As horse owners, we always work hard to create the best environments for our horses. That means we think long and hard about every decision that impacts our horses' health and safety. When it comes to the safety, one of the best places to start planning is your barn aisle.
The barn aisle is a great place to start when you want to optimize safety and efficiency in your barn. After all, your barn aisle is the main area for traffic for both horses and humans. In this article, we would like to share 4 simple tips to consider when thinking about your barn's aisle way.
Invest in a Wide Aisle
This first tip is particularly those who are building a new barn or planning construction in the future. A wider aisle will likely increase the cost of the barn building due to materials, but it is invaluable for efficiency, safety, and aesthetics.
Large barn aisle with rubber pavers.
It is common to see narrow aisles in older structures, but we always recommend a minimum aisle width of 10'-12' for private equine facilities. This recommendation, though, is driven by a number of factors. This includes your barn's overall size, the barn's purpose, the types of horses, and other factors. For example, consider a 14' to 16' wide barn if you are operating a commercial facility (i.e., training, boarding, or show venue).
Organize & Minimize
It's easy to add clutter to any barn – whether it's a personal hobby barn or a large training facility. Clutter has many forms, such as cleaning tools, tack lockers, and unhung horse blankets. If you are building a new barn, investing in a well-planned tack room, laundry room, grooming stall, and appropriate wash bays pays dividends. This ensures that each barn function has a place.
In addition, we recommend investing in storage options for your cleaning tools and horse tack. This recommendation applies to existing and new barns alike. For example, well-placed blanket bars and bridle hooks are an easy and elegant way to organize tack upon horse stall fronts.
You may also invest in well-made horse tack lockers or dedicate an extra stall for additional storage.
Invest in Quality Flooring & Drainage
We have all been in barns with slick, slippery floors as horse owners. The common denominator is often poorly laid concrete or old rubber mats that have lost their grip. Similar to your arena's footing, your horse barn's flooring is crucial to a safe environment for both horses and human handlers.
Rubber Pavers were installed into the barn's center aisle and across the aisle.
Your barn's aisle should include durable flooring that offers plenty of grip. Our strong recommendation for barn aisles is either rubber pavers or interlocking rubber mats. We recommend against straight-edge rubber mats as they shift and move. Our rubber pavers and interlocking mats will maintain their shape while offering your barn plenty of traction during wet and dry conditions.
Lastly, drainage is essential to any barn aisle, whether you have concrete floors or additional products such as rubber pavers. Regardless of the flooring, we always recommend clients place multiple drains along the aisle and any cross aisles. This will ensure that the aisle is healthy, dry, and safe.
Add Visibility Through Lighting
Visibility is key in the barn—both during the day and night. For this reason, we always recommend agriculturally rated LED lights along your barn's aisleway. Additionally, windows or Dutch Doors are a great way to bring more light into the horse stalls and aisle from the exterior. Lastly, we always recommend clients work with a general contractor, builder, or architect who can add skylights to their roofing.
Tall ceilings, ample side lighting, and chandeliers make for a well-lit barn.
This added sunlight improves visibility and promotes a healthy and clean environment.
Do you have additional questions about optimizing your barn? Our team of experts is here to help guide you every step of the way. Contact us today at (855) 957- 8255, email us at sales@americanstalls.com to schedule a sales and design consultation or complete our inquiry form.We look forward to assisting you!
