crazyqueen

Has anyone ever done this. I am wondering what (besides cost) the pros and cons would be. Say you have a large farm area, plenty of room for a couple of horses and want to make your own stable. You have a house on the property, and thats it - no barn, etc.

Thoughts?

tikitowel

Liability insurance would be the biggest cost is my guess. Most places pay heavily for liability insurance in case anything happens to a person or horse while on their property, even after having them sign waivers. Other than that you'd need fencing thats appropriate, whether wood, plastic or hot(electric) tape with fence posts. Depending on how much you need that could add up fast as well, plus the electricity for hot tape. Most people don't just pasture board their horses, so you would probably want either a barn with stalls and storage for hay/tack or some run-ins in the different pastures for inclement weather protection. But if you got boarders prior to building such things and a boarder contract, kind of like a home lease you could probably break even the first year and go from there.

SingleAgain

I think that if the OP was talking about just building a barn as a home for her own horses, privately owned, then this would not be a problem. No different from keeping a pony in your yard if large enough-you have the land already and are building the shelter. I think this would work fine if you had sufficient skill.

QuarterHorses

Certain States have equine laws that limit your liability. Here is Arizona is a state that has that law and it works. You put up a special sign on your property and if they get hurt around horses the law kicks in.

It might be better to purchase a building from a manufacturer like MD Barns. They have many styles and sizes to fit just about any budget.

lovethemall

I could understand the laws in AZ, it get really hot there, and I don't think I would want to be a horse out there in 110+ weather without any type of good shade provided. Are there other states, maybe for the ones up north since it gets colder there as well?

crazyqueen

That is the point I was going for when I posted, sorry, should have been a tad more clear. I have no issues building my own, I have plenty of room, but before I take on the task of having that large an animal, I want to make sure the shelter built is proper, so if anyone has tips I would appreciate it.

charley

We have built shelters for our horses on our property. There was already a barn when we moved in but we built carport type chelters with three sides and a sloped roof. They are fairly easy (took us two weekends) and the horses love them, maybe even more than the barn.

aplslch

There are lots of pre-made and do-it-yourself type barns out there depending on your budget and desires. Some even have options that allow you to build the rafters/beams and then mix and match stall types and materials from there. Things such as drainage and air flow are the most important things to worry about after size and comfort. You want a hay loft thats large enough to tuck away enough hay to last the winter, or at least a good portion of it for the horses you are keeping. Nothing costs more than buying hay partway through the winter unless you have contracted a set price. The type of stall ground such as dirt, padding, etc is important to drain off urine, and air flow will keep down respiratory problems if you need to keep the horses in for a long period due to weather.

OnTheTelephone

I can see this being attractive for them. There is nice, easy access, wonderful ventilation, but shelter when they need from the sun, rain or wind. It would seem a fairly natural type of shelter.

There seem many issues to consider when building one yourself, makes me glad that I work in a good place.