Safe Stabling On A Shoestring

I was talking to a non-horsey person a couple weeks ago, and they commented that their property is zoned for horses and that if building a barn wasn't so expensive they would love to get a pony for their kids. As we all know, building a barn would be only the beginning of the slippery financial slope of horse ownership. Between that and the fact that no one in the family has any horse experience I cautioned her against the backyard pony dream.

I thought back to a few years ago when someone mentioned their neighbor's crazy plan to keep a horse in a 8'x10' Tuff Shed they'd gotten at Home Depot. Then I thought about all the fancy barns I'd seen in the past. Ones that were certainly beautiful, but likely cost a significant amount more than they needed to. So, I got to thinking about what was the minimum for building a safe and effective shelter for a backyard horse? I did some internet searches (what did we do before Google?) and put together something I think would be both affordable and safe for the horse.

Note: I have not worked with barns2go nor have I seen any of their products in person. The products sound solid from the description given on the company's website. They are also one of the few companies that give prices on their website. There are many other companies that would be my preference if I were to go ahead and build because of reputation and location, but for the purposes of this post I used the barns2go products.

Materials:

• All Steel Premier Shed Row Barn -http://barns2go.com/product_info.php?cPath=88_100&products_id=457 $2,295
• 4 Premium Horse Corral Panels 12 Foot Length - http://barns2go.com/product_info.php?cPath=83&products_id=325 $580
• 1 Premium Horse Corral Combo Panel Gate 12 Foot Length, 6 Foot Height http://barns2go.com/product_info.php?cPath=83&products_id=327 $370
• 6 Dyno Extreme Duty Interlocking EVA Stall Mats http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_equine_supplies-ft1_equine_flooring_wall;pg108730.html $420
• 2 15 Gallon Water Troughs (1 as a Feeder, 1 as a Waterer) - http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=8031&cm_vc=Search $56

What you end up with is a 12x12 covered stall (or run in if you leave the door open) with a 24'x12' attached run (because I think all horses should have at least a little room to stretch their legs and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine). There would be additional costs for shipping, ground prep, additional hardware, and construction that would vary depending upon location and how much you have and can do yourself. But total cost of all of the above comes to $3,721.

Most horses cost many times this, and vet bills from poorly constructed stabling and corrals can be thousands of dollars an incident. Safe fencing and shelter is a requirement for a healthy horse. That doesn't mean it has to be elaborate or overly expensive.