Horse-Barn Building Plans

Unlike a hay barn or a cow barn, a horse barn requires a very different style of building plan. Horse barns function as a home for horses; a place of exercise, equipment and food storage; a place for emergency hygiene and veterinary care; and a location for exercise. Because of this, an enormous amount of planning goes into the construction of a horse barn.

  1. Stalls

    • A stall is the basic housing unit for a horse. The more horses you have, the more stalls you need. Typically, stalls should be roomy enough for both the horse and caretaker to move around. Most plans call for a space of 14 feet by 14 feet. The door should be sturdy enough that a horse cannot escape, and secure enough that he can't injure himself. Additionally, there should be no hardware sticking out where a horse can be stuck or poked. A horse stall should also contain feed and water troughs.

    Equipment

    • In addition to housing a horse, a barn should have separate storage for equipment. Hay and grain should have one place, while tack should be stored in a separate location. You may wish to include electricity in your barn for lights and to run fans to cool the horse/s and a radio for soothing noise, as well as a refrigerator to hold medication. A loft or second floor in a gabled or gambrel-style barn is a good place to store hay and feed or to build an apartment.

    Center Aisle

    • If you have more than one stall, or an office and tack room, constructing your stalls and rooms around a center aisle is a functional way to lay out your barn. The center aisle acts as a hallway for moving horses around. This is also a good place for grooming and veterinary work. In the warm months of summer, a center aisle acts as a breezeway to cool your barn. Incorporating barn doors can keep the breeze out in the winter. An ideal size for a center aisle is 12 feet wide.

    Stable

    • For smaller structures, a smaller stable may be a more practical approach. This type of structure has no center aisle. Instead, the stalls and tack open to the exterior of the stable. Each stall can be completely closed to keep the horse safe from the weather. A covered shelter provides additional weather protection for the stalls and the door to the tack room.