Other than some trees, my horses don’t have a shelter and I’ve been trying to find one but my they are expensive. $4200 for a 12x20 basic, delivery not included. My pasture is on a big hill so I don’t have a perfect flat area to work with. I need something strong that can stand up to wind or be anchored. Has anyone had success just building one from reclaimed wood or anything? I am also hoping I can section a part of into a stall when I need so that I can put my one horse in to feed him. He is old and needs extra but is a slow eater and my mare will push him away. It’s not a problem to stand there until he’s done in summer but in winter and rain, I’d rather not have to be out there for an hour playing moderator. Even adding a few panels in the manufactured shelters for this in an additional $400. Basically looking for other, less expensive ways I can get the shelter I need without having to scrape the bottom of my piggy bank.
Have you checked with this company?
They seem to have very reasonable prices:
http://gobobpipe.com/horsesheds.htm
To anchor any portable shed, you can dig post holes in each corner.
Then drop one end of a bigger chain with a big bolt or piece of rebar across the bottom in each hole as an anchor, the other end sticking out and pour about 2-3 sacks of concrete mix in there along with some water.
Then tie the ends of the chain to each corner of the shed.
We never had one tied like that blow away, even when we had a tornado come by, that took the top off one shed.
Do you know where these guys are located? Sometimes shipping is almost as much as the shelter itself
They are in OK but have dealers in other places.
Someone a while back said they bought a shed from them and they were in Florida, I think?
You can get an idea asking them, if too high, see what it would cost if a local welding shop would make a similar one.
Without knowing where you are, it is hard to give names.
There is someone building nice and not very expensive sheds in Anson, TX.
They have a facebook page, but that may also be too far for you.
I live in NW Kansas. It’s like a 3-4 hr drive away from Denver to my town. I submitted the form for a quote. I saw they have kits too which might be an option for me. My husband is a carpenter so when farming slows down in winter I may be able to convince him to build one if I get the parts.
How many horses will be using it? If only talking 2-3 and they are congenial a 12X16 is usually plenty big enough. A basic shed roof structure of this size can be built for under $1,000. If you have access to recycled materials even less. This is not difficult to build even for those with basic building skills. I am not talking about a movable structure. That will take more materials and a very good idea of what you are doing.
A fixed structure using 4, 4X6 or 6X6 and some 4X4 pressure treated posts set in the ground can be built pretty much on any uneven ground up to a point. Just takes a bit more “math”.
Any decent “handyman” can build this in a couple of days. You can keep his/her fee down by doing the grunt work and being the “hand second hands”.
Only two horses now but I’d like to add a third sometime in the future. Would you just use a bunch of 2x4 or 4x4 wood planks for sides and roof? That would be expensive I think. I am married to a handyman so my labor would be free. It’s getting him to do it, and finding the time for him to do it. He farms so his hours are sun up to sundown 7 days a week.
Klene Pipe Structures come in you assemble kits. You screw it all together and supply the wood. Try them.
I am a little, old, fat lady with no particular carpentry skills. I can build a run-in shed entirely by myself - and I say than not to illustrate my abilities but rather to illustrate that it doesn’t take any special abilities. 
I use 2’ x 12’ metal roof panels from Lowes for the roof. If you want solid sides, you can use plywood on the inside (put the 4’ length on the vertical and the 8’ length on the horizontal) for a kick panel and T1 11 siding on the outside (this will need to be painted). Or, you can just buy pressure treated 1" x 6" boards. I’m in Florida, so I use shade cloth mounted on 2" x 4" frames for walls.
Currently emailed them for a quote. Not sure if Maverick style or Wrangler would be better. Maybe it doesn’t matter and it’s just preference in style?
Free plans ; http://myoutdoorplans.com/animals/free-run-in-shed-plans/
Cheaper with recycled lumber.
When things slow down in the winter, will the ground be too frozen to set anchors or footings?
If you can find old telephone poles that will help with structure costs?
My pet peeve is using 4x4 posts for horse sheds. Sure a 4x4 is enough for structural safety…until some bored horse gnaws on it and turns it into a 2x3
If 6x6 posts aren’t in the budget, use sacrifice board where horses are likely to chew on the wood.
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Sometimes our winters are mild but it might be too frozen anyways. Have to see. Not sure where I coul get old poles or any old wood. There are tons of old falling down barns I’d love to pull apart for wood but they belong to other people who think they are great rustic pieces instead of a safety hazard.
If it is in the budget, Go-Bob pipe sheds are not that far from you and you can move them around, take them with you, sell them, they are very versatile.
My guess, there is someone close to you that also makes those.
Go ask the high school shop teacher if he knows of someone, or they may make one for you as a class project.
They do that here some times.
My BO’s DH has made a few. He’s not as good at building stuff as he thinks he is, but they do work well. Old telephone poles for the posts. 2x10 or so around the outsides and metal panels for roof and sides. My only complaint is that they do not use plywood kickboards inside, which is not good. Other than that they are pretty sturdy, even if they are not pretty.
We did a 12x24’ run in shed ourselves. It is 6x6 posts every 12 feet (so six in all). then we used 2x10 lumber for the sides and a simple roof framing with hangers for the roof. Our hardware store can order metal sheets to length, so we had them order a gray metal that matched our house roof.
All in the shed cost us around $1500. Still looks great three years later.
You can look at pictures and gather some info on run in sheds on Pinterest. I didn’t know that until today. I’m hoping to replace my one pitiful, old run in and starting the research.
I have a Wrangler. I got it because it was on sale but preferred the other one. Rain causes a puddle in front of the shelter they get weird about going through. But my pony who lives out there often prefers to stand just under the eave, not in the shelter itself, so I guess she likes it. It’s just a 12’X12’ but the pony (14 hand POA) and my baby (14+ h Lipizzan) can both comfortable lay down in it together. It was pretty easy to put together, took DH and I maybe 4 hours a day for 2 days. The directions to put the pipe together were very detailed. The directions for the rest-almost non existent. I believe it was something like, “now put the wood and metal on like the picture shows.” It is not anchored down, but has a natural anchor in my clay soil. This summer we had a day of sustained 60 mile/hour wind and it moved a couple inches. That same day of my friends non-Klene Pipe but portable wood framed 12’x24’ shelter flipped and blew into another pasture.
Where in NW Kansas? I lived in Goodland until 1996. We moved there in 1992, from NY, and had to build everything for our horses we brought with us. Fences, shelters, etc.
Used telephone poles were easier to come by than cut lumber. We would have had to drive to Hays or Denver if we had built anything with 6x6 posts. 2x4’s, 2x6’s, sheet metal and plywood were easy to find in town.
If you are able to purchase a pre-fab bolt together shelter, you won’t be disappointed. The dry climate in NW KS makes them last indefinitely. You will want to anchor it down well, though. We had a 10x10 tumble across the field in a thunderstorm several years ago.
