What to include in new stable build?

[tuggy]

Hi,

I am planning some new stables on my farm. At the moment there are make-shift stables that have done us for 8 years but there is no floor in them (just the earth) and mucking out is a nightmare. You can never get "all" the shit out, as the straw, poo, etc just starts mixing with the ground. I use straw as bedding, but can't deep litter well because my Clydsdale has feet like dinner plates and stirs it all up so that in the morning it needs a FULL clear out.

This is getting irritating, as well as using lots of straw and we now have money to make a change.

I've done some googling (like you do!) and lots of people talk about rubber matting. I'm very taken with this website as we are in Scotland. I would probably get 3 looseboxes (on the side of a garage/workshop my DP wants to build at the same time)

So what should I be asking for? concrete floor, this rubber matting floor, something else? The clydesdale does a lot up ... um... eliminating over night! (big bladder and bowels to empty! ;) and my requirements are:

1. minimal time mucking out
   
2. less bedding usage
   
3. good drainage so that maybe some urine goes somewhere else?? Is it possible to have a solution where maybe are there wee holes in rubber matting that the wee can do down into a drain?
   
   Anyone with any knowledge please help -or any advice (ie 'if I did my stables over again, I'd definately put in a hay manger/water bucket holder/window' type comments?)

[LisaD1]

I have 2 big stables (much bigger than usual as it means less churning around of the poo!) they have a concrete base with full rubber matting over the top. The bedding is a mix of paper (confetti sized) and shavings, I find this means waste is minimal and time is too. I literally take 15 mins each day to do the 2 stables fully. I also have haybars and just throw hay in there so no faffing with haynets. Both have a window.

Cost wise, the paper is £4.25 a bag and the shavings £7.50, I use 3 bags of paper and 1 shavings per month and that does the 2 of them. You could use less but I still like mine to look like they have a bed down.

My only "wish" would be for automatic waterer but we've never gotten around to it.

[tuggy]

Ooh thank you, automatic water, great idea. We had one but it never seemed to work. It was tiny, probably for goats or something!

[Butkin]

We have concrete bases - with drainage - and then rubber matting on top. We only have the front 1/3 matted (no bedding) and on back 2/3 we have shavings. We used to have straw but found it more economic to have all 4 on shavings as one coughs on straw, one eats it and the little ones can be picked out by hand.

We'd go for a haybar if starting from scratch but use nets on rings.

We have corner managers which can be removed for cleaning/feeding.

We don't like automatic watering systems. We've seen them in use in large yards and you have no idea how much each horse is drinking. Perhaps modern systems have monitors for this but something to question.

Just make sure the concrete flows to the drainage otherwise wet spots are a nightmare.

[cedmonds]

Hi when we had our stables built we had a concrete floor with field guard mats on the floor. We made the floor slope backwards and had drain at the back. We use a couple full of buckets of shavings in each day. All the wee drains and goes into the drains and the we just have to sweep the poo and hay we wash and disinfect once a week and pull the mats up about once a month (less in the winter)

[CailinBainne]

rubber matting is a superb timesaver

I have a dirt floor with 3 mats (covering 2/3 of the floor) then wood shavings on top

Mucking out's a doddle (though I do use the stout rubber gloves option for poo and just take out the one wet spot with a plastic snow-shovel...B&Q !!!)

If you're having concrete get it sloped and channelled for drainage.
Our floor slopes naturally as we're on a mountain :)

[shufflebum]

Definitely have drainage sloping towards the back if you can so that if you feed from the floor, your hay doesn't get mixed in with the wee!
Ventilation and windows a must, I would like to have a window at the back for extra airflow but can be shut at night so not drafty (sp)
Decent amount of hardstanding outside to tie up. Water tap and electric close by and also hay barn/tack room/storage area.

[marge2]

I must say I hated it when my horse was on rubber matting a while ago when she was on part livery at a big yard. They used it as an excuse to not provide enough bedding and her rugs became rank and piss soaked as she had to lie down on shitty wet rubber mats rather than a nice soft straw or shavings bed.

I also don't like mucking tem out as as the ones I have seen have these grooves which mean you can only scrape a shavings fork one way accross them.

[tuggy]

thank you everyone for the advice! ventilation, thats something to think of! dont want them too stinky..!

[Disasterpiece]

My ideal stables would be at least 15x15 loads of room and easier to muck out.

Be very well ventilated, ideally with a big barred window at the back with shutters/doors to close when it is very cold or windy.

Have a slight slope towards the back for drainage.

Have concrete floor and then bedding ie no rubber matting as I always think its unhygienic to have piss soaked mats in the stable.

Have taps in each stable to get water in to their buckets. Taps should be as high as possible. That way you dont have to carry heavy buckets around but you can monitor the amount of water they are drinking.

Have a half wall and bars in between each stable to provide more light, ventilation and allow interaction. Obviously this depends on your horses though.

Be built of breeze block. I dont trust wooden stables because of fires.

Be very well lit with individual switches so you dont disturb the whole yard when you only want to check one horse.

Have a hay rack fitted in to a corner as it is safer than on a flat wall.

Have somewhere safe to tie the horses up outside their own stable.

Have a rug rack outside. Handy for rugs and anything else you need to keep off the floor but to hand.

Thats all I can think of at the minute if thats any help.