# Building a stable yard from scratch - any advice?



## kit279 (24 December 2009)

I'm trying to do a rough estimate for how much it would cost me to put in stables and a hard standing yard.  I'm of the school of thought that thinks 'do it once and do it well' so I'd like them to be smart and prepared to pay accordingly.  The land is sandy and well draining but will need levelling (can find someone reliable to do this so not a problem).

I'm leaning towards breeze-block type stables but probably not an American barn type.  Can anyone tell me how much they cost to do compared to the wooden types?  Would I need an architect or can I just contract to a builder? Also how much would it cost to do the groundwork properly? What sort of a base do concrete stables require as opposed to wood stables?

The most important thing is to find the kind of building contractor that can build with horses in mind - can anyone recommend a company that could do this?  I'm based in East Anglia but would hire from further afield if really good.

Any advice and experiences welcome! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Thank you!


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## ofcourseyoucan (24 December 2009)

make sure you make it bigger than you think.stables(as big as yyou can ), feed room, tack room, rug room/misc store, hay bedding store, toilet always good. dig your water in deep so it doesnt freeze (i would also put a tracer cable on pipes too if starting from scratch!!) good lighting, and overhangs are a godsend summer and winter! wouldnt bother with top doors as rarely if ever used. good drainage is very desirable, i would also like clear panels in the roof for extra daylight in boxes. a wash box with infra red lights is really useful (and can double as a stable if it has to. grills in the walls so ponios can see each other (less blocks!) what a lovely thing to plan and build. enjoy.


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## maybedaisy (24 December 2009)

Have you considered part breezeblock, part wood ?

The stable company in yorkshire work all over the country and helped our yard owner with plans for planning permission. They do some really nice looking buildings and can provide contact details for people to lay the base etc.

http://www.thestablecompany.com/?gclid=CK277Y7n754CFUQA4wodx0iCIA


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## seabiscuit (24 December 2009)

Horse Requisites at Newmarket built the yard and the stables for the racing yard that I worked at, and also the yard where I kept my horses ( so youv'e seen their stables!)
Apparently they build/design a lot of the racing/pro yards in the area, so well worth giving them a call
http://www.horserequisites.co.uk/

Is this the stud?


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## Fiona (24 December 2009)

If you don't want an american barn, then I would suggest a very deep overhang as its so useful to be able to tie up etc under cover and for brushing the yard etc.  Lots of light (either with roof panels or windows) as thats def the worst thing about our stables - not enough natural light.

I saw a lovely little barn the other day - 4 boxes (2 each side of a wide corridor), wooden bottom half with grid upper half, and sliding doors,  with enough space at the entrance to keep mucking out tools and a big round bale of haylage.  Just looked really well thought out.

Tack room/feed room was next door.

Fiona

Fiona


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## CBFan (25 December 2009)

Make sure you put in plenty of drainage - even though the land is well draining, the amount of water a typical yard produces from emptying water buckets, hosing horses and soaking haynets etc is astronomical!

Consider american barn type stabling as it makes mucking out and keeping you and your horses dry so much easier. there is obviously always somewhere dry for farrier etc. if you do go for this option, put drainage chanels throughout and avoid narrow corridors.

Make sure your taps (and I'd sugest more than one) are well insulated, with pipework running inside buildings for extra insulation...

keep everything in close proximity to eachother, except, obviously hay barn..


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## henryhorn (25 December 2009)

Having both types nothing would sway me away from the barn system. 
Ours are in a wooden slatted building and it's wonderful to muck out fill nets etc all under cover. 
I built a yard for my former riding school as you described and laid used bricks to save the cost of the concrete. That is a huge amount for esentially a slab. We just put a thin layer over the bricks and 25 years later it's still perfect.
My Dad sloped my stables to the front at one side and added a shallow channel outside to take water away, if you won't go American barn then breeze block is your best option, though they can be very cold as they seem to hold the temperature. 
We bought used building site sheds for two sides of the yard and Dad cut doorways in and built partitions. Very cheap way to do it. 
The other side was new wooden stables and they were rubbish compared to the plastic ones you can now buy, they suffered kick damage and rotted at the bottom over time too.
I would suggest looking at what IAE can offer, their stables are so tough and solid and the plastic appears like wood to the eye.
Base wise you need a stable wall of block/brick at least 9 inches to stand your wooden stables on, you could have nothing inside but rubber on a base of stone if money was tight, but best really is to do the entire slab of concrete.
We had to fill in our indoor yard here with concrete which was about 27m x 15m, it took an enormous amount but that gives a huge gap in the middle for grooming etc. 
I agree if external boxes do a huge overhang.
The first thing you must get is planning permission, and for that you need good drawings. The bonus of using movable stabling against block is if you move you could take them with you.
We used a local chap with a digger to build our arena, he just did as we suggested.
The builder doing the house did the stableyard, once you have a base the portable type are easy to erect, you just need to fasten them into the concrete with huge bolts for stablility.
I would seriously think again about the barn system, it's so much easier to erect, just stick up your shed than add the internal partitions. 
Cost wise no-one can give you a proper idea as you haven't said how many boxes/sizes etc.


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## Blanche (26 December 2009)

If you bring horses in in summer during the day to get out of the flies and heat then be very wary of roof lights . I have known horses suffer very serious heat problems  from standing under roof lights with sun constantly beating down on them and not being able to move out of the way in the stable .


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