# Show Me Your 2 Horse Setup



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I have a pole-barn that works for Florida climate but not sure it would work as well in many other areas with the "open" design it has...
I was a day late to purchase a used barn made by this company that was being sold/relocated after being used for 10 years as a sale structure...
_https://www.horizonstructures.com/horse-barns/shedrow-horse-barns_
The barn although weather-worn silver-gray was gorgeous yet in craftsmanship and materials used.
Take a look at some of their designs for some ideas and if you are not far from their factory in Penn. it might be very cost friendly to check out some of the "Sale" barns they have...
I peeked and saw several 2 stall with tack/feed storage for nice prices....
Delivery of a completed barn, all you would need is a pad to have the delivery team place it on, finishing touches by them...add some buckets and horses...
A overhang can be added on with no problem by the company or you at a later date
I've seen very large sheds delivered by me locally so fitting is often not a problem.

If you do site-built, if you think you need 2 stalls, build 3 and a feed/tack storage area. 
It is amazing how much space you need to keep barn necessities out of the weather.
Depending upon your horse size now and in future makes a difference in size of stalls needed but I would not do anything smaller than 10x12.
I have a overhang on my barn now that offers weather protection for my horses to just hang out under.
Driving rains, intense sun, my horses can always find protection away when needed...
A 8' overhang on a shedrow will keep you out of the rain, _maybe_ but not much else...in this case, wider is better.
My overhang is about 15' deep and the length of my barn offering space for my herd to all get under when needed and not fight. My stalls are 12x12 boxes...
My barn rafters are 10' high which allows me to pull my horse trailer under/into the barn when needed.
Just some ideas...

Enjoy the planning phase and then the excitement of dream to reality. 
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## SugarNSpice (Mar 26, 2012)

Thanks for your reply! It has to be an on site build due to not having any access for trucks, etc.. to the area. Access is my biggest hurdle. Fortunately I do have a barn for hay, feed, and tack already which is right next to where the stalls will be. I'd love to have an enclosed aisle space, but not sure if I can swing that budget wise right now. Stalls will be 12x12 definitely.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I am in Massachusetts. I have an aisle barn with a hay loft and open shed roofs on both sides. One side has two stalls and a small storage area with a frost free hydrant in it. Good for baled shavings or a few bales of hay-- the hatch from the loft is next to it. The stalls open into the aisle and also out to a small sacrifice area which is divided such that it can be one pen or each stall can have its own run. The sacrifice area has gates into pastures on either end -- I have five acres of pasture. (in the photo the aisle is full of tack because I am packing the trailer for a trail ride tomorrow)

The other side of the barn has a tack room, another stall, presently commandeered by my husband who doesn't have a tool room yet, and the stairs to the hay loft. There's a big overhang on both sides of the barn; one is shade & shelter for the horses, the other is full of my husband's tools right now but I can think of better uses for it! 

I bought this the way it is (except I configured the sacrifice pens and their gates, there was nothing there before) and it is just a dream to work in. Wish I had an arena, and we are planning next year to build a real shop and machine barn for the tractor, log splitter, concrete mixer, horse trailer and all the other things that need shelter and don't have it right now. It will be quite separate from the stable. A turnaround for my truck and trailer rig is another future project.

Where I lived in California I had a run-in shelter divided in half, with gates so they could be made into stalls. Little hay shed next it. Situated in a half acre dry lot. It was a lot better than nothing, but we didn't figure on the prevailing winter storm direction and the whole open side had to be tarped to keep it even partly dry. And we also didn't work out efficient work flow paths so it was harder to feed and clean than it had to be. Turned to mud soup in the winter and dust in the summer. But in California it was a lot more room than most horses get.


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## SugarNSpice (Mar 26, 2012)

Avna said:


> I am in Massachusetts. I have an aisle barn with a hay loft and open shed roofs on both sides. One side has two stalls and a small storage area with a frost free hydrant in it. Good for baled shavings or a few bales of hay-- the hatch from the loft is next to it. The stalls open into the aisle and also out to a small sacrifice area which is divided such that it can be one pen or each stall can have its own run. The sacrifice area has gates into pastures on either end -- I have five acres of pasture. (in the photo the aisle is full of tack because I am packing the trailer for a trail ride tomorrow)
> 
> The other side of the barn has a tack room, another stall, presently commandeered by my husband who doesn't have a tool room yet, and the stairs to the hay loft. There's a big overhang on both sides of the barn; one is shade & shelter for the horses, the other is full of my husband's tools right now but I can think of better uses for it!
> 
> ...



In love with your barn! Exactly what I would build if my budget would allow it.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

SugarNSpice said:


> In love with your barn! Exactly what I would build if my budget would allow it.


It is way better than anything I would have built for myself, believe me! It came with the house. The realtor and I got out of the car and I just zeroed in on that barn. He was like, 'hey, the house is over here!'

The stable, the pastures, and the trails (the State Forest is a short walk away) is what sold the house to me. The house itself is a big ancient thing with four bedrooms more than I need but hey, the stable!!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Avna said:


> It is way better than anything I would have built for myself, believe me! It came with the house. The realtor and I got out of the car and I just zeroed in on that barn. He was like, 'hey, the house is over here!'
> 
> The stable, the pastures, and the trails (the State Forest is a short walk away) is what sold the house to me. The house itself is a big ancient thing with four bedrooms more than I need but hey, the stable!!


WOOHOO!! What a barn!! Bonus if there is a house on the property but that barn!!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

If you have to do site-built, check out Tuff Shed products from the manufacturer/independent dealer _*not *_Home Depot.
Buildings are/can be constructed _on site_ with solid wood 2x4 wall studding 16" on center like a house is required to be built, a special thick wall with insulating properties attached to it and T-111 exterior that can be painted/stained any color.
My garage met and beat all the special building codes Florida construction requires due to storm activity known.
10 year warranty, made to any configuration size and amenities you desire.
Carpenters will do finish work any way you ordered at your home.
Fast assembly and about a 6 week from order to delivery...
I have a 2+ car free-standing garage from them that is far superior work than any other company for about 1/2 the cost.
They have so many choices & styles, you find "a look" then make it to the dimensions you like and need.
I thought they were affordable....

Also look into Amish builders in your area for site built barns...craftsmanship & affordability usually arrive with this group of workers.

I would _*not*_ do a metal barn, period. It _*is*_ still cheap tin no matter who the manufacturer is.. :evil:
To much risk for devastating injuries from just a horse being a horse...
The amount of extra needed to be done inside and out...well, just not worth it...it isn't.
Spend the money once, get what you want and settle for very little cause once you have it it isn't going to change or be amended very easily.. :|
_Just some thoughts..._
:runninghorse2:*....*
_jmo...
_


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I wanted to have a barn that had plenty of room for 2 small horses, plus the potential for a third. I also wanted an equipment bay for our full size farm tractor and a few other things. So we built a 32 x 48' barn which is walled off right in the middle, with double doors connecting the two. On one 24 x 32 side is the equipment bay with high ceiling (18') and on the other side, the stalls. On one side there are two 10 x 12 stalls along one wall, a 12' aisle, and space for two more stalls on the other side. One was finished as a tack room (closed off completely) and the other is an unfinished space that can eventually be used as a stall if need be. We also built a partial loft where I can store all my hay for the winter. It is partial because it only covers the center aisle. I wanted to leave the stalls open right to the ceiling for the best possible ventilation. Vets and my trimmer always comment on how great the ventilation is in my barn.

I realize you don't want all that, but thought I'd show you a picture of the side of the barn where the stalls are located. I put in dutch doors, which stay open 24/7 except in the coldest months when I shut the horses in at night. The stalls open onto a paddock, which can be open to a pasture, then another pasture. This means I can just open gates, and let the horses choose to go in and out at will. This works very well for my two small, bonded horses, and I have never had fights, or injuries from them sharing a stall. In fact, they most often can be found in the same stall. If you were worried about this, the divider between the stalls could be removed to just create one large shelter with two ways in and out so a horse cannot be trapped. 

I also got my contractor to extend the roof over the stalls by 10' (it's 24 feet long). More would have been nice, but this allows the horses to get under shelter from the sun and the rain without necessarily having to go in their stalls. It also prevents snow from filling the stalls. A longer overhang would have required support posts, and my contractor was worried that the horses would rub against them and compromise the structural integrity of the building. I love my overhang. It keeps my water trough clean, and my mare prefers to stand under it than going in her stall most days. 

If I were planning on just building something small for two horses, I'd do something like this: a 24 x 12 shelter with dutch doors that open onto turnout space. 

The barn is a basic, traditional wooden structure with trusses, and we added metal siding to it. The stalls are, of course, completely lined with 2 x 6 boards so the horses don't come into contact with the metal. We looked at kits and metal barns, and in the end, decided to have it built by a local contractor using local wood. We saved a lot on shipping costs, and it ended up coming in under budget and was built in a month. I could not be more pleased with it.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Same horse standing perpendicular to the barn because he doesn't want to get wet during a downpour. They normally stand parallel to it, but as you can see, he managed to just squeeze himself under it, lol. He's a 14.2 Arab for reference. 

I have a barn built thread from a couple of years ago which you can pull up if you want to see more pictures and see how we put the barn together.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Where do you live? In Florida, heat is the biggest factor. I have a beautiful barn but it is almost too hot to use during summer. If I could do it over, I would just get a gigantic pole barn- add boards only to the east and west sides for shade. I believe they also sell shade material in rolls. You could board half way up and use the shade material for the rest. Or put up tarps. In fact I think I may add some shades to my barn, on the east side of the aisle. It is all sun in the morning.

My tent stall is just a free standing stall with a tarp roof. We painted the tarp with silver roof coating. It is now 13 years old and just getting some tiny rips. It's survived several tropical storms, one hurricane, and Irma last year with 55mph winds. I'm surprised it is still intact!

The tent stall is where I keep my round roll for the horses to eat.

As for dry lots, if you have multiple horses, make sure to clear the area of trees so you can drag rather than muck. I really wish I had done the same. Make the dry lot as big as possible so you don't have horses fighting. Consider a circular lot rather than a square lot. Much less likely to have squabbles with a circular lot, as no one can get stuck in a corner.

Each of my horses gets their own dry lot. It makes it easier to feed but harder to muck.

Add people walk throughs to all your fencing. Trust me, it is much better than opening gates and climbing through fences. Only my pony can squeeze through them, so they are currently closed...I did not consider pony proofing when I put up my fencing. Add more walk throughs then you think you need!

Also consider manure management, and avoid areas that may flood.


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