Should I choose a metal or wood horse barn?

Answer: We recommend a horse barn or run-in shed made of wood as your best choice for several reasons...

• A wood horse barn offers natural insulating properties. Your horse barn will stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter ensuring the maximum comfort of your horses regardless of the season.

• Wood horse barns are stronger and safer than metal barns. Wood horse barns will not dent or puncture the way metal barns often do. Many horse owners have witnessed the serious injury that can result from a well-placed kick that punctures the wall of a metal sided barn.

• A wood horse barn offers superior sound and moisture protection, due to wood's natural absorption properties. You won't have to worry about condensation and your horses won't be spooked by outside sounds from the weather or other sources, as these sounds will be muffled by the properties of the wood. In addition, strong winds will not rattle a wood barn or your horses' nerves.

• Wooden horse barns are more attractive than metal horse barns.

• Wooden horse barns are very low maintenance. The white pine board & batten siding is extremely weather resistant and durable. You won't have to contend with rust or fading paint.

Answer: Bigger is always better and, even if you currently own small horses or ponies, we recommend you purchase the largest stalls you can afford. This ensures their maximum comfort and gives you flexibility for the future.

When contemplating stall size, it is important to keep in mind the nature of horses and how they spend their time indoors. When confined, they paw, chew, kick the walls, roll close to walls, as well as in the middle of the stall, lie down, scratch itches by rubbing, and play with anything they can. Another point to consider is that your stall will need to be big enough for your horse to stretch out when he sleeps, or about twelve feet long and wide for the average sized horse. It's easy to see why you would want to give your horse as much room as possible!

A 12'x12' stall will comfortably accommodate larger horses. For ponies or horses around 15 hands, a 10'x10' stall would be big enough. Horses over 16 hands should have, at least, a 10'x12' stall. PA Storage Sheds offers the option of removable stall partitions. This is the ideal choice to instantly convert your barn to accommodate a brood mare and her foal.

Do I need any ventilation for my barn?

Answer: Good ventilation in your horse barn is very important. The average horse respirates about two gallons of moisture into the air each day. Naturally, there will be condensation from the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures. If you do not have good ventilation, moisture will collect on the roof and create a damp environment. This dampness contributes to respiratory ailments and bacterial and fungal growth. Even in wet weather, moving air will remove some of the condensation and will replace stagnant air with fresh air from outside.

Heat in summer is another factor to consider. Venting your shed row barn with a ridge vent or gable vents will allow the warm air to escape. Warm air rises; therefore, even though you can always open windows and the top halves of the Dutch doors in your barn, the heat would escape best through the ridge or gable vents.

What is the roof's snow load capacity? Will my new barn stand up to strong winds?

Answer: With standard 2"x4" rafters the snow load is 30lbs. With optional 2"x6" rafters the snow load is increased to 50lbs. The wind load with standard 25 year asphalt shingles is 60 mph, with 30 year shingles - 90 mph, and metal roof - 110 mph.

Will my barn require a foundation?

Answer: Our barns are built on top of pressure treated 6"x6" timbers and are designed to sit directly on the ground. In most cases, a foundation is not required, unless your local municipality requires it. In the case of our larger barns, and especially those with the 8' overhang, we recommend setting the barn on cement pillars and back-filling with stone dust. This prevents the barn from settling unevenly over time due to the freezing and thawing of the ground. For more information see our information on Site Preparation.

What material do I use inside the horse stalls?

Answer: Most customers use stone dust or sand with rubber mats or rubber pavers on top, but some like to use clay or even regular dirt. We would recommend using stone dust or sand with rubber mats or rubber pavers on top. Rubber pavers would be the most expensive choice and the clay would be the cheapest, if you have it readily available.

What is the best location for my new horse barn or run-in shed?

Answer: Any level spot facing South, South East or South West is a good choice. If at all possible, try to make sure your stall doors, or run-in opening is NOT facing north. This will help protect your horses from cold wind blowing in from that direction. Other factors to consider are...

• CONVENIENCE...
  Plan for an efficient traffic flow. For instance, if your hay is stored in a separate building, you will have to move that hay into the barn twice a day, EVERY DAY - in rain and glaring sun, in snow, and in the dark of winter. If your water source is at the back of the barn, you will have to drag out the hose EVERY DAY to provide fresh water for your horse, or, even worse, carry full buckets. If you do not have a tack room planned and keep your saddle in the house, you'll have to lug it out every time you ride. If your hay is being delivered on a big truck make sure is the storage area is easily accessible, in all weather, and there room for a big truck to turn around. And, finally, is the barn close enough to your house for security?

• SHADE, DRAINAGE, FLIES...
  If you live in an area with very hot, sunny summers, try to plan a shaded area for your farrier and vet. They'll thank you for the consideration. Try to plan the location of your barn and "horse area" downwind of the house and far enough away so the barn flies don't decide to become house flies. Locating the barn on high ground with good subsurface drainage ensures that the stalls aren't flooded during wet times and any water outside the stalls will drain easily.

• COMFORT
  Another major consideration, when planning your barn location, is the comfort of your horse. If your horse is to live outside he will need a shelter from inclement weather. This can be either a three-sided affair, with the open side facing away from winter winds, or it can be a stall in the barn. Make sure when you position your doorway that there is an area of the stall that does not receive the brunt of the weather. Ideally, you should try to position the stall doors or run-in opening to face South, South East or South West. Avoid Northern exposure if at all possible.