Dilemma: Shed Row or Run In Shed?

[sekendahl]

Happy New Year!!

I’m relatively new here, you guys were so helpful with my last post so I figured this is a great place to get some advice.

My husband and I just purchased an old dairy barn, beautiful property. However the dairy barn has ridiculously low ceilings (7’). I am looking for a somewhat temporary solution to bringing our horses home until we can get the barn renovated. (it will probably be quite a few years until we get around to the barn since the husband says that the house takes renovation priority :lol:).

Who here keeps their horses in a shed row barn or run in shed? Which do you prefer?

I’ve been a bit torn about which type of living situation is most ideal. I always thought a shed row barn is the best option so I can close a horse in if needed. Do you guys have any experience/opinions about either of these options?

[demidq]

Sorry- I am not too sure what you mean by a shedrow barn- I have always thought of that as a set of stalls all facing out, no aisle etc.
My preference for horses who are not stalled is a “loafing shed”- much bigger and deeper than a run-in which is tpically only 12-14 ’ deep. Loafing shed is often built along the side of a barn.

[BroncoMo]

You could always put a door on a run in shed to lock one in if you need. I have several old sheds that have doors that are open 99.9999% percent of the time. But I have locked horses in twice this winter already for various reasons; idiots standing outside in blizzard conditions rather than IN the shed where I put hay and water, blizzards wrapping snow around the walls and dumping drifts in the sheds, etc. Now as I type this, I wonder why I live where I’ve already had two blizzards… Anyways, I’ve liked how that works enough that when I move and build a new place, I’m going to put doors on all my sheds. And I think it’ll be tolerable enough to manage like that and might not even want a formal barn (except maybe a foaling barn). But it all depends on your needs. I have no desire to keep a horse in a stall when they have a run or lot to use. So my reasons for locking one inside are minimal.

[sekendahl]

Thanks for the feedback! I considered the idea of putting a door on a run in shed. The only time I really need my horse inside is on days that my farrier visits, as my stubborn gelding won’t let the farrier catch him when he’s in a paddock.

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What type of door do you have on your sheds? A metal gate or a wooden door?

[BroncoMo]

@sekendahl

Thanks for the feedback! I considered the idea of putting a door on a run in shed. The only time I really need my horse inside is on days that my farrier visits, as my stubborn gelding won’t let the farrier catch him when he’s in a paddock.

”‹”‹
What type of door do you have on your sheds? A metal gate or a wooden door?

Mine are sliding doors. The sheds are all old; 1960s through 1980s or so. The door are massive, about 3 1/2 inches thick or so and make for terrifying wind sails. So ideally I would go with a metal (lined with wood down lower) sliding with appropriate hardware to keep it from trying to take off. If I need to close a door on a shed, that means I need to keep weather out too. But if you don’t have that kind of weather, then I don’t see why a gate wouldn’t work either.

[gradytb]

I have both. Two big run-in sheds and a 3-stall shedrow barn with an 18’ wide aisle. I’m in south/central Texas so do not need or want a fully enclosed barn! I currently only have 2 horses—one is mine and one is a boarder who will be 2 in Feb. So he kind of goes wherever my horse goes. But they don’t go in the run-in sheds unless it is pouring rain. Even then, it has to pour awhile before they decide to get out of it. If I had to feed and hay them in the shed together, it would never work. I’ve found that the more dominant animal (my 2 steers also have access to the sheds and Henry, the dominant one, only lets Walter stick his head under the overhang!) usually don’t allow the other one in. I have no doors on sheds on the horse side, and only a gate-type people door on the other side to access a small aisle where you can stash hay or feed. But everything gets really dusty. I LOVE my shedrow barn. It’s super nice metal barn with big stalls (12x14) a feed room and a wash rack with hot water. The N and S doors close and latch but it is open to the east. I have a big dutch window in each stall that is open unless we get a winter storm/wind with winds or rain out of the N or NW. So I guess if you can build a shedrow barn instead of waiting to renovate the dairy barn, my vote would be for that. Or can you use part of it like a big run-in area? the old barn that came with my place (replaced2 years ago finally by the shedrow barn) was built for pigs! I don’t know how many light fixtures were taken out by horses throwing their heads, but they learned.

[J-Lu]

I think much depends on where you are and what your horses like.

Right now, I’m in NC and my horse lives outside 24/7 in his own pasture (neighbors on both sides), but shares a run-in with one neighbor. The run-in is very well constructed and faces East. This direction is ideal here because it blocks the north wind in the winter and the South sun in the summer. It also has lights and fans. THIS horse really prefers to be outside. Some pastures have 2 horses in it and building a very small paddock attached to the run-in really helps if you have to separate horses for feeding - one learns to stay in, one learns to go out and you can close the gate or restrict movement or grass intake for a horse. Alternatively, if you have time, you can stand with a flag keeping one horse away from the other. They catch on really quickly!!

Of note, everyone has a dedicated stall in an old Pig barn that a previous owner renovated into a horse barn. The horses are rarely in the barn, but are when there is adverse winter weather. If your horses are barefoot and furry, they’ll likely do fine in a nice run in. If they are shod and blanketed, it’s good to have a dedicated stall in cold, windy, icy winter weather.

In TX, my previous horse lived in a shed row stall but turned out in her individual paddock all day (was brought into a barn in PA and NM). She LOVED her stall and her individual snooze time in it. I tried pasture boarding her for 2 months once and she was miserable. MISERABLE without her stall and being turned out with aggressive mares (she was at the bottom of the herd dynamic).

I suggest visiting people who have barns in your area (shed row, run-ins) and asking them what they like/dislike about their design. My good friend is currently renovating a “storage barn” into a real horse barn, and she got so much information and help by visiting people. One neighbor regularly comes over to evaluate how their renovation is going, since he built his own barn but neither my friend nor her builder built a barn before. Soooooooo helpful!!

Good luck!

[OneTwoMany]

I personally prefer the run in shed if the horses don’t need to be stalled daily. It is less work (no stalls to muck) and the horses get more exercise. If your run-in is large enough, you can always put up temporary gates/panels should you have need of a stall. Our run-in is large. About 48’x30 and it is great. There is a ton of room for horses and as mentioned above, room for a temporary stall when needed. You should consider questions like where will you groom a horse, tack up a horse, hold the horse for a vet or farrier, etc. I’m guessing there might be a space in the dairy barn for that.

You didn’t ask, but I have seen plenty of situations where people use old dairy barns for horses with minimal modifications. The equines adjust to the low ceilings. It isn’t ideal if you are running a business and competing with more modern facilities, but if it is for your own personal use, maybe it is an option.

[Highflyer]

If you have average -sized horses that are fairly sensible, a barn with 7’ ceilings should be fine, especially for occasional/ emergency shelter. My horse trailer is 7’, and my 15.1 and 16.1 guys don’t come close to the ceiling-- and I’ve hauled horses up to 17.2 in it without issue. I probably wouldn’t choose a ceiling that low for big horses that were in most of the time, but if they’ll be in just overnight or less most of the time, they should be okay.

[GaiaTX]

I have a run in shed that we built to open to the summer wind direction and block the north wind; we have a pretty mild climate in our area. The loafing shed sounds nice too.

[NancyM]

I think you’ve had great advice here already, and agree that the run in shed option is often the best plan, especially for a private owner who is not having a lot of boarders coming and going. And yes, you will need a grooming stall close by, for farrier and vet work, and for grooming and tacking up. Also a tack room next to the grooming stall. If you have issues at feed time with a run in shed communal situation, instead of building walls and stalls to separate everybody, IF your horses are well broke to tie, you can simply hang tie ropes (with breakaway) at each feed bucket, and tie everyone up at feed time, to make sure that everyone gets the feed they are supposed to have, and not trade around. Hay piles can be shared or traded around, normally, without huge fighting about it.

The 7 foot ceiling is not ideal, but most horses will learn to live with it successfully.

[sekendahl]

Thanks everyone!

I’m in Southern New Hampshire and we are up on a hill with a bit of wind and full sun. We get hot summers and cold winters. My gelding is a very hardy draft cross who will stand outside in a blizzard but hates summer and bugs, I figured a couple of fans in the shed would solve that. His companions will most likely be a couple of donkeys.

I’m realizing my question is a bit odd and maybe silly 😜. I guess I really am just looking for opinions from people who have used either options to see what they liked/disliked.

I know it’s more of a comfort for people knowing their horses are tucked snuggly into their deeply bedded stall every night. It is for me at least 😉. Which is why I was considering shed row barns, that way I could shut them in if I have to. However I like the idea of a run in shed on our property in the summer because the previous owners told me that there is a great breeze that comes up the hill.

As for the dairy barn, that’s comforting to hear everyones thoughts on the 7’ ceilings. My other concern is that the beams are only 10’ from the wall, so the stall sizes would only be 10’ deep. The barn is 60’ long so I would easily be able to make longer stalls. But I’m feeling claustrophobic thinking about 7’ ceiling heights and 10’ deep stalls :eek:

The great thing about having this barn on property is that it is easily accessible for when my vet and farrier come. Or if I would need to bring my horses inside for whatever reason.

[Equibrit]

You can have both. Run-in shed that you can close up if you need to.

[mmeqcenter]

@sekendahl

I know it’s more of a comfort for people knowing their horses are tucked snuggly into their deeply bedded stall every night. It is for me at least 😉. Which is why I was considering shed row barns, that way I could shut them in if I have to.

Personally I find it more of a “comfort” to know my horse isn’t cooped up in a teeny space for 8-12+ hours every single night. One of the big reasons for wanting my own farm was to be able to allow my horses to be out 24/7. I understand the convenience factor for boarding barns, but I will never understand why private farm owners want their horses inside all the time. ::shrug:: But if you really do want them inside every single night, then a shed-row barn is the better choice. If you want them outside with just the ability to close up on occasion, do a run-in/loafing shed.

[Calvincrowe]

I have a combination of what you desire: I have a very large barn /shop with two stalls that opens onto a 12x40 overhang (so a run in shelter). I can stall mine on those stupid windy, freezing cold, wet or snowy (or icy) nights/days we frequently get here in the Columbia River Gorge or leave them out to enjoy moving about in their mud-free sacrifice paddocks with access to the overhang/shed as needed.

OP- I totally get the need to stall horses at times. They need to know how for those times they must (injury, weather, shows, etc.) and honestly, for our convenience (shows, vet, weather, dry/clean for a lesson, etc.). I love my set up and prefer this as boarding barns as well–the attached paddock is so good for all involved.

If it were me, I’d build a deep run in shed that has gates/dividers to allow for the creation of a stall(s) yet can be left open as needed. Absolutely run electric and water to it. Or you could add an overhang to your existing dairy barn and create a situation like my barn. Those low ceilings are a bit of a pain, but you could make a 10x20 stall, with an overhang that would create a very deep stall/covered area. Might be a great option before you renovate the whole barn or build a separate structure. And I bet that old barn is cool in the summer!

[RMJacobs]

I lived in Colorado with three horses at home. We originally built one run in shed facing south. Then we found that one pony kept getting kicked out. So we built a second shed perpendicular to the original. That gave them tons of room inside if they wanted it, and protection from the wind from all four directions, since they could stand behind either shed. It worked out well as my horses never liked being inside. Heavy rain, blizzard, whatever, they’d all be outside with their butts turned to the wind. It was like watching a three-horse weather vane. As they aged, they started using the sheds more and more, and getting blanketed much more frequently as well.

Rebecca

[OneTwoMany]

@mmeqcenter

but I will never understand why private farm owners want their horses…inside every single night

Because once you have some minimal amount invested in them (purchase price, training, etc.) they are dead set on killing themselves.:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[mmeqcenter]

@OneTwoMany

Because once you have some minimal amount invested in them (purchase price, training, etc.) they are dead set on killing themselves.:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

IME, they are far more likely to injure themselves outside when their turnout is restricted, due to them running around like idiots.
Some are just accident-prone regardless (my mare).

[spotnnotfarm]

I have a shedrow barn with a large overhang. I love it because my show horses can stay in stalls but my retirees can stand under the overhang if the weather is bad. The overhang is accessible at all times so I never have to worry if a storm comes up and I am not home.

[J-Lu]

@NancyM

I think you’ve had great advice here already, and agree that the run in shed option is often the best plan, especially for a private owner who is not having a lot of boarders coming and going. And yes, you will need a grooming stall close by, for farrier and vet work, and for grooming and tacking up. Also a tack room next to the grooming stall. If you have issues at feed time with a run in shed communal situation, instead of building walls and stalls to separate everybody, IF your horses are well broke to tie, you can simply hang tie ropes (with breakaway) at each feed bucket, and tie everyone up at feed time, to make sure that everyone gets the feed they are supposed to have, and not trade around. Hay piles can be shared or traded around, normally, without huge fighting about it.

The 7 foot ceiling is not ideal, but most horses will learn to live with it successfully.

Actually, I groom and tack up my horse by the arena winter and summer, because he prefers to see what is around him and is so much more comfy there than in the barn where he can’t see much. I regularly carry my tack in two trips there because he’s so gotten used to it there, and I can untack and groom him in the same arena he’s worked it (or right outside if people are working), making it a more relaxing environment for us both. Relaxation is good for his brain (admittedly, this is conditioned relaxation). Everyone else brings their horse in to tack up/untack in the barn. There’s a cement slab between the two “arms” of the barn and that’s where my farrier works. There are so many workable options if people want to adopt them.