# Turning old dairy barn into horse barn advice



## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

Hi all,
My DH and I are buying a house and it has an old dairy barn that we would like to convert into a horse barn. I was hoping the Horse Forum people would have some advice for how to do that. here is a picture of the inside of the barn.


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## 4hoofbeat (Jun 27, 2013)

Clean, clean, clean, and clean some more. LOL 

other than that and make sure the height is ok, sorry i dont have much advice. but it is possible, 
A local horse farm here turned a chicken / cow barn into a nice horse barn. It took lots of elbow grease, and time to get it to where it is now, but Its nice.


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## IndianaJones (Aug 13, 2014)

Looks like you could leave the support poles in place and systematically remove everything else. Will need to chip out the metal rails that are cemented in.. I'd level the ground/ruts with more concrete, sand and paint, build up your stall walls... and bring in some stall panels. Priefert makes a good panel once you have the walls up. Looks like a pretty hardy project!! Good luck


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

Thank you and I will certainly be cleaning and if I remember correctly the ceiling is 8 feet high. The barn is also 36 X 138.


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## MinervaELS (Mar 4, 2014)

Indiana Jones said just what I was thinking. Clean, rip out all of the metal bars and crap, level the floor with concrete. Then you can start building stalls. It'll be a lot of work, but worth it in the end. I don't think there's a safe way to get stalls in without getting the metal out or leveling the floor.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

No advice other than it looks like a lot of work. I'd like to see what you come up with, it looks sturdy, and should be real nice when you get it done.


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## Nickers2002 (Nov 25, 2009)

How tall is the ceiling? Is the floor concrete? What is the spacing between those posts? 

All of that will matter  Make sure to fill in those trenches and take anything out that doesn't need to be there. After it's all cleared out of those pipes and whatnot - then you can start to plan a bit better I would think.


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## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

I wish I had taken better before pictures of my project. Hubby and I converted an old cow barn(was for beef cattle) and are in the process of turning it into a horse barn. We have 3 stalls in one side now, the other side of the barn is our biggest adventure(which I can get pictures of). The trenches we filled with gravel and put rubber mats over as they are excellent drainage. If you have the seams of the mats over the gravel trench. It has worked really well for us thus far.

I can get better pics later. But here is an idea of what we have. Our barn is divided in two, its only a small barn, but I love it. All the pictures are just one side of the barn.

The before, during and after picture. The picture of Emily on the crossties shows the wall that divides the barn, half of it it will eventually be removed to open the barn up more and put in another stall. The other side of the barn has all the same piping and stuff you are dealing with.


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

the ceiling is 8 feet tall and the barn is 36 by 138
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Please do take pictures of your progress with the project - I love before and after reno/rehab jobs.

I also agree with IndianaJones. I'd start with clearing up a section to fit your horses in right away then carry on at your leisure to finish the project. If you're going to do some sort of temporary set up perhaps portable corral panels may help out until you get matters in hand - if you don't need them after you are done you can always sell them.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Be sure and put rubber mats in the stalls. 
Another option for the troughs would be filling with gravel


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I have also seen folks use the trenches. If the barn has an automatic cleaning system than you can cover the trenches with wood but create openings/covers every few feet. This means that trench is covered for horses but when it comes time to clean you just open the top and don't need a wheelbarrow for cleaning. If the barn has a milk parlor you can clear that for a tack area.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

This is something that could work nicely if done right however, in my very rural area there more than a few who have done this, and done it badly. 

The problems with converting cow quarters into stables seems to always be the same: low ceilings, lack of light and poles in the way. There are some around here where only very short horses can even be in them. Your 8' sounds better than most.

Consider putting in a few extra windows and building your stalls where the poles won't always be in the way. Seems like people around here always hurry the job, take short cuts and end up with dark, tiny spaces!


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

The ceiling at 8' pull be tight but useable however the thickness of the beams running the length of the barn would be where ether horse is standing a lot of the time and I wonder what height they bring the ceiling down to?


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

I hope you will be able take the concrete out of the stall areas. If not, I hope that you will double or triple mat the stalls. Concrete is hard on their joints when they are standing on it for several hours.


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

I plan once stalls are in having rubber mats and at least 6 inches of bedding in each stall.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Nearly all stables in the UK have concrete floors. Single rubber mats with bedding on top are fine. 
I would rather have a horse standing on concrete with bedding on top than on a dirt floor with little bedding and a very uneven surface to it.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I have also seen these transformations done well and a few that were done poorly. The real difference is in how the barn was constructed originally. I have seen very low 6 foot maybe ceilings that were a mess, with 8 feet you have some play room. How is the barn laid out with respect to the head gates? Is there space behind the head gate (the metal things the cows put their heads through?). If there is space behind you can either take it over as a part of the stall or if its big enough use it as an aisle. Usually what works best is taking the extra stall space from this area and keeping the original "center" aisle "entire". The nice thing about these barns is that they usually have a pretty large center aisle for the cows to get through. Which can be nice when dealing with horses.


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

yes it has about a 3 ft wide area behind the metal bars. Any advice on how one would go about removing the metal bars?


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

i think the most common is to use a hacksaw to cut the bar/posts and than fill the hollow center with concrete being sure to smooth over the top of the sawed off post to fully cover and level it. pulling the posts is just not going to happen


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Don't try with a hacksaw, you will end up with no knuckles! Get an angle grinder to remove the metal poles. 
The ridge of concrete at the back used to keep the fodder in front of the cows can be knocked out and used to fill in the poop valley.


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## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

We are using a grinder with a cut off disk or a recip saw. Then there are high areas of cement that made a trough we are using a jackhammer to get out then level it all out. Ill get pictures this weekend of the side of the barn we are tackling next, its a very similar project to yours. We are starting it soon as I just purchased a new foal that I will be bringing home soon so I need my 4th stall built.


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