# I bought my horses a playhouse.



## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

I've been struggling with keeping hay I put out for them dry and off the ground. My picky horses wont touch it if its gotten wet! I decided to finally start saving for a hay hut....$800, ugh. I was thinking of building a wooden hay hut but it would just be so heavy and hard to move and pretty hard to build myself!

Then I got this brilliant idea.









Cut out all the windows and sanded down rough edges.....then covered with tape as well. When tape starts falling off i'm going to cut up an old hose, slit it in half, then glue it onto the edges. Makes it like a lip on the edges. I also ordered a small solar light to install in it for when I'm putting out hay in the dark 










Happy ponies!









My ponies now have a playhouse that keeps there hay nice and dry! I ended up stacking the house up on two pallets and that seemed to put it at the perfect height for them. I also lined the inside with vapor barrier and one more pallet for hay to be on. That way all the tiny bits of hay that falls out doesn't get stuck in the pallets/gravel and make a giant mess. I just sweep off the lining on top. I only have two full bale hay bags so filled both last night and put them in the play house, snapped them in of course so the brats wouldn't pull them out. They've been happily eating! I think they love that it creates a wind break too. Hopefully this $130 second hand playhouse will solve my problems!


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

Great idea! Very ingenious. I'm all for creative solutions. That looks much cuter than something you could buy anyway :grin:


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Genius idea! Even if it only holds up thru this winter - it's a genius idea!


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Yeah if I can even just get one winter out of it then save for a real hay hut I'd be a pretty happy camper! My two aren't too hard on things though so we'll see how long it lasts!


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Love it! Mine would try to squeeze through the door though.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Yeah my husband thinks I should of left the door on but I liked having one side with two openings if they want to eat together! If they start trying to I can put something there to block them


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I'm going to keep my eye out for one to use for the minis. I'd have to cut the windows down lower probably but I really think your idea is pretty genius, I'd have never thought of it. 

I was studying your pictures and wondering if you might be able to use a blow torch and melt the edges you cut to make them smooth. It would be a permanent solution if it would work without burning the whole thing down.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Actually that is what I want to do! I just don't own a blow torch. Well I didn't, my dad ended up having me buy one so he could do the floor in my dog grooming shop lol! I was thinking of trying it when the tape dies.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I think you just got a new business idea- start buying these playhouses at yard sales and turn around and sell them to horse people 

The creativity of people on this Forum never ceases to amaze me!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Oh my gosh, this is the cutest thing xD! I love it!
You could even spruce it up a little--paint it in your barn colors, or something.


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## Sparkle (Dec 12, 2016)

That's such a great idea, going to try it out!


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## GracielaGata (Jan 14, 2012)

VERY COOL!!! 

Is it heavy enough that they can't tip it? 
My husband suggested that if that were an issue, you could use the open parts of the windows to fill it with some sand, or even make your own openings in the interior walls and pour in from there. That would make it less tippable. 
.... He is now currently perusing our local CL to see if anyone is selling a play house there. 

So yours aren't getting annoyed or anything, having to share at it? 
We do 3 slow hay net bags for dinner time for 3 horses, that sometimes 2 will share from, but I wonder if this would somehow annoy them with three at it, though he thinks not. 

Anyhoo, very cool idea, I shall bank that in the back of my brain!


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Yes it is heavy enough they can't tip  The play house is attached to 3 large pallets, to make it heavy and to raise it up some. It originally weighed about 160 lbs, then I took off maybe 30lbs tops...then adding the 3 pallets...

They do not get annoyed sharing, they're total love birds. But there is 5 holes to eat from so if one does get annoyed the other will just more to a hole on a different side. Also my hay bags, I made myself and they fit my entire bales, so I put out two entire bales at a time...so plenty of hay to not fight over! My bags are easy to put on the bale and I make them with draw strings. So slide bags on bale, put bale in house, cut strings off bale then snap bale to house so they can't pull it out...and done!


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