Welcome !
|
Welcome ! |
|
Got a comment?
|
My farm I bought a ten acre farm for the horses in autumn 2002. Since then I have been busy fencing and planting trees. My next project is to provide shelter, electricity and water, which I hope to have in place before winter 2003, so the horses can move out and I can have the comfort of electricity during the dark evenings. I need advice on how to lay out the yard so as to provide maximum shelter and ease and flexibility of use for the buildings. Email your thoughts to me. Free invitation to official opening is up for grabs for best design! Monaghan is drumlin country - little hills are the characteristic, and it is recommended that farm buildings should have wagon roof (round) to fit in with the landscape. Planning laws in Monaghan permit the building of agricultural sheds without planning permission, providing the sheds are under a certain size: - no one animal shed can have a floor area larger than 200m sq - the floor area of all animal sheds combined must not exceed 300m sq - storage sheds must not exceed 300 m sq each, or 900 m sq in total Here is a map of the farm. I have arranged it so that the top of the map corresponds to
North. The farm is exposed to winds from the south east and south, but has good shelter to
the top five sections from the north, east and west. I have outlined the site
I have selected for building the yard in red. The dotted line marks the lane, and the
divisions on the fields no longer apply, as those hedges were removed some time in the
past. Here are some more details to help you work out what I need: Basic requirements: Storage: Burglar proof, weather & vermin proof, High enough for stacking hay & horsebox. Wide & high door with inset small door. Concrete, hardwearing floor. Easy access, close to horses' shed. Some shelves, hooks etc for storing equipment. Space for feed bin. Water tap, sink & power source. Block walls to min 6 ft. Clear sheets in roof to allow some daylight. Wagon roof to fit with landscapeLoose shed: Large enough for 3 horses to move around each other freely. At least 2 exits, double width, to allow horses to escape at high speed without risk. If more than 2 exits are poss, doors should be installed on each wall, so that they may be opened/closed to suit the prevailing wind Fitted out for hay & water ( min 2 outlets for each) & electricity. Earth floor, deep, mixed with Aquamax or similar to increase absorbency. Block walls to min 6 ft, louvered sheeting to roof. Clear sheets in roof to allow some daylight. Wagon roof to fit with landscape Stables Three looseboxes, one foaling size Situated in such a way as to be accessible from the yard, but also with the option of entrance to the foaling box directly from the field, so that a mare & foal might have access without having to mix with the other horses. Fitted out with revolving feed bin, & for hay & water & electricity Note: The above may be provided in one building, or as three separate buildings. Yard: Room to turn jeep & trailer, and to store some round bales in a corner. Surface level & free-draining, of a material which will be easy on the horses' feet as they may hang around in it a lot in winter. Should provide access to 3 areas: lane, long meadow, paddock at yard. If poss, should have double gate, long enough to contain jeep & trailer. Should provide maximum shelter for horses in all weather. Outdoor tap & light. Entrance as secure as possible Other: Underground tank for wash water. Muck heap, earthen base, divided in three. On lower level than yard, but not situated where groundwater may collect. Accessible from yard and by tractor for emptying, but far enough away from horses sheds to minimise Chinny's exposure to midges etc. To be covered by carpet to keep dry for composting. Situation of Farm:10 acres, divided into two fields, A & B, and small orchard C A: long meadow, 6 acres approx, sloping gently downhill from the entrance. Also slight right to left slope back towards entrance Access via gate in left hand corner. Moving entrance would necessitate laying pipe across drain between field and lane. B: hill field, 4 acres approx. Slopes down to the lane, worst of hill was taken away by previous owner, leaving a very high bank and hedge surrounding all sides except along lane. Aspect: farm faces south south east, and has great views from the hill field across the drumlin country With the hill protecting field B and the top of A from north and north west winds, and other hills protecting most of B to the south and east, the most exposed field is A, with little cover from the south and east Horse Management:3 horses, kept out year round in 1 herd, used to having 24 access to a communal shelter. 1 horse has sweet itch, so buildings should not be too close to hedges or water & manure heap must be carefully situated Sometimes it is necessary to put horses in separate stables (farrier, box rest, foaling etc), so also require 3 stables In order to enable the yard to be used by 2 herds (eg mare & foal to the stable, and rest of herd to the loose shed), separate access at least one stable must be possible from the field (a paddock can be fenced as necessary)
|
