What to Look For On A Horse Property – From A Horse’s Point of View – Part I
I’m sure you have heard others inform you what you should look for when searching for a for horse property. Now, did anyone ever think of asking a horse as to what the barn and property should be like?
Well, here it is! I have been communicating with my Thoroughbred, Text Edition, better known as Eddie at the barn, and I found out from him what you should be looking for as far as horse property.
I will do my best to explain to you what an ideal horse property is from a horse’s perspective. It will be divided into 3 parts. (Otherwise, this will end up as a book.) This part will cover the barn, stalls and basically the buildings for the horses. Part II will cover the pastures and turnout areas. Part III will be about fencing. Now remember, this is straight from the horse’s mouth.
OK, here goes:
“When I go into a barn, I should be able to see neatness. If there is clutter in the aisles, I can possibly get hurt maneuvering through the obstacles. All the tools, tack and feed should be in its place. OK, I admit, I’d love to have the grain and hay just laying out in front of me so I can munch any time I want to, but I know that I will get a belly ache if I do. So, you need to make sure there is a place to store the hay and feed out of my reach, in a dry area, closed up so I’m not tempted to break into the feed for a midnight snack.
“The building itself should be sturdy. I’m pretty strong and sometimes I don’t realize how strong I am. The structure should be able to stand up to lots and lots of weight. (My mom, Brigita, tells me it should hold up to at least 2 tons of weight, whatever that means.)
“I like to have my stall big enough that I am not cramped, so that if I would like to lay down or take a nice roll in the bedding, I can do it without worry of getting stuck. I’m a pretty big horse so a tiny stall would not do me any good.
“My stall should also be safe for me to be in. Make sure there are no pointy things sticking out of the walls that I can get hurt on. Also, be sure that the boards are securely on because I do like to have some privacy at times. Don’t want to have my neighbor popping in when I’m eating or snoozing. I do not enjoy sharing my meal with my neighbor. Oh, and yes, the boards should not have big spaces between them where I can get my foot stuck. I like to play and I may accidentally kick the wall and if there is a large enough space to put my foot through, chances are good that it will happen. So, please no spaces between the boards.
“The floors should have good footing and rather level. Wouldn’t want to slip and fall or end up with foot problems because of too hard of a floor. A dirt floor or rubber mats on the floor are good with nice soft bedding on top. It makes it more comfortable to lay down.
“The barn needs to be draft free, but not tightly sealed so that air can circulate. I would hate to be in a drafty barn or a stuffy barn during the cold winter months. I could end up sick and then the vet would have to be called in. I do not like the vet. He tends to stick these pointy things into me, pokes around all over my body and even looks in my mouth. Yuk! So, do make sure the barn is not drafty. I think we all would be happier if it isn’t.
“Make sure there is access to water nearby at ALL times. I love to drink water quite often. If there is no water nearby, I will be watching you bring bucketfuls from your house. Whenever I see people lugging water for long distances, especially in the winter, they start yelling these weird words I’ve never heard. It does tend to be amusing from my point of view. Love to get a horse laugh in!
“I get very bored standing in my stall for hours. (I have to admit I get bored very easily.) So make sure that I am able to see the goings on around my stall. I am very curious and love to watch everyone and everything around me. Sometimes it tends to get rather amusing.”
This pretty much covers the barns according to Eddie. Hope you learned something. In my next post, part two, Eddie will talk about pastures and turnout.