Articles - Horse Facilities en-us http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles N/A http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles Ron@Emanindustries.com 20 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/312/1/Horses-and-Dogs/Page1.html Many farms and stables have dogs. Having a situation that works for horse, dog and owner is important. Worddemon@gmail.com (Jan Wright) Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/314/1/10-Tips-for-Better-Pasture-Care/Page1.html Pastures are often an overlooked asset. Many think a pasture is just a fenced grassy area to turn horses out in - look closer, and maximize that area. Worddemon@gmail.com (Jan Wright) Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/315/1/No-Fly-Zone/Page1.html There is no one size fits all solution when it comes to controlling flies, and a combination of approaches is generally the most effective method of management. Along with the usual gathering of sprays, wipes, masks and sheets, there are several other steps you can take to make your barn a No Fly Zone. sharptpe@yahoo.com (Tami Rose) Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/296/1/Prevent-Horse-Theft/Page1.html Having a plan can prevent theft - and help with a recovery. Worddemon@gmail.com (Jan Wright) Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/301/1/10-Tips-For-Efficient-Stable-Management/Page1.html Better stable management can save money and time. Being more efficient can also save aggrevation and, in some cases, a horse's life. Worddemon@gmail.com (Jan Wright) Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/151/1/A-Good-Pasture/Page1.html Every horse needs pasture or access to some type of forage.  Ideally, the more time your horse can spend in the pasture the better.  eqad@suddenlinkmail.com (Val Equine Internet) Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/126/1/Footings---Train-and-Compete-Injury-Free/Page1.html eqad@suddenlinkmail.com (Val Equine Internet) Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/130/1/Features-of-a-Good-Barn/Page1.html There are several features that make a barn great, but at the very minimum a good barn should have these characteristics. eqad@suddenlinkmail.com (Val Equine Internet) Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/28/1/Building-Your-Barn/Page1.html   Whether you are building a new barn, your first barn or an addition to your barn, there are several factors that you should consider.  The first is the barn site.  Your barn site is one of the most important factors in building a barn.  Here are some tips:   Try to imagine what the future holds for your horse business or hobby.  Will the site that you are thinking of being adequate if you need to expand later down the road? Zoning: Some cities, counties or states have restrictions on the number of horses you can house on a site.  You will want to check the zoning regulations in your area.  Sites are zoned a certain way to prevent mud holes, odor and run-off into city sewers or neighboring properties. Building Codes: If you are outside of the city limits, you probably won’t need to worry about building codes.  If you are inside the city limits, you will have to have a city building inspector or the planning department check your site. Slope: For rapid drainage away from buildings, arenas and training tracks, without erosion, you will probably require a 2-6 percent slope. Soils: Soil tests can be used to determine the type or types of soil on your land.  The type of soils you have will tell you what type of grass you will be able to grow.  Your local county extension agent will be able to help you with soil testing. Water and Sewer: Many cities will require that you use a separate system for agricultural facilities.  You may have access to city sewer, but you may have to develop your own lateral line or septic system. Area: You will want to make detailed plans of where you will place arenas, round pens, training tracks, etc.  You will need to indicate where your water lines, sewer and electrical lines will enter your barn.  Slopes, trees, ponds and creeks will also need to be on the plans.  You may also need to consider where you may want to expand in your plans.  Structure sitting:  You will want to place structures on the high areas of your site so that the water will run away from them during storms.  You may also need to divert run-off from arenas and round pens. Determining where your run off will go will help you to eliminate mud holes as well as injuries and disease.  In deciding where to place your structures, you will also need to ensure that you are not disturbing any wildlife, wetlands or riparian areas. Wind: Situating your barn at a particular angle may help to increase natural airflow through your barn. Sun: Knowing the angle of the sun will help you find ways to make the sun less intense on your barn.  Designing a barn with overhangs and landscape buffers will help you to block an intense sun. Landscaping: Find trees, shrubs and grass that will not only make your barn look nice; they will help to provide windbreaks. Traffic flow: Try to find what areas will be highly trafficked; you will be able to avoid any accidents by supplying parking for vehicles and separating animal roads from vehicle roads.  eqad@suddenlinkmail.com (Val Equine Internet) Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles/articles/11/1/The-User-Friendly-Farm/Page1.html   The User-Friendly Farm Horse people spend countless hours managing their horse facilities. Who doesn't dream of living on the perfect user-friendly farm? It would certainly give all of us a lot more time to enjoy riding! Think it's impossible? It's not! We are going to help you take the steps to create a farm you, and your horses, can really live with. But don't reach for the hammer and nails quite yet. The most important part of planning the perfect facility is considering a few important factors first. These factors are: • Budget. Determine a price range before you start building. • Needs. Are you a large-scale breeder or do you run a small hunter-jumper barn? Obviously one's priorities are going to be different from the other's. Make three lists: what you can't live without, what it would be nice to have if you've got a few pennies left over, and what you would have if you won the lottery. When coming up with your plan, you'll want to consider your barn, your pastures, and your fencing. If you plan on having extras like an arena you'll want to think about them during the planning phase as well. The Barn There are as many barns as there are horse people! What will your barn be like? Well, it goes without saying that it will be warm, dry, well-ventilated, well-lit, and well-drained. Where you go from there depends upon how many horses you need to stable, the purpose of the stable, and how you like your stable run. You will need at least as many 12 x 12 stalls as you have horses. If you have a breeding facility and want to accommodate mares and foals, you'll want your stalls to be larger. If you are a show horse barn a wash stall where you can wash, groom, and clip your horse might rank quite high on your list. A facility that specializes in instruction might benefit from a heated tack room with viewing area. If you have staff an office, kitchen, and bathrooms might be necessary. At any rate, you get the picture! Plan you barn with the way you intend to use it in mind. How you lay out your barn will depend upon your lifestyle, as well as your philosophies on horsekeeping. If you are not home during the day, you may want your barn's stalls to open up to individual paddocks. If you have a large facility you may find that automatic waterers and feeders really cut down on your time. If you have a lot of traffic to your farm in the form of vets, feed trucks, and farriers, you will want them to be able to access your barn, and horses, as easily as possible. Pastures How much pasture do you need? The answer to that questions depends upon how many horses you have, as well as how often you turn them out. Horses who live outside 24/7 will need more pasture area that horses who receive a limited amount of turnout per day. How should you set your pasture up? Again, that depends upon what your facility is used for. If you own only mares and geldings, one or two pastures may suffice. If you have stallions you will obviously need one pasture per stallion, and those with mares and foals will also need special enclosures. Your turnout areas should always be equipped with shelter and a fresh water supply. Depending upon your circumstances and geographical location, you may determine that automatic waterers and heating elements are priorities. Fencing Rule number one: fencing must be safe! Once you've gotten used to that idea, the fencing you choose will be dependent upon your budget, personal preference, and how much time you are willing to spend on its upkeep. Wire electric fencing is the least expensive but also the least aesthetically pleasing. It requires moderate upkeep. Wooden fencing is beautiful, but is more expensive than wire and requires significant upkeep. PVC fencing has the beauty of wood and little or no upkeep, but it costs significantly more than wood. * * * * * Now that you've determined your budget and needs, you are ready to really start planning a user-friendly farm. Our final piece of advice? Get out there and look at facilities with needs and interests similar to yours, and not what you like and don't like about them. Good luck building your user-friend facility!Thanks for stopping by again.Equine InternetCSW1 bdduganvt@comcast.net (Dawn Equine Staff) Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700