Do you have an overhang/porch on your barn?

[dmalbone]

If you have a porch on your barn over dutch doors, for instance, how wide is it (coming off the barn). We're trying to decide if this is something we must have or can deal without for a couple of years to have more money for fencing, etc. Do you find it necessary if they can go in their stalls?

[Kimberlee]

How much rain do you get?

I personally have found that a four to six foot overhang (at the least) over the area the horses go in and out of the stalls to be very helpful. You can probably live w/out it for now, but it may be harder to add on later than if it was part of the original plan.

We are currenlty working on plans for a shedrow barn with scarifice paddocks out to pastures, and are planning a 12' or 10' overhang on each side of the stalls. So that the horses can be shut out of the stalls but still have shelter, and the overhang in front for tacking up or farrier. Plus - here in TX the extra shade will be welcome;)

[pAin't_Misbehavin']

I finished my two-stall shedrow almost two years ago. A twelve-foot overhang/porch is the next installment, but I put fence and riding ring first.

I want one, because it'll make the stalls cooler and offer more shade to the horses. It'll also be nice to have a dry area to tack up and groom outside the stalls.

But it's not a critical, must-have, area, at least not for me.

[Saidapal]

I have a 4 stall shed row barn that has a 12 foot overhang. Absolutely love it. It gives the horses shade and a place to get out of the rain (Florida - rains a lot). I do not leave their stalls opened because they trash the buckets and generally make a big freaking mess. Also, I have a little BEEEOOOTTTCCCHHHH of a mare who takes great delight in cornering the boys in a stall and commences to kick the living crap out of them. At least under the overhang they can get out of her way and there is more than enough room for all. I also toss hay under the overhang on rainy mornings. As many times as I consider closing it off to them, I can find more reasons to leave things as they are. They are kept in their stalls at night this time of year. Fall through Springs they are out 24/7 unless the weather is exceptionally bad.

[mkevent]

I have a barn with dutch doors from the stalls leading to private paddocks and pastures. I'm still kicking myself for not installing overhangs when I built the barn! Horses will definitely come in from the pasture to urinate and poop in their stalls and then walk back out. If the horses have 24/7 access to their stalls, you are constantly cleaning stalls and it gets old fast.
Another advantage of the overhangs-the space directly outside the stall doors don't become a muddy mess because that's where the horses congregate if their locked out of their stalls. I also like the idea if a sudden storm comes up, they have access to the overhangs. The additional shade would be quite handy,too. Another nice feature-the outside water troughs don't have the sun beating down on them in the summer so the water stays cooler and cleaner a bit longer.
If you decide to build the overhangs later, I've gotten estimates from $5,000(kit) to $10,000 to add 8'X42' to each side of my barn. Because I added later, I can't go out more than 8' due to the roof pitch.
If you can at all afford it, I think the overhangs give you a lot of flexibility. I plan on installing them this summer (when I can find an affordable way to do so) and I can't wait!

[MunchkinsMom]

They are on my to-do list, once I can find the spare cash. I have a 6 stall center aisle barn with no doors on the ends, and no overhangs, and often the rain pours in one end or the other (depending on which way the wind is blowing. Also, it gets hot on the ends where the sun shines in, so the shade would be a big help.

[the_other_mother]

I added a 12 foot overhang to my saltbox barn and love it. I put mats under there and it helps with the traffic in and ou tof their stalls. The horses go under it when it rains and it also helps shade the barn in the summer. No more rain blowing in the stalls. I love it. It wasnt too difficult to add on. A friend did it so we saved $$ that way and of course it would have been easier and probably cheaper to have had it built when the barn was built but it came that way when we bought the farm.

[MunchkinsMom]

quick question - for those of you with overhangs at the end of a center aisle barn, do you have support posts on the ends? If yes, any problems with the horses bumping into them?

My horses have free access to the barn, and I just worry about one of them crashing into a post and injuring themselves.

[billie]

We have the overhang on one side of the center aisle barn but not the other. I LOVE it. As most everyone else said, it allows me to close the stall doors but still have shelter available to the horses. On rainy days I can close two of the 3 stall doors out to the shelter and give the third horse a covered "paddock" area to walk around in from his stall, and then rotate through all three during the day.

I also use it to put one horse "out" during rainy weather so I can muck that stall, then proceed down the row that way.

The horses love it too - on very rainy days they will often come out of their stalls halfway and just stand, watching the rain fall.

We have not had issues with the support posts. One is right by the paddock fence so it is almost like a fence post that goes up to the roof of the overhang. The other end has it's own "wall" - with big "window." But the center post is completely exposed and they all dodge around it w/o problems.

My older mare and donkeys are on the other side of the barn w/o the shelter, and the instant I can do so I will add a similar set up over there so they can have the same 'rainy day' shelter from their stalls to their own paddock.

[deltawave]

I have a 10' overhang running the whole length of my barn (36 feet) covering where the 3 stalls open into the sacrifice paddock. The horses love it, and it gives me the option of locking them out of their stalls in nice weather, cutting down on cleaning/bedding. I still pick up the poops every day, and more or less keep the "porch" area (which I enclosed with old RR ties to keep it a bit higher, drier and softer to lie down) semi-bedded and raked. They really appreciate the shade, the chance to get out of the rain, and a softer place to stand or even lie down.

It was definitely a good addition to the barn, and one of the things I would not want to be without.

[Loves to ride]

I have a 2 stal lbarn, dutch doors opening to individual run-ins. My overhang is only 8' and I wish it were 10'!

My friend built her barn after mine and took the suggestion of 10' and it is very nice.

I find w/8' it keeps out most of the weather, but I still get some blowing. My overhang faces west and it is pretty windy. I think 10' would have made a big difference.

When it's yucky, the horses prefer to stand under the overhang, out of the rain/snow. Hum, not sure why I built stalls actually? Oh yeah, bathroom! :D

The other thing I wish I had done was wrap it around the sides a bit. Actually, I wish I'd put overhangs around both side of the barn but I just didn't have the $$$ nor the thought at the time.

I definitely would always have overhangs!

[suzyq]

I habve 8' on the stall side and 12' on the tack/feed/storage side. The 12' was originally to store the trailer. Now both are used by the horses, they prefer them to their stalls (which I leave open).

[Ride and Run]

I converted an existing building into a two stall barn (glorified run-in actually). I wish I had built some sort of overhang. My stalls simply have a gate as a door, but they are open most of the time to the runs and pasture, so the horses can come and go as they please. The ground in front of the stall openings is a muddy mess when it rains and the ground is now noticeably lower than the floor of the stalls (at least the water doesn't run in).

I had a mare here for a while that thought the stall was a bathroom and I would have loved to have locked her out of the stall on most days. But since the stalls are the primary shelter from the weather, I had to give the horses access to the stalls.

It's not a necessity in my case, but it sure would be a "nice to have".

[webmistress32]

I love my overhang. it's only on one side of the barn and under it are openings to three stalls and a run-in to the barn.

they love it. it's probably 12' in depth.

[Liberty]

I built my barn (36' long) with an 8' overhang along the entire front. Then a couple years later added 10' to it for a total of 18' when I made one of the stalls into a "sick bay" and fenced in one side in front of a stall. Makes a wonderful veranda for the one stuck in a stall. Whomever is in there also prefers to sleep "outside" on the "porch". I love it!

Horses have a great place to get out of the sun/rain/snow, etc. and it's easy to clean since I rubber-matted most of the area. Just a broom and scoop shovel, and if they pee under there, a quick hosing off or even dumping a couple buckets of water and sweeping it off does the trick.

Great place to feed hay and helps the barn stay cool in summer as well as the water tub I have under there.

Pic:
http://home.comcast.net/~wec6/photos/Barn.jpg