System Solutions Guide

After many years of hard work and saving,
your dream of owning a horse farm has
come true - acres of pure heaven. No
matter the size, every farm has its own
unique qualities and attributes. Whether
you are a pleasure rider with one horse
or a breeder with an entire herd, you
are sure to have questions about how to
build or remodel your farm to best suit
the needs of you and your horses.
Organization is the key. Plenty of
research, planning and budgeting will
ensure your farm has all the amenities
that you desire and will help to avoid
unwanted financial surprises.
The first step is to begin developing a
list of your requirements. Remember to
keep it simple. Brainstorm, visit other
farms and do some research to figure out
what major items you envision for your
farm. Some things to consider when
developing your list are:
• Barn: Number of stalls required and
other desired options such as a tack
room, feed room, viewing lounge,
wash stall, and storage
• Turnout: Number of paddocks and
pastures required
• Water: Automatic or Manual – pasture
•
and/or barn
Riding Areas: Number of Outdoor
riding rings, Indoor area, Track,
Round Pen or Horse Exerciser
• Outdoor Shelter – Run-In Sheds
• Manure storage location, removal
• Hay Storage
• Parking
• Farm Equipment Storage – tractors,
wagons, spreaders, etc.
Once you have created your list, the next
step is to develop your farm layout and
begin to choose the location of the items
on your list. Keep in mind the following
when starting to design your layout:
• Weather, Sun and Wind conditions
– this will affect the location of your
PLA N N I N G TO BU I L D
barn, shelters, outdoor riding rings,
etc.
• Convenient access to riding areas
and paddocks from the barn
• Soil conditions: Drainage - high traffic
areas may require soil stabilization
• Nutrient Management: Storage of
manure
• Hay Storage:
building
Barn loft or Out-
Next, it’s down to the finer details to
determine the types of products you
require to meet your needs and your
budget. It is extremely important to
research the cost of each type of product,
the equipment required, as well as any
installation fees. Here are some of the
items you will need to research.
Barn
Planning is the key to constructing a barn
that is safe, easy to maintain with an
efficient layout, is aesthetically pleasing
and, importantly, fulfills the dream you
have in mind.
• General Construction – style, roof,
ventilation
• Barn doors – sliding, dutch
• Barn security - door latches
• Stall type and design
• Stall flooring
• Stall watering system
• Stall feeders – hay, grain
• Stall Window grills
• Barn aisle flooring
• Barn lighting & ventilation
• Tack room design – lockers, saddle
racks, bridle rack, cleaning station
• Wash stall flooring
• Wash stall lighting – heat lamp
Paddocks & Pastures
Fencing is a very
important part of any
horse farm. It keeps
your horses where
you want them and
away from harm. The
large cost of properly
building a fence can
cause some people
to lose sight of the
fences primary function and choose the
least expensive route. While it doesn’t
have to break the bank, doing it right
the first time will be compensated later
with increased safety and peace of mind
and will also decrease maintenance costs
substantially.
• Number of horses in each paddock
or pasture
• Number of gates required on each
paddock or pasture
• Type of fencing
• Type and size of gates
• Watering system
• Shelter, run-in sheds
• High traffic areas
Riding Rings & Arenas
This is where you will spend the
majority of your time with your horses
and is essential that you provide a safe
environment for exercising and riding.
• Outdoor Riding Rings – number,
style, size, footing, type of fencing,
gates
• Round-pen/Horse Exerciser – size,
style, footing
• Track – footing, fencing/rail
• Indoor area – style, size, footing,
doors, lighting
Nutrient Management
Contact the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food for an up-to-date report on
the Nutrient Management Act and the
requirements for your size of facility
Equipment
The equipment that
you will need to
operate and maintain
your horse farm
depends upon how
big or small your
facility and budget
is. Smaller farms
may only need a small lawn tractor and
a trailer cart, while larger facilities may
require much bigger and more extensive
equipment.
• Tractor – bucket, hay fork, mower
• Manure Spreader
• Riding Ring Footing Conditioner
• Chain Harrow
• Dump Carts
• Box Blade or Grader Blade
• Bush Hog
Your final stage is to establish an
implementation plan. Not many farm
owners can afford to create their dream
all at once. Decide what parts of your
list are most essential and work out a
detailed schedule to complete your list
as time and budget permits.
System Fencing has many qualified
representatives that can assist you
at all stages of planning your new or
remodeled farm. Please contact System
Fencing today to let us help you make
your dream a reality!
Shop on-line 24/7: www.systemfence.com
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