PREPARING FOR HORSES

[inveresk]

Here's another response to the call for projects . . . .

This past year we've been engaged in two projects - renovating a cottage on our property which was the original farmhouse built in 1928, and preparing the property for my wife's horses. To get the place horse, ready I had to finish the stables (the envelope of which I built in 2007 when I built the barn/office/workshop), clear woodland and level for a riding ring, paddock and corral and build the necessary fences. Here are some shots of the completed projects. I don't have much work in progress shots.

First shot shows the stables and corral in front. I used cedar snake fencing here because we're into rock and driving posts is hard, and also because the kitchen window looks onto this area so something that satisfied aesthetics as well as being functional was preferred.

Second shot is Lucy looking into the corral from the paddock.

Third shot is Lucy in part of the paddock. We are on the water so Trincomali channel and Galliano island beyond are in the distance.

Last shot is the wife, the farrier and a family friend outside the stables.

 

[inveresk]

These shots are of the trail up to the ring and a shot of the riding ring itself which is about 70' x 110'. We used material called spaghetti hog to top the road, the riding ring, the corral and the paddock. This is long, stringy wood shavings that knits together nicely and forms a soft carpet for the horses. It's a pig to spread and has to be teased out with a pitch fork but it lasts well and the horses love it.

The riding ring has about 6" of spaghetti hog over 4" of sand over 4" of rock base over geotextile. I had a tracked machine into clear the woodland for the ring but the tractor and I did the rest. There's one rock drain down the centre of the ring and a swale round two sides.

I also used geotextile on the trail but not in the corral or the paddock where it's not needed.

 

[inveresk]

I made the corral gates from cedar off our property, all mortice, tenon and dowels - no screws or nails. The gate latch is temporary. I have to get something more robust made.

The other shots are of Ladybanks, a Canadian, and Lucy, a Belgian/paint.

 

[inveresk]

Here are some shots of the cottage before and after. It was semi derelict and we put new foundations under it, reroofed, shingled about half the walls in cedar before repainting, demolished and rebuilt the porch, rebuilt the leaded light windows and renewed the remainder and carried out a gut and stuff on the interior where just about everything had to be renewed.

 

[brin]

Looks first class to me...job well done ! We used to have horses and had a similar configuration...nicely done...looking forward to see pics of your cottage renovation..we did the same thing ..

 

[inveresk]

A few additional shots of the cottage.

The porch deck we finished in sandstone slabs, the doorknocker I was given by a friend, the stove I bought used and refurbished. The last shot shows the attic bedroom utilizing some flooring I had left over from building my office.

 

[inveresk]

A last couple of cottage shots . . . .

Next projects are to put trails through our woodland and landscape around the cottage. Those will take care of any spare time I have over the next couple of seasons. In addition, I'had to vacate the stables (which I'd requisitioned for storage until the horses came). So I need to built some covered storage for the tractor implements.

 

[jayste]

Great job on the remodel, barn and all. Great looking place.:thumbsup:

 

[inveresk]

Thanks for the generous comments, gents.

Although the wife has worked with horses for long enough, this is the first time for me. I've been on a horse a few times in my life but it's not a hobby that ever really grabbed me.

I'm gob smacked at how much work is involved. The wife is up at 6am mucking out stalls and doesn't finish until after 8pm, and unless we can find good helpers to baby sit the horses this winter, we're going to be stuck here without a break until spring. By the end of February and after three months of usually cold and very wet weather, I'm about ready to top myself unless I can get a couple of weeks of rays so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it all pans out.

 

[MrChris]

I was curious what type of riding you do in your arena? I've never seen a wood material used before. It's usually sand or m10(rock dust) in the States.

 

[inveresk]

Hi, Chris

The ring will be used mostly for dressage.

The spaghetti hog is popular around here for arena topping. BC is 90% forested so there's no shortage of forestry waste for making the stuff. We just have to be careful there's no cedar in it. The hog will compact some as it's trafficked and, because the strands are well knitted together, it doesn't get kicked up as much as a sand arena does so tends to need less maintenance. It drains well and if the horses roll around in it as they do in the corral and paddock, their coats stay clean. One issue is that it can be a real fire hazard during summer droughts.

 

[nickel plate]

Hi, Chris

The ring will be used mostly for dressage.

The spaghetti hog is popular around here for arena topping. BC is 90% forested so there's no shortage of forestry waste for making the stuff. We just have to be careful there's no cedar in it. The hog will compact some as it's trafficked and, because the strands are well knitted together, it doesn't get kicked up as much as a sand arena does so tends to need less maintenance. It drains well and if the horses roll around in it as they do in the corral and paddock, their coats stay clean. One issue is that it can be a real fire hazard during summer droughts.

I once built a 31' trimaran and during the (3) hull building phase I used many yards of free dry sawdust around the strongbacks to keep my feet dry and above the winter rain runoff level. That next summer it was time to roll the hulls and start the deck and cabin so I invited my softball team over to roll the hulls, have a BBQ and some cool ones. All went well that evening but I woke up around three a.m. to the smell of smoke......... Someone had discarded a cigarete on the dry compacted sawdust under the hulls and by that time just about half of the 600 sf area was BLACK AND SPREADING! A close by garden hose saved my vessel which is now 34 years old and still cruising the Pacific ocean albiet owned by others.
Barn fires can result into tragedies so do provide a decent fire break and water pressure system between your arena and the horse barn. I do feel that you have already taken that into consideration. You have a very nice looking facility.

 

[inveresk]

Thank you for the cautionary advice, nickel plate. I'm glad you saved your boat.

In summer months here no fires are allowed. Even chain saws are banned. When my wife and I moved to the island in 2006 we were blissfully ignorant of the fire regulations so we started burning garden waste sometime around the end of June. All seemed to be going well so we took a coffee break and when we returned half the surrounding landscape seemed to be on fire. It was all I could do to douse the spreading flames with the tractor and loader and it's a battle I would've lost had three fire tenders not arrived on the scene. It took an hour or so to douse the flames but before the brigade left I was given a fairly stern lecture in front of half the neighbours. I deserved it and it was a lesson well learnt.

The riding ring is around 400 feet from the stables. I've fitted the stables with smoke alarms and I make sure that two H2O fire extinguishers are charged and ready to go.

 

[Egon]

As with all your previous endeavors/projects the results are excellent.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

The fence really looks good.:thumbsup:

 

[inveresk]

Thanks, Egon.

Congrats. on being member of the month - or was that in May?

 

[Egon]

Thanks.

Yes it was about that time.

 

[Mike_Kanzer]

Beautiful setting for a house and barn. what do you do with the waste manure and stable bedding ( straw? shavings? saw dust?)? We compost about half of ours to spread on our pastures and also have about 1/2 hauled away to be used for compost elsewhere. Thanks for showing us your project. - Mike

 

[inveresk]

Hi, Mike

The horses only arrived a couple weeks ago so I've still to devise a management programme for dealing with the manure and spent bedding (we use shavings). So far all we've done is spread the manure on an area of land we've designated for our vegetable garden. I intended to let it rot there over the winter then turn it into the soil next spring. Hopefully we'll also get enough neighbours interested in free manure to ensure we don't amass the stuff.

I guess I can also spread it in the pasture although I don't have a 3 pt manure spreader. One web site I happened upon suggested spreading it by getting out with a golf club and practising your swing!!

 

[SuperCobra]

Beautiful place! I've been making snake rail fence out of oak. Pain to split. Wish I had cedar although I imagine the white oak will be around for a few years if kept off the ground. Do you tie the rails together somehow? I've found at a 45 degree or greater angle on the zigzags they are pretty stable. For the ends I drill them and run rebar down them.

 

[inveresk]

Supercobra, I also fixed the rails using rebar. First I set a rock around 6" min. height at each change in direction and drilled through with a 5/8" masonry drill. I then drove 1/2" rebar about 5' - 6' long through the hole in the rock and into the soil to the depth of the shale which is around 15". I then drilled each end of the cedar rails and slid the rail over the rebar. Finally, 12" lag bolts at each end connect the top three rails. Like you, I mostly stuck to angles of about 135 degrees or less.

Your oak snake fencing should last well, look great (post some pics) and be very strong.