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