Purchasing horse fencing & housing?

Question

Is is usually better/more cost efficient to look for someone local or to purchase from a well-known good national brand? I'm looking into possibilities for horse stabling (want 1-3 stalls, with some storage, just something small) as well as fencing (high tensile or similar seems to be the most cost efficient currently... has anyone used this? http://02a8721.netsolstores.com/finishlinesafemonofilamenthorsefence.aspx)

So if you know of any good national brands/stores/companies to begin looking that would be great. I need something that's well built but don't need anything special...

(and i'm not quite sure of my zoning laws/how much fencing i need yet, i'm just beginning my basic BASIC search and want to find some companies to just consider for now.)

Answer 1

I dont know much about the brands but I do have these tips:

1. always make sure the fencing and housing i secure

2. get stable doors with hinges that will open 180 degrees

3. electric fencing works miracles. if you have horse that loves to jump the fence put this 1m inside the fence and the problem is solved. It is also easy to make different shapes etc with

4. dont buy something that  looks flimsy just because its cheap

5. dont spend too much just because the manufacturer says its amazing

6. get somebody who actually knows what they're doing to put up the stables, rather than a messy DIY job

7. always think; is this safe for my horse? Its amazing what they can hurt themselves etc on

Answer 2

Living in New England I'd think a shed row barn is NOT what you're going to need.  Probably a 4 stall barn with an aisle way and over hang in front of the barn would help, especially during the winter months because you can keep your tack/feed in the extra stall away from the elements.

As for fencing, your site didn't load.  :(  A 5 board, 5' fence would probably be the best.

Some of the barn manufacturers like Barn Masters, M&D, etc are better known and should have local reps in your area.  That way if you have an installation or product problem, you can contact someone close by to take a look at the issue instead of having to track down the manufacture's rep.

Answer 3

Hey! well the fence I'm using LOOKS just like this

http://02a8721.netsolstores.com/treatedw...

and i evem have the same white poly wire

it's actually a really good horse fence because the wire will give up to 1,000lbs!! so if your horse falls over or trips on the fence it wont break.. the horse will just fall on it get back up and be tangle, and scratch free...

it's really well priced too!

my neighbors have a 20,000$ dollar wood fence, it's really really pretty!! but it's a horrible horse fence... because the wood is rotting in places, and the horses lean against it and the panels or wood slots pop out of place and the whole side of the fence falls over.. this has happened twice already and we had to put there horses in my pasture while they were fixing the fence lol so yeah

it's not the pretties but it's the hardiest!

and maintenance free!

it took us about 4 months to finally decide on this fence and we're very happy with it.

now we're just looking in to getting a barn the same type as you too... i know pole barns are cheaper but they don't last a long... we almost got a pole barn abut 2 months ago but decided against it..

good luck with your search!!

Answer 4

Check your local area for qualified barn contractors.

Before I built my barn I spent a lot of years wishing for a real barn and listening to stories other people told of problems with their barns.   There are several things I insisted on because of potential disasters...

The walls between the stalls must go all the way to the floor...

    a friend had a horse that layed down and put his head under the wall into the next stall, panicked and died.

The exterior walls must be built in such a way that if the unthinkable should happen and a horse should die inside the barn then I won't have to tear down the entire barn to get him out.

There should be no sharp protrusions, nails, screws, etc.  I would not even think of using metal siding on the exterior.  I used only horse safe products.  I can't count how many friend's horses got gouges and gashes from nails and metal siding and other sharp objects INSIDE the barn!

Since I live in the southern US I made sure that my barn has good ventilation - the roof is 12' tall and peaked...the walls don't go all the way to the roof so there is a 1 and 1/2 foot space under the roof.  There is a 2' overhang so water drains away from the barn and wind cannot push rain in.

The stalls should be big enough - at least 12'x12'

Study the place you will be putting your barn - how does the soil drain?  does that spot get muddy and stay that way?  if so choose another spot.

Situate your barn in such a way as to take advantage of weather patterns.  If you have storms that typically come from the North then you don't want to put your openings on that side of the barn.  If you want to take advantage of morning or afternoon sun then study the place you want to put your barn to choose the most advantageous situation for your barn.

When you get ready to do your fencing - make sure you include access to your barn.  It is a major pain in the butt to have to halter and lead horses to the field every day.  Additionally make sure that should a horse escape from the barn they are still enclosed behind fencing.  

Make your barn doors or gates in such a way that horses can not open them.  You don't want a horse breaking into the feed room for any reason.  I do not keep my feed in my barn for that reason.  It is in a totally separate area not accessible to horses.

I live in middle Georgia and use electric wire, have used it for 16 years with very few problems.  Once a horse knows it is there and what it will do very few will test it again.

BTW - The perfectly horse safe barn has never been built yet but if you listen to other's stories of how their horses got hurt you can at least think to avoid those hazards if possible.

Fence as much pasture as you can afford to fence.  Make sure you have at least one14' gate that a tractor can get into in your pasture.  If you will only be having regular size horses you can get away with a three strand electric wire.  When designing the layout of your pasture incorporate the barn access and if you have enouth acerage spilt it into more than one field.

Answer 5

I went through the research process you are going through now not that long ago.

I checked out every shed-row-barn, pre fab types...offered everywhere.  I ended up hiring a contractor locally and built my own, using specs for horses that I'd gathered from my research.  I got way more for my money that way...and I had bids from several contractors before I chose the one I ended up with.  Know what you want and bid it out....it's the best way.

I also put in a drainage system that I would recommend to anyone planning a run in...and would be happy to share that info with you.  Last year, when everyone around us was under water, my system kept my horses dry.

For fence, all things considered, we ended up with horsewire mesh...no electric....for a multitude of reasons including cost efficiency.  So, you need someone else to comment on high tensile.