Barn Raising Blog

Both horses took a good 2 weeks to settle in - Reggie more so than Tivio. He acted flighty and nervous - probably due to the new smells. Every other move he'd made with me had been to farms and stalls that had housed horses before. The new wood and strange surroundings took some getting used to.

We took time to pose for a family shot (minus Tivio). The dogs got in on the action too. On the left, you can see the 4"x4" posts we used to anchor that end of the fence panels. We used screw-eyes for everything in the barn, including there. They were the perfect size to drop the pin through. [posted 12/11/07]

Here you can see the pens and how the two tie in. Both horses were glad to have the camaraderie. [posted 12/11/07]

My nickname for Regg is "Elvis the King" because he KNOWS he's cool and rules the herd no matter where he is! He jumped off the trailer like always, not knowing that this was a big, important day in all of our lives. He'd been at the previous barn for about 3 years, and he was a little edgy when he first walked into his new stall and paddock with strange smells and a different atmosphere. [posted 12/11/07]

At last - the day arrived to move in! It was so nice to be close to nature with the geese on the move on this beautiful spring morning! They fly so low, you can hear their wings swishing through the air! The barn was constructed on Feb. 26th and 27th, Kenny worked on the stalls throughout March, and move-in day was April 1st. [posted 12/11/07]

The last step was to put up the fence panels to make the runs (paddocks). A good friend had gone out of the horse business and sold me her round-pen at the "buddy discount." We picked them up at Christmas time, and they sat stacked up until late March, when they were needed (you can see them on the left in photo). We loved the option of using panels - quick, easy set-up, and optional size and/or shape change as needed. And they're safe for the horses. Kenny and I sunk three 4"x4" posts to anchor them next to the barn. We started with two 24'x36' runs; 2 panels wide by 3 panels deep (give or take). Not the perfect size, but a great start. [posted 12/11/07]

As stated in an earlier post, we opted to make our own dutch doors on the outside of the barn / stalls. It was a challenge to figure out how to hinge them, without ripping into the metal barn siding. Kenny sunk a 4"x4" post, and installed "strap" hinges, purchased at our local Tractor Supply Company store. This is an early photo; we also made doors for the top (photos to follow).