Gimme Shelter! Part 1 of 3

Tips and ideas for basic horse shelters

by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water

Looking for ways to trim your horse budget? Thinking that now is the time to bring your horse home to give him a break from stall life at the boarding facility? If you are in the market for setting up an at-home horse facility, let’s start with a basic requirement for your horse: shelter.

Providing shelter for your horse can mean anything from a tree in a pasture to a nice big barn. If you are in the market for designing a horse shelter, let’s consider the basic requirements and review some considerations for building a horse place.

Basic Needs

A horse needs shelter and protection from the heat, driving rain and severe cold. A healthy horse can withstand cold temperatures, but when it’s windy a horse looses a considerable amount of body heat. This situation worsens when the horse is wet from rain or snow. Horses should be provided with a place where they can get out of the mud and wet for at least half the day. This can be anything from a paddock with a basic run-in shed to a larger structure like a barn with stalls.

When designing your horse facility, you will at least need a place for your horse (or horses) with storage for feed (hay, grain and supplements), tack, supplies and bedding. You may be able to consider a larger design such as a barn with a tack room, shavings storage, wash rack and the works. However, if these large plans are not in your immediate budget, a simple shelter may be able to address your needs and the horses'. 

The Indoor Environment

A two- or three-sided run-in shed with a roof can provide excellent shelter and may be the most natural for a horse. It's also a little easier on the pocketbook. With this kind of facility, the horse is allowed to regulate his own body temperature; it also provides excellent ventilation. 

Closed barns accumulate dust, ammonia fumes and moisture, creating an environment in which mold and germs flourish. This is harmful to the horse’s fragile respiratory system, which is designed to breathe the clean, dry air of prairies and savannahs. If you have a barn, each stall needs air movement to keep air clean and prevent condensation. An occasional breeze down an aisle is not enough. Look at having open windows year-round and a door at either end of the barn. A roof with some kind of opening at its peak allows warm, moist air to escape. If you are experiencing condensation in your barn, your ventilation is not adequate.

Site Considerations

When choosing the location for your shelter, look for a high, well-drained area--don't build in a low area or wet spot.  It may be useful to check soil types, as well. Gravelly soils are best; they tend to be well-drained, making good locations for buildings and confinement areas. Loamy soils are best used for pastures. Check with your USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, your local conservation district, or your Cooperative Extension office for more information on soil types in your area. 

Stay as far away as possible from creeks, wetlands, or ditches (especially those with water). Ensure that hills or sloping ground behind or near your structure don't drain into it. Be sure to locate the shelter facing away from the prevailing weather patterns so your horse can get protection when the winds howl.  

Accessibility and Efficiency

Is there a year-round road or driveway to your barn or shelter? Folks such as the vet and farrier, as well as trucks for other deliveries, will need access. Is the driveway good--not too muddy or narrow? Easy to clear of snow? Free from overhead wires or trees? Are gates wide enough for trucks doing deliveries? Can emergency vehicles access your place if necessary?

For chore efficiency, review your proposed setup so deliveries of supplies can be made without moving horses. For example, will people have to drive through pasture to get to the barn? Can others feed your horses without walking through pastures or paddocks? Can you move horses to other areas (barn to pasture, between paddocks, etc.) with ease? Be sure that aisleways and paths are wide enough for wheelbarrows or other equipment.

Check back next month for regulations and building considerations. See you then!

~Alayne