Horse Shelter

Although this is not the direct part of the daily maintenance of a horse wellness, a good shelter for your horse is very important. As an owner, you should know the basics on shelter and the housekeeping that comes with it. Since you will be spending time there most of your horse riding sessions, it is important that you keep the shelter safer and convenient. There are three important factors to consider when building a shed: location, size and building.

Shed Construction. The shed must be located on areas that will ensure the safety of your horse. Trees that might fall on the shelter should be avoided. Wind, weather conditions must guide you on how you will position the shelter. It will determine where the closed side of the shelter should be facing to avoid winds and rain from coming into the shed. The horse should have a properly ventilate shelter since molds and dust can cause sickness to the animals. Location should be convenient for the transport of water and food supplies of your horses. Although there will be stable hands assigned on the area, minimizing the time to transport this makes housekeeping easier and efficient to those maintaining the quarter.

Mud control starts in the construction by choosing the location of your shed away from wetlands or streams. Although it looks convenient for the water supply, it is a great mud problem contributor.  Why is mud control important? Mud can cause horse the medical issues that will cost you more than installing few mud control devices such as installation of good drainage system.

Shed Size. The basic of size planning is the number of horses that you will be keeping there.  Ventilation is an issue as well but the most important is the comfort and flexibility of the area. If you will be keeping many horses, the horse herd hierarchy should be taken into account when considering height and width of the horse living quarters. The height should be enough to keep the horses from hitting his head and air to circulate around. The area should provide ample space for horses to move around comfortably. Allowance for more aggressive horses can be accomplished by coming up with a larger structure. As a rule of the thumb, a 12 feet by 12 feet for one horse can be used, and eight feet for the minimum height.

Building of the Shed. When building shed, the building code is the most basic ruler for your horse housing since you will be dealing with building codes and permits. Bracing your shed is important for large ones since smaller structure does not require one. If you will be having a large shed, ensure that you avoid the square posts that might hurt the horses.

Think of wet-free and clean shed when building. A gutter can improve the maintenance of the shed mainly because gutter keeps not only water from coming in but also the snow that drifts into the entrance during winter season.

A fire will always be a threat to any property. Ask your local fire department for suggestions. Faulty wires can be prevented by asking a qualified electrician to check the shed. Flammables should be kept in areas that cannot be triggered by heat and fire. Assign an area to place this stuff. A fire retardant to coat the wood materials of the shed is a good investment.