How to Customize Your Pole Barn for Horses
If you are planning to build a pole barn to provide shelter for your horses, there are many ways to customize it to best suit your individual needs. Here are some tips to help guide you through the design process.
Many people with horses enjoy them so much that they wind up getting more. It is a good idea to set up more stalls than the number of horses you currently have. If you get more, you will have the space ready, and you can use the extra stalls for storage in the meantime.
Stalls can be arranged in many configurations and a variety of sizes and shapes. Discuss your options with your architect and builder.
You can design your horse barn with interior columns holding up rafters that support the roof or a clear span with trusses that run across the building and do not need interior columns to support the roof. You can attach the stalls to an interior column or make them free-standing and attached to each other.
You will want to set aside space for a tack room to store your saddles, bridles, blankets, and brushes. You should include a door to keep dust out.
You will probably want a place to wash your horses. You can set up a wash stall with a drainage system and a concrete floor covered with rubber mats.
Set aside space to store food and get water. It is a good idea to store hay in a separate building since it is highly flammable. Keeping it away from your horses can protect them.
Adequate airflow is important for the health of your horses. You can use passive ventilation, such as eave and roof peak vents, or power ventilation.
Sliding doors are a good option for a pole barn because they make less noise than overhead doors and are less likely to spook horses. You can choose single or split sliding doors.
You need to make sure your horse barn has adequate lighting. You can let natural light in through Dutch doors, windows, and eave lights.
It is important to choose the right flooring material for your pole barn. Many horse owners use granular base material in stalls and aisles and cover it with rubber mats. You can use concrete or brick pavers in the aisles and cover them with rubber mats.
When you are ready contact CHA Pole Barns to talk about your pole barn project.