Needs to fit better than this, although that horse doesn’t seem to mind the tight fit: 
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Omg that’s something my draft would do 
perfectly good barn that I fit in? Nope. The mini pony shed? I’ll stick my front end inside so my head doesn’t get wet.
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It’s sad and distressing to hear about so many barn closures up that way. I’m in SE MA, and I can think of several boarding barns that are owned by folks that aren’t spring chickens, and wonder what will happen to them eventually.
I brought my horses home a few years ago, and I’ll give you a couple of things to consider. One would be prevailing wind for whatever shelter you decide on. Shelter can be very un-shelterlike if facing the wrong direction on your property.
The biggest pain in my ass every winter has been ice. We don’t seem to get a straight snowy winter anymore, and when it rains on top of snow and then we get a flash freeze…it ain’t pretty. I’ve found that especially in the tree-lined (and thus more shady) part of my dry lot, I end up with more ice then where I get sun. You’ll want to consider that for your shelter placement and fencing. I often have to temporarily fence off the real icy parts of the the dry lot for my sanity’s sake.
My hay supplier can be a bit tricky when it comes to delivery. They like to combine orders to whomever is in my neck of the woods, and I generally only like to by a ton at at time, so I end up waiting for another delivery to my area. And waiting. I’m learning to buy more at a time, so I get higher up on the delivery pecking order. If you don’t have storage for a decent amount of hay, and you don’t have a truck to go pick up hay when needed, that could be a pain in the @ss. And if your horse needs a certain kind of hay, even more of a pain in the @ss.
Have you seen the price of round pen panels lately?!? What once upon a time was an expensive but feasible way to secure an area now is becoming $$$. Even the economy 10’ ones for light duty are up over $100 a panel.
I think it would be much more affordable to get some posts pounded and look into some of the Ramm or Centaur options. They are relatively easy to install yourself to save on cost, plus attractive enough to keep the neighbors from complaining. They have the polymer plank style fencing and coated wire options; you can use one or the other or mix and match with a top sight rail and coated wires beneath.
With just two horses, you may be able to just rent a dumpster for manure. Our dumpster is less than $100 a month.
Building permits may be a hassle when constructing shelter; in my area, you don’t need a building permit for livestock shelters under a certain size (12’x24’ I think). About 10 years ago, we were able to build a two stall barn ourselves with new lumber from Lowes for only $1000. In 2022, the cost would undoubtedly be higher. We put that structure on skids so it wasn’t “permanent”-- in theory it could be drug or moved, though we never attempted it.
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If it fits in your layout, a lean to off the existing building might be a good intersection between functionality, cost, durability and looks.
Corral panels do have some safety concerns (like most everything with horses). For some spaces for my broke, adult, mild mannered horses … it’s a concern I’m ok with. I would have no qualms about making a small paddock out of panels for a turn out for adult horses known to be good with fences. That said, since we don’t know the theoretical companion horse throws a bit of a wrench in analyzing the risk/benefit of using panels. I wouldn’t put a horse with a history of trying to escape, getting cast, rearing etc. in a corral panel pen. Or in a situation where the horses might be fence fighting/playing. You get the idea.
Smart of you to try and think ahead.
With all these barns closing, the stuff is likely getting sold. You might be able to pick up fencing, panels, etc second hand for a lot less than new. Stash it in the dairy barn until you need it, or until you don’t? It generally holds value well, if you wind up not needing it.
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I may have missed it, but is your cow barn attached to the house in the old New England style of having the barn connected via a “breezeway”? If it is, a stall in the barn would make life in the winter SO much easier as you can access the barn without dealing with the bad weather. I have a cement floor in my barn and we put in a floor over it for my old pony, hubby layed out 2x4’s and put heavy plywood over it then we put mats over that.
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I don’t know how feasible it is for you - but the last boarding barn I was at had a dumpster from a trash company that they used for manure disposal. It was emptied every week like a commercial dumpster. It may be an option for you if manure management is going to present a challenge.
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We have an old dairy barn with low ceilings and concrete floors, the horses are fine with it, even our big guy has no problem with the ceiling.
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OK… still need to get pictures but the main problem with the dairy barn is the only access door big enough for a horse faces west – which is the worst here. (Also for various comments, keep in mind I’m in the Boston area, which means storms in both summer and winter.) It also does not have water (that was removed sometime in the 1970s.)
we have a breezeway between barn and house, but it connects to the upper level of the barn, which is completely non-useable for a horse stall.
I probably am overthinking this! I hate to even think of the “put horse down if barn closes” option, but if it comes to that… My farrier has been able to help a lot of horses get placed in the past, but she says the capacity just isn’t there anymore.
More later as I have Yet Another Work Meeting.
QuietAnn, a pic of your barn would be great. Maybe just a windbreak at the west door of the barn? Anyway, all the lovely old barns around me are oriented east/west with doors at each end. Most of our awful weather comes from the northeast and northwest, and those doors do a good job. In any event it may be cheaper to have a new door put in than to build another structure. (Last question: is there a stair between the upper and lower barns?)
Last suggestion for now: check out Craig’s list for round pens being sold. I found a 19 panel set in Maine for short money a few years ago. Panels fit in a horse trailer to ship them home if you take out the divider and chest bars. At least they did in my trailer. Any extras went in the back of the truck.
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You can make a new door anywhere you want, can’t you? You would have to put up a new header and frame it out but even if the walls are part concrete they can be cut.
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The way it’s set up, only west and north sides can have doors and they already do. Photos. First is the WEST side, second the north side. Cutting a larger opening on the north side is not an option. And the west side inside can’t accommodate a stall.
So, you are not going to put a horse in there? Really? I hardly know what to say.
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This was a horse barn until sometime in the early to mid 20th century. But no in-out run access, and it’s full of stuff.
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DH has several cars in the barn. Just inside the big door is where he stores his “fun car” for the winter, and a pit he added when he bought the place.
Please note: DH bought the place before we met, and he’s definitely got hoarderish tendencies, which is a source of great stress in our marriage. He’s a great guy otherwise. We have been together for 25 years and married for almost 20.
He understands my want fir emergency shelter for the mare but would resist making changes to the barn.
Photo is just inside the north door of the barn
Well the South side looks doable to me. I guess in other words you husband doesn’t want to move things around to accommodate the horses.
It is a lovely barn. Can you not do an addition large enough off the North side, opening to either E or W to accommodate a couple of stalls with a large lot?
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Gosh I wish! The south side is a small courtyard between the house and barn. North side is a pretty narrow space with a stone wall on the other side, and we would block access to the barn if we built there. East side is built into the hill and it’s too close to the street to do anything there.
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Then it sounds like you are going to have to do something separate. Too bad with all that barn just sitting there!!
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