
Hough suggests that before deciding on your plan, an
appropriate site must be first decided. By appropriate, it
means a site that would give your horse barns the much-needed
air circulation and proper drainage. This would prevent
epidemics within your barn. A good site would also provide your
barn easy access to utilities, your driveway, or the road. Hough
recommends orienting barns with these in mind. For aesthetic
purposes, keep useful but unsightly features like the manure
bin or can far from roads and your house but near your barn.
Delivery docks and ramps should also be situated in the same
manner. He also reminds builders not to mix delivery and horse
traffic for less inconvenience. In doing barn layouts, Hough
shares his trick. He suggests minimizing steps or the distance
between barn workstations literally. This means that water
stations, feeding stations, and grooming stations must be
within reach or near each other. He also recommends, confining
or isolating potentially messy areas like stalls and bathing
areas to reduce dirt in the general barn. Clustering stalls is
a good option.
Horse barns are usually built with 12 ft aisles but Hough
insist that it is better if you give your barn aisles another
couple of feet. This will enable machinery to enter the barn,
and will give horses and caretakers ample room to maneuver
inside. A wider doorway will also let in more light and improve
air circulation. Installing screens on windows and sliding doors
will reduce fly population while installing exhaust fans would
let hot air out to be replaced by cooler air. Hough suggest the
use of pavers and asphalt on horse barn floors for better
drainage. Plus, these materials are easier on your horses'
legs.In time, you'll get the benefit of having less vet bills,
less upkeep and maintenance costs, and an increase in property
value. With proper horse barns, your horses will be healthier,
breed better, and have champion quality offsprings.
About The Author: For more valuable information on Horse barns,
please visit http://www.horse-barn.net
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