For most horse owners, having their horses at home in their backyard is the ultimate dream come true. Finding good boarding barns can be a challenge, and nothing can beat the convenience of being able to walk into your backyard to tack up your horse. But for many people, building a barn on their own is a big, often years-long process when it comes to planning, saving, and finally starting construction.

For Karen Rudolph of Frost Hill Farm Miniatures in Hampstead, New Hampshire, the journey of building her own barn began years before actual construction started. Karen has owned horses for 38 years, starting with hunters and moving on to Quarter Horses, but has always had a "small equine" in the mix.  She has owned and shown miniatures for about 12 years, so she wanted her miniature horse barn to be comfortable and functional for both horses and people. Explains Karen, “I’ve kept volumes of magazine articles and clippings and photos and all the things I wanted to include in my ‘dream barn.’ The great thing about waiting so long is that I knew exactly what I wanted, and what I didn’t want, in my barn.”

When planning out your dream barn, the more research that you've done into barns, the better. This includes reading articles and blog posts on barn building, visiting friends’ barns to decide what features you like and don’t like, and talking with barn building professionals about the potential challenges and decisions that you will face. Just because you won’t be able to actually build your barn for a few years doesn’t mean that that time has to go to waste – use it for planning and deciding on just what you want to have in your barn.

If you’re still on the fence about whether building a barn is right for you at this time in your life, then be sure to talk to people who have made the decision to build their own barns. Find out what was difficult, what they enjoy, and what they wish they had done differently.

When you decide to begin the process of building your barn, nothing is more important than finding excellent people to work with. You will want your builder to be experienced in building horse barns, since they present their own unique set of necessities and challenges. Additionally, since you’re putting such effort and time into creating a barn that you want to last, you will also want to be sure that the stall components that you put into it are of the highest quality, are built to last, and, most importantly, are constructed with your horses’ safety as a top priority.

Karen’s barn building experience was made easier by working with Classic Equine Equipment. “Beautiful stall fronts were TOP on the list for me. Miniatures tend to find places to hurt themselves (rough edges, large ‘hoof-size’ openings), and I researched every stall maker on the market. Classic Equine Equipment was exactly what I was looking for.” If you know just what you want in your barn, you can ensure that the barn is built to match your dreams.

While actually building your barn might still be years away, you can start the process now. Dream, plan, and envision what your perfect barn would look like. Think about what you would want a day of caring for your horses to consist of – what would make it easier? What would make your horses healthier and more comfortable?

Have you been sketching out your dream barn on napkins and the backs of envelopes? Do you drool over a freshly swept barn aisle of clean, elegant horse stalls? Then it might be time to let Classic Equine Equipment help you bring your dream barn to life.

 

Image Source: www.frosthillfarmminiatures.com

Original Source: Bringing Your Horses Home

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