Which means modifications to the modifications!
That far wall was tractor storage, with a lovely set of double doors. Now it’s wood plank siding and new metal exterior, and fence sections for two 10X10 box stalls.
During the last round of modifications, when the barn acquired a tack room, hay storage, central corral and running water, I asked why they didn’t run an electrical line while they were trenching for water pipe. D just shrugged “Meh.” So now every time he needs to drill a hole, he has to fire up his portable generator. I refrained from asking the question again today.
Since most of the barn is now open to the horse(s), there were fence sections available for expanding the outer corral. This took longer than modifying the barn, and it’s frankly starting to impinge on driving space. But what do I know? I’m not a horse lover, and my notion of ‘practical’ is not the same as theirs.
All this for the love of Coal, their lovable but quite spoiled gelding, and whomever his roomy turns out to be.
Next modification: Tear out all the siding from the rear of the barn and build a lean-to garage for the tractor. D wanted to hire me for this, but I said we should call it quid pro quo instead since I’m going to need a lot of his time for siding the Lair.
I’m trying to figure out why horses in AZ need “stalls” in a barn. Most of the horses kept here stay out in the big enclosures all year long, and only some of them even have a roof they can get under if they want to go there. I worried far more about sun than cold or rain when I had horses, but the only time mine went in under the shelter roof was to eat. That’s where the feed racks were, to protect the hay from rain.
The horses that used to be two lots down from mine would stand in the heaviest snow, just shaking it off once in a while. I seldom saw them go under the shelter they had. And I watched them do that one day when it was 20 below zero. 🙂 Horses are strange… no getting around that. I think their owners can be even stranger some times. I have experienced that. LOL
Some horses will use shelters, some won’t. In every case I’ve seen around here, though, the use of stalls has entirely to do with food aggression. Sometimes horses that get along just fine all other times will not tolerate one another unless forcibly separated when food they consider scarce and valuable, like grain or pellets, comes available. When H put Avalon in with Comet, he even tried to keep her away from the hay.
I second on the food issue. My horses tended to be defensive about it, so are my neighbor’s where I board now. I’ve had one or two that stayed out In almost all weather, others wanted to get out of the wind/bugs/rain, especially bugs. Plus it can be useful if you need to do any vet work or limit turnout time for lameness issues.