A good set of loafing shed plans will go a long way to protecting your horses from harsh weather because the shed will be solid, safe and ensure a strong structure.
When building a loafing shed, you should build it using similar construction methods as you would any other shed.
This article will cover other important details regarding construction of loafing sheds.
1.
Location Choose an area that is well drained whether the shed is going to be permanent or temporary.
IF you do live in a wet area, you can prevent the floors from becoming too muddy by adding pea gravel or rubber mats.
Put the back and sides of the shelter to face the prevailing winds 2.
Walls and/or Gate Decide before starting if you want a simple run in shed or an enclosure with a gate.
You can choose both so that the animals can use it as a run in during the day and then you can stable at night.
3.
Size of Shed All sheds should be large enough to allow the horse to turn around in as well as lie down.
A general rule of thumb is to have a 100 meters squared for each average sized horse.
This is based on the measurements of most box stalls which are 10 inches x 10.
4.
Entrance Make access to cleaning easier by ensuring a tractor can get through the front.
This will help with quick mucking.
5.
Floor If you are going to stick with a dirt floor, make sure the floor is kept built up otherwise you might find it sinking and gathering water.
You can periodically add some shale.
If you decide to make a concrete floor, remember to put rubber mats down or a lot of bedding to take the stress off of the horses feet.
6.
Height of Roof Obviously you can't prevent a horse from hurting itself if it rears, but you can make sure there is enough head room so that if a horse shakes or jumps a bit it won't connect with a beam.
7.
Materials and Safety Use long wood screws when joining all the pallets together and make sure that nothing is protruding.
If you do use metal screws keep in mind that they will rust quickly and could be a cause of injury to the horse in the future.
8.
Guttering This is optional but it might be a good idea to add some guttering to the back of the shed roof.
This is because the roof will slope to the back and then any water that runs of it will run back into the shed.
Guttering can help to divert the flow of water by adding a downspout.
If you really have the extra money I would even suggest adding a gutter in the front so you or the horses don't get dripped on in heavy and continuous rain.
9.
Safety Make sure you check the shed for horse shoe nails, protruding splinters and loose parts from time to time.
Also check your horses feet if using large gravel on the floor.
Construction of this type of horse shed will be far easier if you have a detailed set of horse shed blueprints This will save you money because you can buy the materials and then have them cut at a lumbar yard.
It ends up being much cheaper than buying pre-cut materials.
When building a loafing shed, you should build it using similar construction methods as you would any other shed.
This article will cover other important details regarding construction of loafing sheds.
1.
Location Choose an area that is well drained whether the shed is going to be permanent or temporary.
IF you do live in a wet area, you can prevent the floors from becoming too muddy by adding pea gravel or rubber mats.
Put the back and sides of the shelter to face the prevailing winds 2.
Walls and/or Gate Decide before starting if you want a simple run in shed or an enclosure with a gate.
You can choose both so that the animals can use it as a run in during the day and then you can stable at night.
3.
Size of Shed All sheds should be large enough to allow the horse to turn around in as well as lie down.
A general rule of thumb is to have a 100 meters squared for each average sized horse.
This is based on the measurements of most box stalls which are 10 inches x 10.
4.
Entrance Make access to cleaning easier by ensuring a tractor can get through the front.
This will help with quick mucking.
5.
Floor If you are going to stick with a dirt floor, make sure the floor is kept built up otherwise you might find it sinking and gathering water.
You can periodically add some shale.
If you decide to make a concrete floor, remember to put rubber mats down or a lot of bedding to take the stress off of the horses feet.
6.
Height of Roof Obviously you can't prevent a horse from hurting itself if it rears, but you can make sure there is enough head room so that if a horse shakes or jumps a bit it won't connect with a beam.
7.
Materials and Safety Use long wood screws when joining all the pallets together and make sure that nothing is protruding.
If you do use metal screws keep in mind that they will rust quickly and could be a cause of injury to the horse in the future.
8.
Guttering This is optional but it might be a good idea to add some guttering to the back of the shed roof.
This is because the roof will slope to the back and then any water that runs of it will run back into the shed.
Guttering can help to divert the flow of water by adding a downspout.
If you really have the extra money I would even suggest adding a gutter in the front so you or the horses don't get dripped on in heavy and continuous rain.
9.
Safety Make sure you check the shed for horse shoe nails, protruding splinters and loose parts from time to time.
Also check your horses feet if using large gravel on the floor.
Construction of this type of horse shed will be far easier if you have a detailed set of horse shed blueprints This will save you money because you can buy the materials and then have them cut at a lumbar yard.
It ends up being much cheaper than buying pre-cut materials.
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