Have you ever dreamed of having your own barn and riding arena right in your backyard? As an equestrian, being able to care for your horses at home and ride anytime is an amazing convenience.
But where do you even start with such a big project? Building an equine facility requires serious planning, time, money and skills. Should you take on the challenge yourself or hire professionals? This guide will walk you through the key steps and considerations to bring your equestrian dreams to life!
Planning Out Your Perfect Facility
The first step is deciding what exactly you want to build. A professional firm such as TR Industrial has years of experience working with horse lovers. Will it just be a simple barn for boarding your own horses? Or are you looking to open a full-scale boarding stable and training facility? Here are some important factors to think about in your planning process:
Determine Your Intended Use
Small private barn for your personal horses
Public boarding facility and horse retirement home
Riding school with lessons and summer camps
Horse show and event venue
Breeding and training operation
Any combination of the above!
The activities you want to host will determine how much space and what kinds of structures you need. For example, an eventing barn would require large outdoor areas for cross-country jumps. A top-level dressage facility may need multiple competition-sized indoor arenas. Estimates vary, but there are possibly 3.8 million horses in the US, and they all need some kind of facility.
Choose Barn and Arena Types
Traditional barns with stalls along an aisle
Open-concept pole barns with runs instead of stalls
Gambrel or gable roof styles
Free-span clear indoor arenas
Outdoor sand or grass arenas
You can match the barn design to your region or property aesthetics. Monitor-style barns with RCA (raised center aisle) provide great ventilation. Open-air pole barns offer freedom of movement.
Consider Your Herd Size
Scale your facilities appropriately for your number of horses. The average horse needs a minimum stall size of 12x12. You'll also need room for:
Tack room(s)
Feed and bedding storage
Wash stalls
Equipment areas
Hay, trailer, and RV parking
Quarantine stall
Office space
For a commercial boarding stable, allocate 50-100 square feet per boarded horse in your barn.
Obtain Permits and Approvals
Most counties require grading permits and approvals for buildings over a certain square footage. Building code requirements vary based on your location. Be sure to comply with all rules to avoid delays or fines down the road.
Evaluate Your Soil
Work with your local NRCS office (Natural Resources Conservation Service) to analyze the soil on your potential sites. You want to avoid areas with heavy clay or excess moisture. Sandy loam soils usually provide the best drainage. This step is critical for proper base and arena footing construction.
Optimize Layout for Horses
Design your facilities with equine wellbeing as the top priority. Good ventilation, spacious stalls, safe fencing, and well-drained areas are must-haves. Place buildings to minimize horses being exposed to wind, rain, and snow on the way to the arena or pasture.
Select the Right Footing Material
Man has been riding horses for thousands of years, but some things never change. Your arena footing impacts performance and prevents injuries by providing stability, traction, and cushioning. The gold standard is a sand-based mix.
Sand Pros and Cons
Sand provides an excellent natural grip for horseshoes but requires diligent watering and drag maintenance to keep it consistent. Too little or too much moisture can make it unsafe. Make sure to use coarse, angular sand rather than smooth beach sand.
Popular Additives
Organic and synthetic mixes like shredded wood fiber, rubber, or textiles are frequently added to sand to improve properties like drainage, compaction resistance, and footing stability. Some options include:
Shredded rubber mulch
Felt
Woodchips
Coconut coir
Crumb rubber
Depth Depends on Discipline
Recommended sand depths range from 3 to 6 inches. Shallower footing like 2-3 inches is preferred for intricate disciplines like reining and dressage. For high-speed work like racing and eventing, 5-6 inches gives needed cushioning. Start shallow and add more as needed.
Consistent Moisture Levels
Footing that is too dry or too wet loses crucial shock absorption. Use drainage techniques like crown grading and salt treatments to avoid overly wet soil. Regular dragging helps maintain consistent moisture distribution. Investing in an automated sprinkler system provides convenience and reliability.
Optimizing the Interior Layout
A well-planned interior design allows for safety, efficiency and convenience in your equine facilities.
Make It Functional for Horses
Stalls sized appropriately for breed - miniatures need smaller spaces than draft horses
Wide aisleways - minimum of 12 feet for safe traffic
Ventilation - ridge vents, spaced roof turbines, cupolas
Windows - allow natural light while avoiding drafts
Tack Rooms in Central Locations
Placing tack storage and rooms centrally between banks of stalls cuts down on distance spent walking back and forth. Multiple tack rooms may be needed for large facilities.
Feed Storage and Handling
Separate rooms for hay, grain, and bedding reduce fire hazards
Concrete floors easier to clean
Built-in shelving to organize supplies
Hay lofts above stalls can simplify feeding
Conveniently located water spigots
Provide Trailer Storage
Designate parking areas for horse trailers and RVs. Offering hookups for power and water may appeal to show clients.
Taking the DIY Approach vs Hiring Contractors
Once you've completed all the planning and prep work, it's go time! But should you take on construction yourself or hand over the reins to professionals?
Assess Your DIY Skills
If you've built sheds or done major renovations before, a simple barn may be a reasonable DIY. But large commercial structures are best left to experienced contractors who do them day in and day out.
Be Realistic About the Timeline
Fully building a professional horse facility from the ground up can easily take a year or more with all the site work, approvals, concrete, steel erection, and finishes. Scientists have found an ice age horse skeleton. Hopefully, your building won't take eons to make but ensure your timeline is reasonable.
Professionals Get It Done Faster
Contractors have all the right equipment, materials, and manpower. They know the most efficient ways to complete each stage of the construction process and can have a building watertight in weeks.
DIY for Customization and Cost Savings
Doing it yourself means you can pick and choose every detail like stall sizes, paint colors, and door styles. You save on labor costs, though material expenses may still be high.
A Hybrid Approach is Ideal
For most equestrian builds, a collaborative combination of hired contractors and DIY on simpler tasks works well. Hand over the excavation, concrete, major structures to the pros. Handle interior finishes, fencing and landscaping yourself.
The Final Lap - Enjoy Your New Facility!
Building your own equestrian property is an enormous undertaking but so rewarding. Following the steps and considerations in this guide will set you up for success, whether you DIY the project or hire it out.
With good planning, savvy budgeting, and help from qualified equine specialists, you'll be hosting horse shows or relaxing in your private barn before you know it! Here's to many happy years caring for your beloved horses on your own land.
