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By Ron Petracek
 Horse people spend countless hours managing
their horse facilities. Who doesn't dream of living on the perfect user-friendly
farm? It would certainly give all of us a lot more time to enjoy riding! Think
it's impossible? It's not! We are going to help you take the steps to create a
farm you, and your horses, can really live with.
But don't reach for the hammer and nails quite yet. The
most important part of planning the perfect facility is considering a few
important factors first. These factors are:
' Budget. Determine a price range before you start
building.
' Needs. Are you a large-scale breeder or do you run a
small hunter-jumper barn? Obviously one's priorities are going to be different
from the other's. Make three lists: what you can't live without, what it would
be nice to have if you've got a few pennies left over, and what you would have
if you won the lottery.
When coming up with your plan, you'll want to consider
your barn, your pastures, and your fencing. If you plan on having extras like an
arena you'll want to think about them during the planning phase as well.
The Barn
There are as many barns as there are horse people! What
will your barn be like? Well, it goes without saying that it will be warm, dry,
well-ventilated, well-lit, and well-drained. Where you go from there depends
upon how many horses you need to stable, the purpose of the stable, and how you
like your stable run.
You will need at least as many 12 x 12 stalls as you have
horses. If you have a breeding facility and want to accommodate mares and foals,
you'll want your stalls to be larger. If you are a show horse barn a wash stall
where you can wash, groom, and clip your horse might rank quite high on your
list. A facility that specializes in instruction might benefit from a heated
tack room with viewing area. If you have staff an office, kitchen, and bathrooms
might be necessary. At any rate, you get the picture! Plan you barn with the way
you intend to use it in mind.
How you lay out your barn will depend upon your
lifestyle, as well as your philosophies on horsekeeping. If you are not home
during the day, you may want your barn's stalls to open up to individual
paddocks. If you have a large facility you may find that automatic waterers and
feeders really cut down on your time. If you have a lot of traffic to your farm
in the form of vets, feed trucks, and farriers, you will want them to be able to
access your barn, and horses, as easily as possible.
 Pastures
How much pasture do you need? The answer to that
questions depends upon how many horses you have, as well as how often you turn
them out. Horses who live outside 24/7 will need more pasture area that horses
who receive a limited amount of turnout per day.
How should you set your pasture up? Again, that depends
upon what your facility is used for. If you own only mares and geldings, one or
two pastures may suffice. If you have stallions you will obviously need one
pasture per stallion, and those with mares and foals will also need special
enclosures. Your turnout areas should always be equipped with shelter and a
fresh water supply. Depending upon your circumstances and geographical location,
you may determine that automatic waterers and heating elements are priorities.
Fencing
Rule number one: fencing must be safe! Once you've gotten
used to that idea, the fencing you choose will be dependent upon your budget,
personal preference, and how much time you are willing to spend on its upkeep.
Wire electric fencing is the least expensive but also the least aesthetically
pleasing. It requires moderate upkeep. Wooden fencing is beautiful, but is more
expensive than wire and requires significant upkeep. PVC fencing has the beauty
of wood and little or no upkeep, but it costs significantly more than wood.
Now that you've determined your budget and needs, you are
ready to really start planning a user-friendly farm. Our final piece of advice?
Get out there and look at facilities with needs and interests similar to yours,
and not what you like and don't like about them. Good luck building your
user-friend facility!
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