# Building A Barn



## amgThoroughbreds (Aug 14, 2013)

So I am finally proud to say that I will be owning my own property and building a barn! Kind of excited as I have been waiting years to find the right place. It's about 4 acres with smaller and more mature oak trees and shrubs which I will be removing.
I'm using BarnPro's (The Denali model) for the materials and hiring a contractor to put it all together. 
Besides setting up fencing and getting the pastures ready, what are some things I should set up and take care of before bringing the horses?


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Most important is water.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## amgThoroughbreds (Aug 14, 2013)

PaintHorseMares said:


> Most important is water.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


There is a well on the property. Most horse properties in my area have well water instead of city plumbing. Not exactly sure how those work but I assume it is similar to normal plumbing?


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

amgThoroughbreds said:


> There is a well on the property. Most horse properties in my area have well water instead of city plumbing. Not exactly sure how those work but I assume it is similar to normal plumbing?


Yes, the same. I assume you'll have water in the barn, but you need to decide how to water the horses outside, e.g. stock tank, automatic waterer, etc.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Well pumps run on electricity, so if you don't have power you won't have water.

Are you planning on building a home on the property? If so, you might want to check and see if you're required to have two separate wells. Some jurisdictions require a different well for the house from the one supplying water to the barn.

I don't know where you're located, but you might also want to consider frost free spigots and heated insulation for your water pipes so they don't freeze during the winter. Burst pipes are no fun to deal with, especially if you're on a well. They can easily drain a well dry if they burst and are left unattended for any length of time.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Think about things like drainage (for the wet season) and shelter from nasty storms now. Personally I like having some sort of lean to in the pasture/paddocks and stalls just as an option if necessary. Well, I would love to have stalls as an option, but have gotten by without them just fine thus far.


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## amgThoroughbreds (Aug 14, 2013)

Speed Racer said:


> Well pumps run on electricity, so if you don't have power you won't have water.
> 
> Are you planning on building a home on the property? If so, you might want to check and see if you're required to have two separate wells. Some jurisdictions require a different well for the house from the one supplying water to the barn.
> 
> I don't know where you're located, but you might also want to consider frost free spigots and heated insulation for your water pipes so they don't freeze during the winter. Burst pipes are no fun to deal with, especially if you're on a well. They can easily drain a well dry if they burst and are left unattended for any length of time.


This is the barn I'll be building. It has a full apartment on the top part which I will be living in. I live in Florida so I definitely won't have to worry about freezing pipes lol. I'll definitely check on the wells though, Thanks


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## Chessie (Mar 13, 2012)

Wow, that is beautiful.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Manure management.... as in where you are going to put it till you either cart it away or it composts enough others cart it away for you.
2 horses on 5 acres out all the time...the fly population is crazy at my friends house... manure everyplace and flies... the horses don't eat where they poop so a lot of wasted pasture... think large tractor and bush hog and a drag of some sort to work that issue...

As someone else said...drainage.
When it rains down here in rainy season the grounds can be a soggy mess for quite some time.

Properly situating that barn on your property to use the prevailing breezes best to cool down the house and barn during the swelter of summer...

I would think twice about removing those trees, shrubs yes... trees no if they are not "harmful" to the horses.
The sun is a blistering {literally} pain for many horses in Florida... the endless scorching rays and heat... if you ever look the horses are hidden in the trees during the middle of the day for hours, so are the cattle... it is just plain to hot for them without some sun protection and the trees offer that and rain protection for them. Leave some trees in every paddock area, your horses will love you for it.

I would have the builders use a higher than normal "pad" under the entire structure...not knowing exactly where you are in Florida, some areas suffer from more rain than others do and when you accumulate 12 -15 inches within 3 days time you will be glad of "higher ground" for home and barn...you need only then have the area graded to accommodate that rise...
Forget that amount of water in 1 day from a storm... :-x

_jmo..._


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I'd worry more about sink holes than rain, since the OP's in Florida. But yes, proper drainage is essential, as well as good pasture/manure maintenance.

I have 3 horses on 5 acres, and am often harrowing the fields and spreading manure. I also use fly predators in the summer, as they really do make a huge dent in the fly population if used in conjunction with good manure management.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Speed Racer said:


> I'd worry more about sink holes than rain, since the OP's in Florida. But yes, proper drainage is essential, as well as good pasture/manure maintenance.


Sink holes can develop in _any_ part of the country...

I have a house and land in Florida and there have been no sink holes anywhere near my area, that doesn't mean they_ can't_ happen, they _can_ happen anywhere, anyplace and anytime....and do in many parts of this country, the USA.

Do you realize you only hear about when something catastrophic happens, same as any other area and "newsworthy" event...hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms, earthquake, flash flood, drought... the list is endless and when all is quiet environmentally you never hear of the area...

Here is a very informative article about sinkholes, the why and where it happened and some areas many would never think "sinkholes" existed in...

_HowStuffWorks "How Sinkholes Work"_

Not all of Florida is "flat or sea-level" either and many parts are higher in elevation than you would imagine so they don't all deal with "flooding" issues either, but they do deal with weather variables and trends of seasons like every other part of the world does...

_
When you use your fly predators do the lands surrounding yours have livestock and do they also practice fly control with "predators"? 
If not how does that work for your animals...aren't you still dealing with larger amounts of flies from their untreated manure? Do your "neighbors" also drag and tend their pastures as you do?_


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## amgThoroughbreds (Aug 14, 2013)

horselovinguy said:


> Manure management.... as in where you are going to put it till you either cart it away or it composts enough others cart it away for you.
> 2 horses on 5 acres out all the time...the fly population is crazy at my friends house... manure everyplace and flies... the horses don't eat where they poop so a lot of wasted pasture... think large tractor and bush hog and a drag of some sort to work that issue...
> 
> As someone else said...drainage.
> ...


I'm planning on bringing the horses in at night and rotating pastures so I can have grass and better manure management. I'm leaving the big oaks, its actually illegal to cut those down in my area. I'm lucky enough to not be in a flood prone area (North Tampa), we are high and dry for the most part. I'll still build the barn a little higher than needed, just incase


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I'm quite well aware of how sinkholes are formed and the types of geology needed for them to occur. My reply was more tongue in cheek than anything, so no need for you to go all 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' on me. 

I'm not a Florida fan. You can say what you want about other parts of the US, but Florida seems to have more than their share of horrific natural concurrences. It has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on another so it's a magnet for inclement weather conditions, plus it has the geological substrata to develop sinkholes more readily than other places. A lot of people like Florida and that's great, but I'm not one of them.

As far as the fly predators, my closest neighbor has 5 horses on 38 acres. She either uses predators or another type of deterrent, as her place is just as pleasant as mine during the summer months. She is also very attentive in keeping the manure spread and harrowed. 

The next closest neighbor, about a mile away, raises beef cattle. He owns over 1,000 acres, so the cattle aren't all bunched up in one little area and I know he harrows his pastures at least once a month to break up the cattle manure. That helps, too.


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## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

I will be of absolutely no help to you but I am super jealous that you're going to live in a barn!  And an beautiful one at that!


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## amgThoroughbreds (Aug 14, 2013)

ForeverSunRider said:


> I will be of absolutely no help to you but I am super jealous that you're going to live in a barn!  And an beautiful one at that!


Haha, thanks! My family thinks I'm crazy for wanting to live in a barn, but I wouldn't have it any other way


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