Pebble finished concrete for barn aisle

[Jumper_girl221]

Well I guess COTH has spoken, no pebbled barn aisle we are talking now about trying to do a small patio beside the house that would look out over the ring. I REALLY want a brick paver aisle, but due to the cost will most likely do the brushed concrete sniff

[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;7764049]
That would be way too slippery for my tastes. I want my horses to stand on mats in the aisles. Makes working there much easier on my feet and legs as well as theirs. Plus, I personally would not board at a barn which didn’t have cross ties in the aisles. I want the stable flat surface for the work space, plus I want to be able to walk around my horse 360 degrees and have enough room between that horse and any walls or fences that I can move out of the way and feel safe. I want cross ties for the security and safety of my horse. My horses are taught to cross tie and, they are taught manners and how to walk past a horse standing in the aisle without misbehaving. Its a safe work space for the farrier and the vet and equipment. I can walk away and the horse is standing still.

I’ve seen horses slip and horses do a split. They can tear an artery and bleed out in minutes, never mind the strains from slipping. A good surface is paramount for horses to work on them and looks come second. Please don’t consider a pebbled surface.[/QUOTE]

I’m going to have two 10x10 covered grooming/wash racks right beside the barn (literally touching the wall) that will have cross ties over mats over concrete. I’ll probably have a set in the aisle, but its not going to be encouraged or used frequently (in my head at least!). I really don’t see the need for full time cross ties in the aisle and think the wash stall setup will permit plenty of flat working space, and it will be easier to keep clean.

My aisle is only going to be 8’ wide so the wash rack will give you more space to move around the horse. My current wash stall/cross ties is 8’ wide and honestly I think there’s plenty of room, but do want a little bit more “just because” since some larger horses are reluctant to turn around.

This is the rough floor plan of the barn with the two grooming stalls/wash racks beside it. I’ll have the sliding doors and nothing permitted in the aisle since it is on the small side (the aisle).

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l182/nicolemorgans/Untitled_zpse557faaa.jpg

The entire property set up. its almost 8 acres, so not really that big so I do know I’m going to be tight on space, but that’s fine, I feed round bales through the winter anyway with my current location.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l182/nicolemorgans/Untitled_zpse557faaa.jpg

Also, I’m planning on a slight increase from my current prices (250-350 hay/grain included, I feed timothy round bales and southern states/triple crown/legends feed) but it will still be on the bottom end of the current barns around here. There’s one down the road that doesn’t even have a formal tack room and the ring is teeny, and they charge 350-450.

[Jumper_girl221]

oh and my proportions are probably terribly off on the “map” since I tossed that together in Paint. Once the corn is picked (next week or so) we’ll stake everything off and I’ll have a better idea of how everything will get placed.

[winter]

I do not think the picture you posted of the pebbled finish is concrete at all. I had it done in my house. It is loose pebbles on top of concrete held together with clear epoxy, the pebbels are not set into the concrete in any way. I adore the finish in my house but wouldnt’ consider it in a barn. It would be very slippery for a shod horse and I think the durability would be poor. Also, it would be impossible to clean even with a blower.
I did rubber pavers in my barn and they were much cheaper than I thought. The pavers actually came in 3x3 mats that look like bricks, you just slap them down and they lock together. For cost and durability we inset a chanel in the concrete and lay the pavers only down the centre of the aisle where you are walking and cross tieing. My alley is 14’ wide and the pavers are 8’. You could easily inset a 4’ wide rubber paver section down the centre of your 8’ alley. They really are an ideal surface, they look great never slip even when wet and are very comfortable to work on. The are hard to sweep but blow up perfectly.
Good luck!!

[gypsymare]

Have at least one set of cross ties in the aisle for your farrier. It is very difficult and sometimes dangerous to work on hind feet in a wash stall.

[2DogsFarm]

I don’t have an opinion on the pavers, but wondered why your aisle will be so narrow.
8’W is going to be pretty tight - any possibility of widening to at least 10?

My aisle is 12’W & barely has space for any large equipment to get through,
Hayguy drives a loaded wagon through, but it makes my heart stop.

If you plan on cleaning stalls into anything other than a manual wheelbarrow, IMO 8’ will not be wide enough.

And if a boarder does use your aisle crossties, that narrow a space would make it very iffy to lead another horse past.
If you planned for open front stalls would allow horses to reach across the aisle too.

[CS]

Have you considered stamped concrete? Upscale design and still fairly easy to maintain (if you use the leaf blower sweep method)

http://www.interiordesigninspiration.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Stamped-Concrete-Patterns-003.jpg

http://www.custombarnbuilding.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Stamped-concrete-Cobblestone-593x445.jpg

Or, combining concrete with rubber pavers

http://old.lccdg.com/photogallery_items.php?parent=4f6a50ee-6c09-11e2-97d0-0030486446c0

[LadyBug]

Pavers like you would see on a patio are another option (instead of brick). I don’t have any trouble with them being slippery in my barn. It’s also easy to sweep and blow out. I have a rubber mat at the cross tie area in the aisle, which is where the farrier works.

My wash stall is brushed concrete with mats on top. I know the brushed is rougher, but I still find that it can be slippery when wet, especially if you add soap suds into the mix.

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;7765607]
I don’t have an opinion on the pavers, but wondered why your aisle will be so narrow.
8’W is going to be pretty tight - any possibility of widening to at least 10?

My aisle is 12’W & barely has space for any large equipment to get through,
Hayguy drives a loaded wagon through, but it makes my heart stop.

If you plan on cleaning stalls into anything other than a manual wheelbarrow, IMO 8’ will not be wide enough.

And if a boarder does use your aisle crossties, that narrow a space would make it very iffy to lead another horse past.
If you planned for open front stalls would allow horses to reach across the aisle too.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree with this. The aisle in my barn measure 9.5’ on the inside of the posts (I think is technically a 10’ aisle post to post?) and it is TIGHT. I really wish I had a full 12’. I can’t even imagine 8’. Can a horse even turn around comfortably in 8’?

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=Simkie;7765717]
Totally agree with this. The aisle in my barn measure 9.5’ on the inside of the posts (I think is technically a 10’ aisle post to post?) and it is TIGHT. I really wish I had a full 12’. I can’t even imagine 8’. Can a horse even turn around comfortably in 8’?[/QUOTE]

I agree, horse barn aisles should be at least 12’ if at all possible.
Any less is making important compromises, which some at times may need to make, but most really don’t.

Smaller aisles are manageable, but far from ideal.

[Jumper_girl221]

I’m looking at all the options, I’m not sure financially rubber pavers are an option, same with the stamped concrete. Leaning toward either a brushed concrete or dirt for now with the goal of putting pavers in down the road.

[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;7765607]
I don’t have an opinion on the pavers, but wondered why your aisle will be so narrow.
8’W is going to be pretty tight - any possibility of widening to at least 10?

My aisle is 12’W & barely has space for any large equipment to get through,
Hayguy drives a loaded wagon through, but it makes my heart stop.

If you plan on cleaning stalls into anything other than a manual wheelbarrow, IMO 8’ will not be wide enough.

And if a boarder does use your aisle crossties, that narrow a space would make it very iffy to lead another horse past.
If you planned for open front stalls would allow horses to reach across the aisle too.[/QUOTE]

The narrowness of the aisle is one reason I don’t want to set it up for aisle cross ties. And the reason is space, the building is a pre-fab with a max width of 30’ and unfortunately I had to down size the building, so one of my concessions is the aisle (original set up had an interior grooming stall and a 10’ aisle). With the original set up the stalls were 10’ wide and 12’ long which allowed for a wider aisle. I hold horses for my farrier and don’t cross tie them, so that’s a non issue…

Hay will be stored in a separate building, so there’s no reason I’d need to drive a hay wagon in. Current barn has an 8’ aisle and one set of lockers and I have no problems fitting both my smaller john deer, and the larger tractor in.

I clean stalls with a wheelbarrow anyway, and don’t really have any intention of changing that. If I do go “up” then a gator or ATV will fit no problems. This is also only 6 stalls, and the majority of my horses are out 24/7.

The stalls will have sliding doors and the horses won’t be hanging their heads out (current set up has that and I hate it, especially with my messy eaters I get grain all over the place).

ETA none of my horse have any problems turning around in my 8’ wide wash stall at current farm, and while they can turn around in my current aisle (8’ less a 32" wide locker) it is slightly more difficult, however, even my 82" blanket mare that needs two stalls in my slant load due to length doesn’t have any issues. My tractor and the small excavator fit without any issues in the current aisle (although height is iffy with the excavator).

[Equibrit]

Check out these; http://www.rubberfloorsandmore.com/

We have expanded our product range and can now offer you original “I Pavers” at an unbeatable introductory price $1.99 Three colors to choose from: Black, Red and Green

[SidesaddleRider]

I just want to add a caution that brushed concrete is STILL very slippery for horses. Less so than smooth concrete, but it still does not offer a lot of purchase. One of the first things we did when we bought our farm was put 4x6 mats side by side down the aisle of the barn to get the horses off the brushed concrete, as we had a mare slip on the way into her stall, go down, and crash into a wood tack trunk that was outside her stall. There is about 1.5’ of concrete left exposed on either side, and if they step on it when going into/out of their stalls, they can still slip on it.

So even with brushed concrete, you are really going to have to put down rubber mats for safety.

Also, as someone else said, 8’ is quite narrow for a barn aisle. Ours is 12’, and I really, really wish it was 14-16’. It would be really difficult to work with 4’ less space than what we have now.

[Jumper_girl221]

well unfortunately I don’t have an option for a wider aisle at this time, so it won’t be wider. Like I said my current aisle is 8’ with lockers, so I’m going to do the best I can, I will have a larger tack room where the lockers will be vs. in the aisle.

Also remember this is a small barn, I will have maybe 2-3 boarders, plus a few of my own, mainly pasture kept (our weather is very mild). While I’m fully aware that a wider aisle is ideal, its not happening due to personal matters so I’m trying to do the best I can. Its still going to be a huge step up from the majority of the barns in my area.

[HungarianHippo]

To your question about how to keep the stalls dry when power-washing, look at spill cleanup supplies. These sorbent socks can be laid across each stall door and will prevent (most) water from getting past it. Each one will absorb 1/2gal.

I hear ya on having to make budgetary compromises. I have to do it all the time. With small spaces, organization and cleanliness will be critical, so as BO you may have to really ride your boarders about that.
But just one more teeny whisper about the aisle, though: consider making your stalls 9x12. A 9ft depth is totally sufficient for all but the biggest horses. I have a 9x12 for my 15.2, chunky, long-backed mare, and she has plenty of space to roll, lie down, etc… I know standard stall kits will come in 10ft lengths, but it’s really simple to shorten the grill rails, etc with an angle grinder or just a hacksaw. The horses won’t miss that 1foot reduction, compared to the huge benefit of the 10ft aisle it allows.

[winter]

Virtually every barn I have been in has a brushed concrete aisled and unless a horse is loose and running, I have never seen a horse go down on one. I think it is perfectly adequate if you can’t afford pavers and way better than dirt.

I wish I went with an unconventional size for my stalls. I was stuck on 12x12 since that seems to be standard but wish I went with 10x12 on one side so that I could have a bigger tack room and storage.

[Jumper_girl221]

Hungarianhippo, those are pretty cool!

I do want 10x12 stalls since boarders would have a stigma against smaller (even 10x12 is smaller then some would want). I have considered doing 2 10x10’s though on the 4 stall side, then making the others 10x12 on the long side (so they only “stick” into the aisle 10’) which would allow a 10’ aisle, but its something I’m still debating.

[JFJ]

Don’t go 10x10, I have two stand alone 2 stall barns and I wish I had them bigger. They are fine if you have small horses or ponies but if you get a big horse, it is tight. As far as the aisle, my barn has a concrete floor that was like a skating rink for shod or barefoot horses. We started out buying mats just a few at a time. First we just did a strip down the aisle the size of the mats, which left a foot of exposed concrete just in front of the stalls on either side. I can’t tell you how many times horses would slip just on that little strip. So finally we made it wall to wall mats. We also did the stalls one at a time until we were able to mat them all. Shop around, we found great rubber mats at a sale that were bigger then the standard stall mats and therefore we needed less.

[Equibrit]

[QUOTE=gypsymare;7765588]
Have at least one set of cross ties in the aisle for your farrier. It is very difficult and sometimes dangerous to work on hind feet in a wash stall.[/QUOTE]

Unless you turned the horse around !

[PeteyPie]

[QUOTE=Jumper_girl221;7765857]
well unfortunately I don’t have an option for a wider aisle at this time, so it won’t be wider. Like I said my current aisle is 8’ with lockers, so I’m going to do the best I can, I will have a larger tack room where the lockers will be vs. in the aisle.

Also remember this is a small barn, I will have maybe 2-3 boarders, plus a few of my own, mainly pasture kept (our weather is very mild). While I’m fully aware that a wider aisle is ideal, its not happening due to personal matters so I’m trying to do the best I can. Its still going to be a huge step up from the majority of the barns in my area.[/QUOTE]

No need to get testy. At least, that is how your post sounds to me, annoyed and defensive. Everyone responding is doing so out of the kindness of their hearts and many (not me) are speaking from long experience. Of course you must do what your budget, property size and layout, and personal preferences allow, but please do not discount the very good advice you are receiving here. You did, after all, solicit opinions, so even if you hate the advice, no need to snap at the messenger.

And getting defensive just insures that now, EVERYONE is going to give you 5,000 reasons you should have a wider aisle. Now, you can read these 5,000 reasons with annoyance, or really ponder the advice, the rationale behind that bit of advice, and how to solve the problem while keeping your 8-foot aisle.

For instance, one reason I have heard for having a wide aisle is in the unfortunate event that a horse dies in a stall, it can be difficult to remove without both a wide aisle and a wide stall door. You can vow that you don’t plan on having a horse die on your watch and defend your choice of a narrow aisle, or you can say, “Gee, I hadn’t thought of that. How will I solve that problem and still have an eight-foot aisle? Maybe I will install extra wide stall doors on the exterior wall in case that happens, or at least frame in an extra wide opening so if we were to cut the side wall out, it would not damage the structural integrity of the building and it would be easy to replace the cut-out portion.”

2DogsFarm gave four good reasons for a wide aisle. I really urge you to think about the issues because she and others who are very knowledgeable are giving you advice based on their own considerable experience. There are usually several ways to solve a problem, but it doesn’t hurt to know what those problems are so that you can design in a solution now, before you build.

[Jumper_girl221]

If a horse died in a stall worst case we can take the stall front off, it would be much easier then cutting a hole in the back stall, and 2 extra feet aren’t going to add that much of an added benefit considering the biggest hurdle would be the 4’ door. With that said, I own a mini excavator which does fit in my current barn, so would be able to deal with a dead horse (and has already a number of years ago when I had a horse unfortunately pass).

I did respond to 2dogsfarm post pointing out that I have this size aisle now, just with dutch doors, and that both my larger and my smaller tractors fit through fine, along with the excavator (although height is the bigger issue there). I also said that since horses aren’t using an aisle cross tie, that’s why I’m building a covered, enclosed, wash stall right beside the tack room.

I also, 3 posts after my so called “testy” post, pointed out that I could do 2 10 x 10 stalls, but that was the only way to ensure Width is my limitation, its a prefab building and its a max width of 30’. Due to financial constraints, I’ve had to downsize from 51’ long to 41’ so the 12’ portion of the stall is now fitting into the aisle.

I’m not being defensive or testy, just stating its not a magic wave of the wand. Yes I would LOVE to have a 10’, 12’, 14’, but some of the points that are being stated aren’t valid. I currently have an aisle that is this width. I have no issues turning horses around, dealing with the farrier, or driving heavy equipment in, so most of the members posts saying “that’s not possible” quite simply isn’t true, because I’m doing it now and have been for 6 years.

I really do appreciate everyones input and I’m sorry if you are reading my post as defensive or testy. I’ve drafted two alternative plans, one with 2 10x10 stalls, and 4 10x12, and the other with 5 10x12 stalls (and incidentally a 4x10 “extra” space which could be used for storage), both of which allow a 10’, I’m just trying to get the numbers figured out.