Constructing Your Dream Equestrian Facility: DIY or Hire a Pro?

(Photo : Sergey Makashin)

Have you ever dreamed of having your own barn and riding arena right in your backyard? As an equestrian, being able to care for your horses at home and ride anytime is an amazing convenience.

But where do you even start with such a big project? Building an equine facility requires serious planning, time, money and skills. Should you take on the challenge yourself or hire professionals? This guide will walk you through the key steps and considerations to bring your equestrian dreams to life!

Planning Out Your Perfect Facility

The first step is deciding what exactly you want to build. A professional firm such as TR Industrial has years of experience working with horse lovers. Will it just be a simple barn for boarding your own horses? Or are you looking to open a full-scale boarding stable and training facility? Here are some important factors to think about in your planning process:

Determine Your Intended Use

• Small private barn for your personal horses

• Public boarding facility and horse retirement home

• Riding school with lessons and summer camps

• Horse show and event venue

• Breeding and training operation

• Any combination of the above!

The activities you want to host will determine how much space and what kinds of structures you need. For example, an eventing barn would require large outdoor areas for cross-country jumps. A top-level dressage facility may need multiple competition-sized indoor arenas. Estimates vary, but there are possibly 3.8 million horses in the US, and they all need some kind of facility.

Choose Barn and Arena Types

• Traditional barns with stalls along an aisle

• Open-concept pole barns with runs instead of stalls

• Gambrel or gable roof styles

• Free-span clear indoor arenas

• Outdoor sand or grass arenas

You can match the barn design to your region or property aesthetics. Monitor-style barns with RCA (raised center aisle) provide great ventilation. Open-air pole barns offer freedom of movement.

Consider Your Herd Size

Scale your facilities appropriately for your number of horses. The average horse needs a minimum stall size of 12x12. You'll also need room for:

• Tack room(s)

• Feed and bedding storage

• Wash stalls

• Equipment areas

• Hay, trailer, and RV parking

• Quarantine stall

• Office space

For a commercial boarding stable, allocate 50-100 square feet per boarded horse in your barn.

Obtain Permits and Approvals

Most counties require grading permits and approvals for buildings over a certain square footage. Building code requirements vary based on your location. Be sure to comply with all rules to avoid delays or fines down the road.

Evaluate Your Soil

Work with your local NRCS office (Natural Resources Conservation Service) to analyze the soil on your potential sites. You want to avoid areas with heavy clay or excess moisture. Sandy loam soils usually provide the best drainage. This step is critical for proper base and arena footing construction.

Optimize Layout for Horses

Design your facilities with equine wellbeing as the top priority. Good ventilation, spacious stalls, safe fencing, and well-drained areas are must-haves. Place buildings to minimize horses being exposed to wind, rain, and snow on the way to the arena or pasture.

Select the Right Footing Material

Man has been riding horses for thousands of years, but some things never change. Your arena footing impacts performance and prevents injuries by providing stability, traction, and cushioning. The gold standard is a sand-based mix.

Sand Pros and Cons

Sand provides an excellent natural grip for horseshoes but requires diligent watering and drag maintenance to keep it consistent. Too little or too much moisture can make it unsafe. Make sure to use coarse, angular sand rather than smooth beach sand.

Popular Additives

Organic and synthetic mixes like shredded wood fiber, rubber, or textiles are frequently added to sand to improve properties like drainage, compaction resistance, and footing stability. Some options include:

• Shredded rubber mulch

• Felt

• Woodchips

• Coconut coir

• Crumb rubber

Depth Depends on Discipline

Recommended sand depths range from 3 to 6 inches. Shallower footing like 2-3 inches is preferred for intricate disciplines like reining and dressage. For high-speed work like racing and eventing, 5-6 inches gives needed cushioning. Start shallow and add more as needed.

Consistent Moisture Levels

Footing that is too dry or too wet loses crucial shock absorption. Use drainage techniques like crown grading and salt treatments to avoid overly wet soil. Regular dragging helps maintain consistent moisture distribution. Investing in an automated sprinkler system provides convenience and reliability.

Optimizing the Interior Layout

A well-planned interior design allows for safety, efficiency and convenience in your equine facilities.

Make It Functional for Horses

• Stalls sized appropriately for breed - miniatures need smaller spaces than draft horses

• Wide aisleways - minimum of 12 feet for safe traffic

• Ventilation - ridge vents, spaced roof turbines, cupolas

• Windows - allow natural light while avoiding drafts

Tack Rooms in Central Locations

Placing tack storage and rooms centrally between banks of stalls cuts down on distance spent walking back and forth. Multiple tack rooms may be needed for large facilities.

Feed Storage and Handling

• Separate rooms for hay, grain, and bedding reduce fire hazards

• Concrete floors easier to clean

• Built-in shelving to organize supplies

• Hay lofts above stalls can simplify feeding

• Conveniently located water spigots

Provide Trailer Storage

Designate parking areas for horse trailers and RVs. Offering hookups for power and water may appeal to show clients.

Taking the DIY Approach vs Hiring Contractors

Once you've completed all the planning and prep work, it's go time! But should you take on construction yourself or hand over the reins to professionals?

Assess Your DIY Skills

If you've built sheds or done major renovations before, a simple barn may be a reasonable DIY. But large commercial structures are best left to experienced contractors who do them day in and day out.

Be Realistic About the Timeline

Fully building a professional horse facility from the ground up can easily take a year or more with all the site work, approvals, concrete, steel erection, and finishes. Scientists have found an ice age horse skeleton. Hopefully, your building won't take eons to make but ensure your timeline is reasonable.

Professionals Get It Done Faster

Contractors have all the right equipment, materials, and manpower. They know the most efficient ways to complete each stage of the construction process and can have a building watertight in weeks.

DIY for Customization and Cost Savings

Doing it yourself means you can pick and choose every detail like stall sizes, paint colors, and door styles. You save on labor costs, though material expenses may still be high.

A Hybrid Approach is Ideal

For most equestrian builds, a collaborative combination of hired contractors and DIY on simpler tasks works well. Hand over the excavation, concrete, major structures to the pros. Handle interior finishes, fencing and landscaping yourself.

The Final Lap - Enjoy Your New Facility!

Building your own equestrian property is an enormous undertaking but so rewarding. Following the steps and considerations in this guide will set you up for success, whether you DIY the project or hire it out.

With good planning, savvy budgeting, and help from qualified equine specialists, you'll be hosting horse shows or relaxing in your private barn before you know it! Here's to many happy years caring for your beloved horses on your own land.