The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Outdoor shelter designs

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Prairie 
#1 ·
I got to thinking about my run ins after reading an article on shelters and their design which makes horses think twice about using them.

I never thought twice about how our five horses don't use any of the three shelters we have in place. Ever. Rain, shine, bugs or snow they rarely go in and if they do they all pack into one specific one. Right now we have an addition to the barn that is 30x16 feet. One end is sectioned off into a stall for my colt, and the rest is for the others. It has one door way, and this is the one they use most. I spray the doorway with acv to keep the flies out, but I have one mare that won't go in, or keeps her head out.

The other is a 15x20 run with an open end. It is constructed out of board and tarp. This was their go to before we opened up the barn add on. The main problem I had with this was sinking ground, no matter how much gravel we dumped it would sink and become a mud pit.

The third is a 30x12 barn which was completely stripped on the inside. Trouble loves this run, but the others won't touch it. It has large windows and a packing blanket hanging over the door. Trouble will push the blanket out of the way and go in and stay out of the flies and rain.

What would the best dimensions and designs be for outdoor shelters? Ideas would be great because I'd like to rebuild a good usable run that they will actually use.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I may not be fully understanding the designs you describe, but here are some guesses as to what may be wrong.

It sounds like your shelters are more like a "cave" design than a horse shelter.

Building 1: 30x16 with one door (and the door is sprayed with a fly repellant). Five horses share a community stall. Doesn't sound like an inviting prospect for a horse.

Building 2: 15x20: Sounds like one full side is open, which is good. However, the "tarp" portion of the construction may be the reason the horses think less of this as a "shelter." The drainage issue may also be a factor.

Building 3: 30x12 "cave." The entrance isn't open - it has a blanket (possibly a similar problem to the above tarp). The windows may allow for good light, but it is still an enclosed room.


Your horses seem to spend most of their time in a pasture. This makes sense as horses like open areas. They don't like closed spaces with little chance of escape. Stalls are a different thing as we teach them that is a "safe" place where they eat and don't have to share the space (or food in it).

I don't think there is a problem with your current building sizes. The layout/design is probably the issue.

- Instead of a door, consider having a lean-to design with one full wall open. It's asking a bit to have five horses cram into one of these structures with only one door to get in/out.
- Make the construction solid. No tarps, blankets or other things that flap or move in the wind.
- Make sure the structure blocks something (sun/wind/etc.). It serves no purpose if the open end allows the elements in.
- Consider the social hierarchy of the horses. Is "Trouble" the alpha? Perhaps the other horses won't go int he 30x12 run because that "belongs" to the other horse? Maybe you can partition that into two areas so horses can have their own "space" while still being fairly close to each other.
 
#3 ·
Agree with Taz above - sounds like "scary" caves for a prey animal to feel trapped in, not inviting shelters.

I have one prissy horse who detests weather and one who will keep grazing in a hail storm. Both are content with my large lean-to: 33ft long back, 15 ft deep side walls, 33ft wide open front. It opens to the SW and even in major wind & rain, there will be a good 8 ft wide strip of of dry ground against the back wall. I'd feel safe putting up to 4 horses in there, to leave enough space to prevent fighting.
 
#4 ·
Depending on your Alpha horse and herd hierarchy, the lower ranking horses may need their own shelter so the alpha horse doesn't run them out of his. When our Belgian gelding was alpha, he was a fair leader so all 3 horses piled into 1 stall. After he dies, our mare became alpha yet the gelding won't enter a stall where she is normally and will seek another one for protection.


Out shelter for our TWH's is their stalls which open to the south so protect them from the winds during winter but allow good air flow from the south winds in summer. Our old barn is unique in that we can move the stall walls so that there is one big space or a double size area (2 stalls) and a single stall area. For our mini's, since we are down to 2 large outside dogs, my old show kennel has been sectioned off so the mini's have an area for themselves without the dogs being able to join them---they can see each other, which is fine. The mini's dry lot was extended so they have free choice access to their new quarters.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top