How to build a horse stable

In order to provide horses with the necessary conditions, the first thing to do is to take care of exactly where the animals will live. And if in the summer period many farmers use a simple canopy with a manger for these purposes, then in winter the stable for horses should be necessary, except that we are talking about toy figures of grooms.

Horse stable

How to prepare for the construction

The first and most important stage, from which the construction of any stable begins, is the choice of location. Answering the question of how to make a stable for horses , it is important to consider the following recommendations for choosing a site:

• l better, if the building will stand on a hill;
• a residential building with a stable should not be located close, it is better to organize the building at a distance;
• it is preferable to choose areas with natural drainage and without organic inclusions;
• the building should be protected from winds, it is advisable to place the entrance to it in the east.

When we build the stable on our own, it is better to take logs with a diameter of 20- 25 cm, foam block, brick or adobe (straw-clay blocks, a popular building material in some oryh regions of Russia and Ukraine). In the latter case, the wall should be approximately 40 cm thick (2 bricks).

As a basis for the stable, you can use the clay-framed frame, if then sheathe it with boards, and put a mixture of clay and sawdust into the resulting space. But this option is suitable only for a warm climate.

But how to build a stable from stone for a horse, it’s better not to think: this material attracts dampness and has poor thermal insulation characteristics. The same can be said about the cinder block and the concrete block. There is a high probability that an animal that is in such a house in winter will be cold.

The total cost of construction materials depends on how to make the stable. The price is affected by:

• The type of main material from which the walls are made for stables. For example, a wooden stable and a similar building made of foam blocks will cost a different amount.
• Dimensions of a home stable: recommended height – at least 280 cm, no more than 350 cm, length and width are taken into account depending on the number of animals (for one horses – one stall).
• The number of windows and their sizes. It is important to consider that for regions with cold winters, frames must be double, and this is an additional cost.
• The size of the front door. It should be about 2 m high, at least 1.5 wide, and the shape of the jambs should be rounded. To prevent animals from getting injured when going for a walk, the doors should open outwards and be located on the leeward side. Thresholds in the stable can not be done.

If the area allows, it is imperative to equip a paddock next to the stable. It is better to protect it with three parallel rows of metal pipes welded together. The total height of the fence should be approximately 2 m. Some farmers make a grave mistake using a piece of barbed wire when constructing the paddock, not thinking that this material can seriously injure the horses during walking.

Start of construction

Any capital beautiful stable with your own hands should begin with a foundation, the depth of which must be determined depending on what type and bearing capacity of the soil, how deep the soil freezes and what material will be used to build walls.

A plot of land is considered ideal, the groundwater of which lies below 1.2 m. If you build a stable on other soil, there is a risk that animals will develop hoof diseases.

Having built a foundation for the stable, should be covered with any waterproofing layer. It can be asphalt, roofing, roofing felt or something else. After that, you can start laying out the walls. If a brick was chosen as the main material, it is imperative to use a special building level to avoid skewing.

The next stage of construction is the laying of the roof. It should be pitched, additionally equipped with an ebb and a gutter, so that rain water flows freely to the ground.If it is decided to make a gable roof, it should be borne in mind that the height of the eaves should exceed 2.4 m, the ridge should be 4 m. The design of the gable roof should be carried out taking into account that the minimum height of its lower edge is at least 3 m above the ground.

To build a ceiling, you will need several boards 5 cm thick. You need to apply a 1: 1 mixture of clay and sand on them with one layer, then a layer of sawdust and earth. The thickness of each layer should be approximately 5 cm.

Natural ventilation of the stable can be ensured, due to the small gap between the roof and the walls, it is desirable that the construction scheme be drawn up taking into account it.

A private stable should have practical and a safe roof, so it is best to do the roof sheathing of wood or all the same brick. A more budgetary option is roofing sheets or slate. But cheap materials have a number of drawbacks, so if you want only good for your animals, do not skimp on the project and get high-quality raw materials, no matter how much it costs.

We make the floor in the stable

Next, the construction of the stable it should be waterproof, durable and soft at the same time, heat-resistant, resistant to disinfectant and not absorb any odors.

The above qualities are rubber, wooden board, clay concrete. It is allowed to lay the floor of brick, asphalt, peat and even earth. But there are a number of reasons why experts do not recommend the use of materials from the second group.

For horse hooves, an easy-to-lay, warm and fairly soft clay floor is good.It’s easy to take care of it, it is enough to lay the bedding in a timely manner, remove manure and repair dents as they form.

To make the adobe floor in the stable for 3-4 horses with your own hands, you need:

• Level the ground well.
• Lay and carefully compact the clay layer, its total thickness should be about 15 cm.
• Dry the floor. Evaporation of moisture will cause cracking, this is a normal natural process. Carefully close all the gaps with a clay-lime mixture and dry the floor well again.
• Fill the clay layer with the same amount of sand and compact well.

If you decide to make it in the stable wood floors, it is important to keep in mind that, while perfectly retaining heat, this material, like a sponge, absorbs liquids, including horse urine. It is possible to minimize the absorbent qualities that a wooden board is characterized by laying it very tightly so that there is not a single gap. If this work did not work perfectly, all the gaps should be filled with clay. It is advisable to drown logs in the soil or clay during the construction of such a floor.

The easiest and most economical option is the earthen version, for which you must first loosen the soil, mix it with straw, evenly distribute it throughout the stable and compact it well. Care for such a floor must be very carefully.

The first place among the possible types is rubber.If you build a stable on conscience, it is better to choose it. This material has the best performance characteristics: it does not require any special care, is non-slip and will never begin to rot. The only drawback is the relatively expensive cost, but horses with such a stable will feel as comfortable as possible.

You need to decide on the floor material before building a stable, but regardless of your choice, to avoid stagnation of horse urine in the stall , the stable floor must be done at an angle of 1-2 ° in the direction from the feeders to the aisle.

Equip the stable from the inside

Having built the main external elements of the stable, it is necessary to equip it inside . You need to start by dividing the space into sections. Horses in the stable must be kept in separate boxes – stalls (stalls). If there is only one animal on the farm, you can not puzzle over this.

There are generally accepted norms that all stalls must comply with:

• Horses should be able to stand on their hind legs so so that the animals, when they stand at full height, do not hit their heads on the ceiling, so the height of their house should be made at least 2.5 m.
• The area of ​​the stall should be calculated based on the size of an adult horse, on average – 13-16 square meters. m. This is enough to make the animal feel as comfortable as possible. Even if he has a nightmare, having accidentally jerked, the pet will not be crippled.
• The minimum dimensions of the doors and the passage are as follows: width – 2.5 m, height – 1.2 m.
• The partitions between the compartments should be slightly shorter than the total height of the room: from above – by 20 cm, from the bottom – 30 cm. A wooden board is taken with a thickness of at least 2 cm.
• The walls inside the stable can have small gaps, but so that the hoof of an animal does not accidentally climb through them.
• Each stall should have its own light source in the form of a moisture-proof lampshade with a lamp. The structure should be suspended so that the horse in the stall does not injure his head against it, even when he stands on its hind legs.

Good ventilation must be provided in the room where the horses are located.

Having correctly allocated a free place where all norms have been taken into account, you can start installing additional elements to ensure a comfortable keeping of animals.

• In winter, you can’t do without central heating or at least heaters. It is advisable that the temperature is kept at around 15 ° C all year round, and its sudden changes cause animal discomfort.
• Water supply is optional, but this equipment will greatly simplify the work of horse care. As an alternative source of moisture, large containers with water should be installed in the room at the rate of 50 liters per adult per day.If you equipped the stable with automatic drinking bowls, with the onset of cold weather it is necessary to ensure their heating so that the water in the system does not freeze. You should never sprinkle food on the floor if there is no desire for the horse to have worms or develop tetanus.

Each project should include the cost of ammunition, levada, sennik, stern and other necessary components, without which it is impossible to build a single stable.

If you forgot to leave a gap under the roof or were afraid to add it to the floor plan, artificial ventilation must be installed in the stable. It can be either vertical or horizontal. To avoid drafts, it is better to combine both types during the construction of the stable. In severe frosts, vents should be plugged with straw. This completes the construction of the stable.

The last thing to talk about is the litter. Regardless of how warm the floor is in the room, a good quality bedding is indispensable. For this purpose, straw, peat or a layer of sawdust can and should be used. To further protect animals from injury, several straw rollers must be laid around the entire perimeter of the stable. You need to replace the old litter with a new litter daily.

Now you know how to build a good stable and which materials you need to prepare for construction.