Since I haven't 100% decided if I want to start a new blog for the farm, or not (and probably should wait until we've named said farm to make it a blog...) I figure I might as well continue to document the exciting life of pre-farm existence here.
The item that is on my mind today is stall size, because one of my/our first big projects is spiffing up the barn. It's rough and I am not 100% sure what it's going to look like on move-in day, because it looked like this when we visited:
Complete with poo in the stalls (and no shavings, but I am not here to critique the previous owners). Either way, I don't know if I fully trust the brochure that said "2 10x12 stalls!" simply because the two stalls were visually different when we were there. We are moving in May, and I don't plan for the girls to spend a lot of time in the barn over the warmer months for a variety of reasons, but I have one horse who is super annoying to other horses and one horse who likes to lay down (and is 21 with various lower leg damage that makes laying down kind of... precarious) and currently... my stalls don't have a divider between them.
Clearly, the barn needs a makeover to beworthy of my princesses functional for the day to day challenges and, also, to accommodate a future where J's (food aggressive and generally doesn't like to be bothered, especially when stalled) mare Ginny may come to live with us, too. My plans are:
1. Create 3 stalls, minimum.
2. Divide the stalls in a way that still allows for airflow but ensures Bailey can't annoy the crap out of the other horse(s).
After that, my plans are to mat the stalls, work towards matting or even concrete-ing the aisle and (hopefully) building an enclosed area for my tack, blankets and other storage that would be protected from any bird poo and other grossness.
The big challenge is, I think, the 32' width of the barn - I am assuming that I have two 10' sections of wall, and one 12' door making up the 32', which limits my ability to build a standard 12x12 stalls, which was my natural go-to. Assuming that my assumptions hold true... what would you choose, if you were in my boots?
1. Three 10x12 stalls with 9' of space by the door (aka closest to where the photographer was standing in the above photo).
2. Three 10x14 stalls with 3' of remaining space by the door
3. Build uneven stall sizes (example: 2 10x12s, 1 10x14 or larger for gimpy horse)
4. Why leave 3' by the door. Just build three 10x15 stallsand possibly curse yourself to hell / endless stall mat cutting
The item that is on my mind today is stall size, because one of my/our first big projects is spiffing up the barn. It's rough and I am not 100% sure what it's going to look like on move-in day, because it looked like this when we visited:
Clearly, the barn needs a makeover to be
1. Create 3 stalls, minimum.
2. Divide the stalls in a way that still allows for airflow but ensures Bailey can't annoy the crap out of the other horse(s).
After that, my plans are to mat the stalls, work towards matting or even concrete-ing the aisle and (hopefully) building an enclosed area for my tack, blankets and other storage that would be protected from any bird poo and other grossness.
The big challenge is, I think, the 32' width of the barn - I am assuming that I have two 10' sections of wall, and one 12' door making up the 32', which limits my ability to build a standard 12x12 stalls, which was my natural go-to. Assuming that my assumptions hold true... what would you choose, if you were in my boots?
1. Three 10x12 stalls with 9' of space by the door (aka closest to where the photographer was standing in the above photo).
2. Three 10x14 stalls with 3' of remaining space by the door
3. Build uneven stall sizes (example: 2 10x12s, 1 10x14 or larger for gimpy horse)
4. Why leave 3' by the door. Just build three 10x15 stalls
I know Kristen from Stampy and the Brain has blogged a lot about this as she's also in the process of renovating an old barn to house her retirees. JenJ from Wyvern Oaks blogged all about her barns build out years ago (the archives are worth a look) too. Having never done it myself, I can only say what I remember from others: mostly, make sure your plans accommodate for the eventual necessity for being able to handle a stall rest or rehab situation, and that sacrificing some convenience may often in the long run prove to be a problem.
ReplyDeleteHoly cats, I just found Kristen's stuff on your recommendation and it's GREAT. THANK YOU!
DeleteSecondary reply, if you see this... How big is Charlie's stall? He's a bigger guy and I am trying to figure out the best way to build stalls without limiting myself on future horse size (I mean, BB is probably 16.2 or taller AND stall walks, so I feel she needs a larger stall...)
DeleteI'd probably do 10x12. I don't think that's squishing anyone in there as a lot of horses can live in 10x10 pretty comfortably. I like 12x12 better because my horse is a moose that loves naps. I think you'll find plenty of things to fit into that extra 9' of space, too!
ReplyDeleteI'd heavily prefer 12x12 myself, as I have a stall walking moose and a shorter but longer moose who likes naps, too. Would you be comfortable putting Bobby into a 12x10? I'm trying to decide if 10x14 is ridiculous or not, but also don't want to limit myself on future horse size because I don't have a stall to put them in.
DeleteI'd definitely try to imagine what size of horses you could potentially have later and balance that with what horses you have now. A small QH just doesn't need the space a big WB does. I will say though that the Ramm stalls I'm doing are pretty versatile since I can remove/add the dividers in the stalls later. Since Stamp is so long and tall (he is not wide and wears an 87" blanket and is 18.1 hands) he barely fits in the 12 x 12 at my current barn and gets sleep deprivation because he doesn't like to lie down in it so he's getting a 12 x 24 that I can later turn into two 12 x 12's. P just gets a regular 12 x 12 because thankfully he's a normal horse. I personally wouldn't do 10 x 12 unless you were planning to mostly have the horses out and they aren't big horses. I like the idea of the 10 x 14s personally. FYI Ramm has formats for various stall sizes to make it so you don't have to cut mats they just piece together for that shape. My best friend works there as the KY and Carolinas rep (and thank god because I ask her questions all the time) and has helped me immensely. If things go as planned I'll be building stalls this weekend so we will see how it all turns out, lol.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if I can help you with any questions, it's overwhelming sometimes! Oh and double any contingency you think you need in your budget, I am so over budget!
I sincerely enjoyed your barn posts, and can't wait for the stall post once they're in! Size wise, I don't think I will end up with an big guy like Stampede, but that is a darn good thing to keep in mind. I'm already annoyed with my barn because I'm absolutely limited to 10' in the width direction... I've seen sizes from 10x10 to the larger than 12x12s offered for boarding in our area (so hopefully future expectations of any future buyer would be on par) but it would be so much easier if I could just have a 12x12. While I'm planning to keep my girls outside as much as possible, they will be inside at night once the weather dips down towards freezing. I've been leaning towards the 10x14s simply because I feel like having a random left over 9' isn't particularly useful in my mind. I have a 12' wide aisle and a whole unplanned 10x45' area across the aisle so I feel like I'll have plenty of space for storage and such (this may be naive. Especially if I start collecting horses...)
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