How do you feel about your barn? Are there things that could be more efficient? Are there conveniences you’d love to have but can’t afford? Or maybe you just haven’t gotten around to doing the necessary work. I have always wanted a barn with an aisle way.
We recently left Washington and our place we had lived in for nearly 36 years. My dad build my 60’ x 24’ barn when I was a teenager. At various times it housed anywhere from 2 to 7 horses. We had tie stalls at one time and even cows on one end.
Over the last few years we changed things quite a bit. We added EcogreenGrid to our two inside stalls, with Behlin stall fronts. Outside we purchased a used 12’ x 24’ Noble Shelter with two separate stalls. That was the best solution for our horses, since they had the freedom to go in and out as they pleased. It worked well, and I enjoyed the barn and all its memories.
I am starting all over in Colorado. The area we’ve moved to has quite a bit of snow in the winter and lots of wind. We will start out by remodeling a garden shed for shelter for the two horses until we get a barn built. I’m shooting for Castlebrook Barn’s 6-stall Raised Center Aisle Barn. It will have all the things that I need/want such as a wash rack, tack room and hay storage. Then three stalls for my two girls and one for the new horse I’ll be looking for next year.
There are some things that are super important to me when planning a facility. Here are a few of my must-haves:
- Water supply in the barn
- Heated/insulated tack room.
- 16-foot concrete aisleway
- Tool storage
- Parking for tractor, assorted trailers, ATV, equipment
- Covered parking for horse trailer
- Good ventilation
- Power/lights
- Convenient manure disposal
- Runs off the stalls
My list could be much longer, but these are just a few items that make life easier and more chore efficient. Please read the feature article on page 6 where Northwest Horse Source Editor Kim Roe, who runs a boarding and training facility, writes on what she finds important in a training and boarding facility. Wendy Croney, who has experienced many different barns, adds her suggestions for making good choices when choosing a barn for the person who keeps horses on their own property.
Have fun dreaming of a new barn and enjoy our tips on fixing up your current barn to make it the most efficient for you and your horses!
Quote: Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams.
Hal Elrod – Writer-Author
See this article in the August 2021 online edition:
Owner/Publisher Karen’s lifelong love of horses began at a very early age when she wore out a couple of rocking horses before convincing her parents to get her the real thing. That ill-tempered bay gelding, Brandy, was a challenge for the young horsewoman, but it drove her ambition to become a horse trainer. After attending Canyonview Equestrian College’s Horsemanship Program, Karen realized she needed work that was a little more lucrative than training, so she took a job with Customs Brokerage to pay the bills. There, she discovered an affinity for computers and a talent for creating informative, entertaining newsletters. The Northwest Horse Source began as such a letter in December 1995, with a distribution of 1000 copies for its 12 black and white pages. Now 29 years later, it’s an online magazine and website with a reach of over 10,000 per month and growing! Not bad for the results of one woman’s dream to work with horses!
Today, Karen remains involved with every aspect of the magazine and treasures the community of thousands who share a common passion.
