Tuesday, March 1, 2011

My Future Barn: Part 4

Here are some other random amenities that my "ideal" barn might have.

Fly Control

I would liket to have fans in my barn to increase air flow which will keep horses cooler and healthier and also reduce the number of flies. One option is the Big Ass Fans, which crack me up every time I hear about them.



Another option is smaller, multiple fans that can be placed directly above stalls.




I also like the idea of putting clear plastic strips up in doorways to prevent a lot of flies from getting in. Not sure how practical this would be though because while it would go in all the doorways from the stall to the turnout, it wouldn't be realistic to put it in the entrance to the barn. I had no idea plastic would be so expensive before taking a look at these!


Ag Flex Fly Curtain



















Something else I would like to investigate further is automatic fly misting setups. I'm not sure I would want to be spraying all those chemicals all over everything, but I hate flies and I'm sure everyone would be more comfortable. Fly predators might be a cheaper, more healthful solution.

Return to Shoo Fly Automatic Insect Control System Homepage


Arena

 I don't really know a lot about what I want for an arean except that I want it to be big and light.

Here are some amazing arenas. Does anyone want to donate one to me?







Wash Rack

I really would like to have a waterproof area for the wash rack, so a material like PolyMax is necessary.

Building Materials - PolyMax Plastic Wallboard - PolyMax Board

Also, I want a spray boom! I've never been at a barn that had one, but it would be so much easier to wash horses without the hose getting tangled in thier legs and getting stepped on.



Inset shelving is another must. I've seen this in barns before and it makes a lot of sense. Shampoos and other supplies can be stored in the wash room, but because it is tucked into the wall you won't have any trouble with the horse bumping into external shelving or bottles set on the floor. This is a human home example, but something similar could be applied to a wash stall.



Dream Items

A hotwalker or treadmill. Way out of my range, but maybe I could do rehab as a job once I become a veterinarian. Then I could probably get one of these :)




Resources

A great place to get a lot of barn equipment is FarmTek.

This is a great article about designing a barn.

Dream Barn website has a lot of information.

3 comments:

  1. mmmm lovely barn
    We use Fly predators and they really work out great. Of course, where I board, they are great about picking up 2x a day so that is a huge help too.

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  2. Good to know. I absolutely *hate* flies. It doesn't help either that my other horse Jazz is overly sensitive to them so they just make me and my ponies miserable. I plan on trying those fly predators eventually...

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