Loves & Hates of YOUR Barn?

[trubandloki]

Had tape fencing for quite some time and since it is windy where I am located it always looked sloppy. No amount of tightening it helped this. Went to 3 board and like it much better.

I too have it so all my paddocks and pastures are interconnected. Horses are brought in and put out by opening and closing gates. No leading required. Stalls open to paddocks, paddocks open to pastures, etc.

Over hang outside stalls in paddocks keeps the inside in and the outside out (most of the time, sometime the snow does not cooperate).

Good lighting makes all the difference for all things in the barn. Nothing like leaving the barn thinking you groomed all that dried caked on mud off and showing up somewhere outside seeing all the little spots you missed.

[JB]

@trubandloki

Had tape fencing for quite some time and since it is windy where I am located it always looked sloppy. No amount of tightening it helped this.

Which tape? They definitely aren’t all created equal. HG has stood up to some pretty windy situations here - multiple tropical storms, Cat 1 hurricane, lots and lots of springtime thunderstorms with nearby tornadoes. A 1000’ line is on a hill-ish with no nearby windbreaks. My posts are 14’ apart (max allowed is 16’), and you can definitely go 10-12’ for windier areas.

[Kaluna]

@mmeqcenter

*Wood board fencing. Absolutely hate it.

I like it, it looks nice and I have to have it anyway. It’s sturdy looking, is sturdy and no one escapes or runs through it. Pretty easy to change out boards. Good hotwire along it. I don’t like how tape hotwire looks and I’ve seen horses get tangled in it when the grass is greener somewhere else.

[trubandloki]

@JB

Which tape? They definitely aren’t all created equal. HG has stood up to some pretty windy situations here - multiple tropical storms, Cat 1 hurricane, lots and lots of springtime thunderstorms with nearby tornadoes. A 1000’ line is on a hill-ish with no nearby windbreaks. My posts are 14’ apart (max allowed is 16’), and you can definitely go 10-12’ for windier areas.

Good information for the people in this thread to have. I will have to look to see what brand we had (I still have a spool in the basement). Maybe our brand choice is why we did not have good luck with it.

I want to say that it never blew down or broke in the wind. It just never looked tidy because the wind always made it look twisted and sloppy. It worked fine to keep the horses in.

I like threads like this, it shows how what one person thinks is the best, others do not like as much. It gives people reasons and thoughts to make an educated decision for their situation.

I will say, I do agree that three board fencing involves all kinds of maintenance too. I think the horses take it as a challenge, laugh. My three board includes two strands of electric to keep the horses off the fencing.

[Bluey]

If you pi\ut a twist to tape, it doesn’t catch the wind so much to make it flap around.

When you tie a load on a truck with straps, you give them a couple twists so they don’t flap and vibrate all along the way when at speed.

That is part of highway trucking regulations in some places.
DPS will stop you and check your straps and that they have a twist in them is in their check list.

Maybe if you try to leave a twist in that tape it would hold up better in fencing?

[trubandloki]

@Bluey

If you pi\ut a twist to tape, it doesn’t catch the wind so much to make it flap around.

Yes. I have read that adding twists to the tape fencing is helpful.

Twisted tape does not look overly tidy though. Another horse person will know why it is twisted. Other people just see a fence that looks sloppy. Probably not so obvious with the thinner tape though.

In my case, the fence in question is near the road, in front of the house. Three board with added electric works well there. Better look of the three board and security of the electric.

I just want to say - I have no problem with others like using tape for their fencing. They are allowed to love it while I do not like it. Thankfully the world offers lots of types of fencing.
I was just trying to add to the thread an opposite opinion on the fencing.

[splitrockfarmnc]

Great thread. Saving some of these loves/hates for future planning of my second barn.

Here are mine for current barn, which was an existing “workshop” building that we converted to a shedrow.

Loves

• Whole building is on a concrete pad, so stalls are perfectly flat and no shifting of mats or having to redo rock/screenings
• Large stalls are 12’x15’
• Stalls open to dry lot, which opens to sacrifice “dirt” lot, which opens to smaller grass paddock or larger pasture (all are optional depending on gates)
• Separate well and power service from the house
• Horseshoe/“U” driveway with two exits, plus that area is gated and fenced so can load/unload trailer in an enclosed area (you know, just in case)
• Hooks, racks, and other types of storage everywhere (although one can never have enough)
• Front and rear walls (where we didn’t cut openings) and ceiling are insulated so stalls are warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Tack/Feed is insulated as well.
• Recessed LED lights in stalls plus LED motion floodlights outside on each end of the barn
• Solid stall divider walls halfway up and then spaced 2" or so the rest of the way up, also removable (with a little effort) in case a double stall for foaling or rehab was needed
• “Attic” isn’t usable space but is insulated and has attic fans at each end with thermostats to automatically pull heat out of the building
• Electrobraid fencing on wood posts looks good, has been super reliable, and is very low maintenance

Hates

• Location on property… The existing building is just about at the lowest point of the property, and is near the road, AND is near my obnoxious neighbors. They don’t mess with the horses but their existence annoys me all the same. But that’s for another thread.
• No overhang/lean-to over the stalls. There is about a foot or so of the soffit (is that the right term?) there and we added gutters so I don’t usually end up with rain in the stalls, but it does get wet in front of them. I wish the horses had a dry area in front of stalls because they naturally like to hang out there.
• Drainage is imperfect, forever a work in progress. It’s absolutely manageable, we aren’t swimming in muck by any means, but I have washed out areas where we just keep patching and hoping for the best.

"Meh" or Undecided

• 8 ft ceilings throughout. Horses don’t seem to mind, it’s certainly not an issue for me so while I probably wouldn’t build this way, it hasn’t caused any issues. And hey, no cobwebs etc. in rafters.
• Stalls need windows/bars/wire mesh on the front. Ventilation is OK as-is but horses would prefer to see out the entire front. Will get around to it.
• Wash stall was built onto the end of the existing structure. It’s large, has a roof and a concrete pad with mats, but it has a homemade/piecemeal feel to it. Hard to explain. No biggie. Promise I’m not complaining!

I’m sure there are other things in all 3 categories but I must get off my phone and go to work!

[JB]

@Kaluna

I don’t like how tape hotwire looks

I’ll see if I can load up a pic of how mine looks. Images are broken on the forum right now so I might not be able to

and I’ve seen horses get tangled in it when the grass is greener somewhere else

When I got my OTTB mare, just a few months OT as a late 3yo, she arrived in the dark on a cold November night. My barn wasn’t finished, so pasture was the only option (I know, I know). My one horse Rio was nice and quiet, VERY happy to have a friend again (the real JB had died just a month before), so he hung out on his side of the fence, while she RAN her side of the fence. At one point she ran INTO the fence, and bounced off it.

When Rio was on paddock rest for a ruptured peroneous tertius tendon, he rolled into the fence. Twice. He also cast himself several times as a 2yo, so clearly spatial awareness was not his forte LOL. He got a leg tangled in the fence, jumped up, and ran 6-7 broken insulators later, the tape hit the tensioner, and broke. He had a little swelling, a little weepy skin from the “burn”, but was otherwise fine.

He also rolled into another section, later, took out a post, the tape merely came out of the tensioner, and he went happily grazing up the fence line, unharmed.

My homebred was doing whatever, I wasn’t home when it happened, took out a post, had some minor cuts up in his groin area.

3 different horses, 4 incidents, pretty unscathed.

I’ve seen horses roll into a wood fence and get a leg between 2 boards and break the leg. I’ve seen impacts into boards where they just bounced off, or the board broke and impaled the horse.

I have no idea what the scenario would have been like in each of these incidents with board, I just know what DID happen with this solid tape that doesn’t break at the drop of a hat, but does like to break before the horse does.

[mmeqcenter]

@Kaluna

I like it, it looks nice and I have to have it anyway. It’s sturdy looking, is sturdy and no one escapes or runs through it. Pretty easy to change out boards. Good hotwire along it. I don’t like how tape hotwire looks and I’ve seen horses get tangled in it when the grass is greener somewhere else.

To each their own.
Personally I don’t think it’s all that “easy” to put up a new 16’ heavy wood board by myself. It’s certainly possible, but I wouldn’t call it a piece of cake. Plus they require significantly more maintenance (i.e. board fixing or replacing) than many other fences types. I’ve got boards falling down that have never seen a horse a day in their life. Horses sticking their heads through and knocking boards down. Nails constantly wiggling their way out and causing a snag hazard potential. I also don’t particularly care for wood board fencing aesthetically.

Also what JB said about accidents. I know people with similar experiences.

[baybrio]

@trubandloki

Had tape fencing for quite some time and since it is windy where I am located it always looked sloppy. No amount of tightening it helped this.

Following is long - I’m just agreeing with other Horse Guard users. This tape actually lives up to the hype on the website.

I’ve used Horse Guard for many many years. I live in Northern Illinois, in the middle of crop land, on a bit of a hill. We get extreme wind, cold and heat! This tape has never “flapped”. You don’t need to “tighten” it beyond easy hand tightening to keep it from flapping. No flapping even when I’ve had an end down for maintenance to the end post. Many of the old insulators did wear out/UV out. The tape is fine, the newer insulators seem more durable. I use brown, all of mine is in the sun, still looks new after 10 years.

In my most terrible horse moment my poor horse had a terrible seizure, he went through it, stomped it and generally was “in” it as he was seizing. He never had a scratch or swelling. Fortunately the end connector released when he was “in” it so he was not continually getting shocked. This tape is sturdy so it’s very hard for a horse to get wrapped up in it, he didn’t and he was spinning. I’m glad the end connector released - electric fence is not a physical deterrent but a mental deterrent, so releasing under extreme pulling force is part of the design I believe. Obviously this poor guy had no mental choice. During this same episode he went through 2"x6" top rail. In all fairness that also didn’t leave a scratch but I’m sure it left a bruise.

I’ve used this tape with T-posts with top caps and was not fond of the T-post look but I was going for economy and safety. I’ve used it with wood posts and a top wood rail - this, IMO, looks sharp.

I forgot to mention - in really cold climates having under the aisle heating is wonderful. This is like what they put under driveways. Keeps the barn temps above freezing in most weather.

[baybrio]

@mmeqcenter

Plus they require significantly more maintenance

20 years ago I had four board wood posts put up in my front paddock so I could look out my window and feel wealthy . I have no idea where my fence guy got this amazing pine lumber but it was untreated and never so much as bowed in 20 years. He was a magic fence installer. I had to move one side about 10 years after it was installed. I reused the same posts and boards but reinstalled myself. In a year boards were warping, several spit and needed to be replaced. I learned I am NOT a magic fence installer. I still love the look when it’s maintained.

[luvmyhackney]

Currently redoing my barn and it’s a hot mess.

What I love:

Office area and bathroom with heat and air
12x12 stalls with clay base and mats
Metal Yoke stall doors
Hot water
Location
2 big metal doors for air flow.
Indoor wash stall

What I hate:

Dirt Aisle
No ac or heat in the tack room
Lights are in awful places
Indoor horse walker- would be a lovely small indoor
Water locations are in odd spots
Open stalls in the front and no openings on the sides to touch noses etc.

[saddleup]

I love that it’s done.

I hate that it’s dark.
I hate that there are no doors from the stalls to the attached runs.
I hate that there’s an unusable loft. Scary stairs and I’m too old to store anything up there.
I hate that the gates into the stalls have open rails, so shavings blow everywhere.
I hate that it’s made of wood, but it’s lovely to look at and has tons of “charm”, but also has birds that poop everywhere and cobwebs are a pain to remove.

Looking at this, since it’s all fixable and much less than a new barn, I just cancelled my order for a new modular barn. Realistically, I’m saving tens of thousands of dollars and a world of stress with current manufacturing and construction delays.

This is a very timely and useful thread for me.

[Bluey]

@saddleup

I love that it’s done.

I hate that it’s dark.
I hate that there are no doors from the stalls to the attached runs.
I hate that there’s an unusable loft. Scary stairs and I’m too old to store anything up there.
I hate that the gates into the stalls have open rails, so shavings blow everywhere.
I hate that it’s made of wood, but it’s lovely to look at and has tons of “charm”, but also has birds that poop everywhere and cobwebs are a pain to remove.

Looking at this, since it’s all fixable and much less than a new barn, I just cancelled my order for a new modular barn. Realistically, I’m saving tens of thousands of dollars and a world of stress with current manufacturing and construction delays.

This is a very timely and useful thread for me.

How interesting!

You can add lights where you want them.
You can add doors to the runs.
Who cares for the loft, if you don’t need it.
You can add gates/doors you like for the stalls.
You may add some screen mesh they use over trees to protect fruit from birds in strategic places to keep them out of there?

Go fix it, take before and after pictures and you will be so very happy once is done.

[Kaluna]

@mmeqcenter

To each their own.
Personally I don’t think it’s all that “easy” to put up a new 16’ heavy wood board by myself. It’s certainly possible, but I wouldn’t call it a piece of cake. Plus they require significantly more maintenance (i.e. board fixing or replacing) than many other fences types. I’ve got boards falling down that have never seen a horse a day in their life. Horses sticking their heads through and knocking boards down. Nails constantly wiggling their way out and causing a snag hazard potential. I also don’t particularly care for wood board fencing aesthetically.

Also what JB said about accidents. I know people with similar experiences.

Sure! That’s cool! My boards don’t require a lot of maintenance and maybe the lumber is different from yours. I check them enough to head off warping or just replace them. I have 17 acres and just checked the fences - only 2 boards that’ll have to be replaced in the future but not now. Original fence had nails and the nails don’t come out much. I do everything with screws now. Not a big deal.

I love the look and I’ve never seen or heard of a problem with horses getting caught in the fence. Everyone in my area has 3 board fence. Like I said I have to have them. I did see a mare get so tangled in tape she needed vet care and daily wound cleaning of her legs (boarded with her years ago). Big cuts on her legs. But I’ve temp cut off pastures with tape without probs. I wouldn’t want it alone. I have mesh wire from the middle board down on most of the property (except 1 pasture) to keep opossums out. Can’t do that with tape.

Like you say, to each their own.

[lenapesadie]

@Kaluna

Like you say, to each their own.

Right!

Tbh let’s say my choices are 3 board fence, hot tape, and woven wire. I would take the woven wire. My experiences have led me to believe that dogs getting in the paddocks and riling up the horses is the most dangerous thing likely to happen in my area. The woven wire protects against that the best of those three choices.

My fave is 3 or 4 board fence over woven wire.

[baybrio]

@lenapesadie

Tbh let’s say my choices are 3 board fence, hot tape, and woven wire

I wrote a lot about horse guard fence, but I agree, those are my choices. I use a variety based on the situation. Love my no-climb woven wire, installed properly keeps the babies safe from rolling under. Love wood fence for the look. Love horse guard electric for cross fencing, economy, low maintenance.

On the nothing is safe front - I managed a barn on a lovely estate. They had, no exaggeration, 7’"’ tall wrought iron fences, verticals about 4’ apart. Lovely to look at, safe for about 100 years. Then comes a very athletic, very pricey dressage import. He got spooked when a branch rubbed his trurnout. Jumped out, just catching his blanket on the top. Upon landing he skidded onto his shoulder. No breaks or soft tissue tears, except a huge pocket injury to the skin. Major problem keeping it covered and clean for the months it took to heal.

I know the OP asked what I liked about my barn, but these are things I’d want in my barn if I had an insane amount of money. Hardwood floors for storing hay and bagged bedding on the ground floor. Covered grooming/wash farrier area with floor slanting to no clog drain (also inside facilities when necessary). Indoor arena attached to stable but not sharing air supply. Two tack rooms, one with water/washer dryer, one for storing tack long-term, manure “rooms” just outside stable with covered access to the “rooms”. By rooms I mean basically huge closets with cement walls/floors and a bit of ventilation. You’d fill it up through a large human size door, then empty with a small skid loader from a huge door on the other side. 20’ tall ceilings for ventilation. Ceilings covered by soft yellow tile. Calming and bright at the same time. Screen doors at every possible point with durable screen doors. Center court surrounded by the U-shaped stables on three sides, big enough to turn around horse transport - horses were never in danger of getting loose. Plus the place was gorgeous with imported stone covered walls, made me feel so good and fortunate every time I drove in with my rust pocked car

The one item at this facility that I could actually afford (DIY), a four wheeled tack/grooming cart. Kind of an a-frame on wheels with bottom shelves. Had saddle racks about waist high, bridle hangers tall enough you could wipe them down without reins hitting the ground. Room for grooming items, polos etc. You wheeled that to where you were grooming/tacking up, then back to the tack room.

[Goforward]

I was not lucky enough to build my barn. We purchased the property with the barn already built then added the tack room, feed room and bathroom to the space that was already there.
The biggest problem with my barn is the lack of storage space. If I’m ever lucky enough to build, there will be so much storage!
Clients come with a lot of stuff. I have a 10 stall barn with 12x12 tack and 12x12 feed. It’s no where near enough room for all the crap that comes with the client horses. I don’t even get to use the tack room. My tack is all mashed into the feed room because… clients come with so much crap!
I also currently only have one washstall. Because we’re in FL we can do outdoor wash racks so I have another one planned for construction this year. When everyone shows up to ride at once, one washstall nos not enough.

[trubandloki]

@Goforward you can always tell the boarders they only have a certain amount of storage and that is it. That is not unusual for boarding barns. All their extra stuff has to be stored at home.

[Arelle]

I love mine more and more since I keep renovating what the old owners put together, but I’ll add in some of the photos from our upgrade last summer!

LOVE

• Crushed granite packed in around the barn instead of the black clay soil that exists across the rest of my pasture
• Mesh as much as possible for airflow because Texas gets hot
• Water right by the front of the barn and everything more centrally located versus a long, rectangular run of stalls
• More lights than I thought I would need
• Wifi and a camera system that I can access on my phone
• Half stall walls on my “mare motel” stalls; enough privacy to eat, but the ability to touch and groom each other *does require management of stall neighbors.
• LOCKING feed room/tack room

HATE

• Sliding doors. Had them redone on the existing stalls to be swing doors. I have large, asshole horses who loved to lean against them and break them off of their tracks - either the welds or the bolts.
  • As an aside, I DO have the drop down yokes on the three stalls I retrofitted… I keep the yokes down during the day because my horses enjoy them, but I HATE when my horses get to using them to scratch themselves.
• No hot water heater, no A/C in the tack room (yet)
• Keeping hay in the same barn as the horses, and no bulk storage option currently
• The constant struggle with keeping airflow in the summer and blocking drafts in the winter (still haven’t solved this)
  (*If images don’t load, I posted them on my ranch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CD-BSEVJNI4)

Barn

South Side - “Mare Motel” type stalls, for my pasture horses when the weather is bad

Stall fronts on 6/9 of my stalls - large, swinging, air flow friendly gates that I love

Outdoor Wash Racks

Updated cross fencing - biggest complaint is that I have one big, stupid mare (pictured in the stall up thread) who loves to use her entire body weight to eat grass on the other side of the fence, despite the smooth wire top so we’re in the process of adding electric all the way around so she’ll quit bending the no climb: