Design the Stable for You & Your Horse

01.28.2011
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by Matt
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0 Comments
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The design of a stable can have a huge impact on your horse’s health.

Horses can injure themselves in ways you’d never think of while in what seems like the relative safety of their stalls. And you can actually injure yourself in a poorly designed barn and stable.

There are solutions.

How many times have you visualized your dream stable? Have you even drawn it? Discussed it with an architect? Many of our clients have. The process then becomes getting that dream onto paper so we can engineer and construct it for you.

If you have a hard time visualizing from architectural drawings, we have tools to help. One of the most effective and efficient is Google SketchUp. We can render a 3-D model of your stable, rotate it to any angle, and even walk you through it virtually on the computer screen.

SketchUp allows us to project how sun angles work with the structure on the site and to show you views from the stable interior. If you want to hold something in your hands, we can build a scale model of your future stable.

Your vision of the stable will guide the design style, materials, fittings, and equipment used in construction. Some horse-folks are just looking for a practical place to house their horses. Others want the barn and stable to make a statement. Either way, your health and that of your horse must be considerations in the planning.

Unhealthy air due to poor natural ventilation can cause respiratory problems for both humans and horses. Of course, your horse is going to spend more time in the stable than you are and can also take in more dust and germs in a single breath than you can.

Being careful to eliminate sharp edges is a no-brainer. Horses get restless in a stable, especially during long winter stays, and they move around in that confined space. Unseen injuries can become infected. It’s better to eliminate the likelihood of injury in the design phase.

There is more to fire-hazard elimination than keeping the dust down and properly wiring your barn. The materials you use are important but so is a design that allows quick and easy egress if any problem should occur that requires evacuation of your horses.

Whether we are designing and building your barn and stable or your having it done by another company, be sure to raise questions of health and safety with your architect. Make them explain to you why the specific design and details that they’re proposing are good for you and your horses. They should welcome your tough questions as an informed horse owner and client. If not, look for another contractor.

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