Equestrian Stables for your Horses

An equestrian stable is usually a mainly wooden barn or building where horses can be kept. Instead of leaving the horses outside in the fields to graze and sleep overnight, the majority of horses (especially those kept as pets or for racing) are kept inside an equestrian stables, where it is much easier to groom, feed and shelter the horses.

The United Kingdom has had a long lasting heritage of using horses over a huge range of jobs for such a long period of time, from use in labour (like farming, pulling carriages and riding into wars) to recreational use (for example, racing and show jumping), which means that right across the country equestrian stables have played a part in helping to continue the tradition of horse riding, with many still surviving today.

However, within the last century or so, the number of horses in use across the country has significantly reduced as better solutions for transport, farming and other labour have come around. Horses are no longer needed to pull carts and traps, and their use in farming has also shrunk, with motorised ploughs and other machinery having been invented. This has meant that the number of equestrian stables in the UK has also decreased, and their purpose has also changed. With the majority of stables in the past being used for horses doing manual labour, they were often full with horses, and community stables would spring up, providing work, like cleaning and feeding the horses.

Nowadays, however, it is more common for people to buy an equestrian stables for their own horses, which only they can use. These are usually built on their own land, with easy access for the horses to get there. Jon William Stables can provide you with many types and sizes of equestrian stables for providing shelter for your horses.

Horse Stables in the UK

A Horse Stable is a place in which horses are usually kept. In the instances where peoples horses are not left in fields to graze all day, most horses are kept overnight and during a lot of the day in stables.  Due to the United Kingdom’s long-lasting heritage of using horses for many jobs over thousands of years, whether they be for recreational use or labour, dotted all around the country there are thousands of horse stables.

Unfortunately due to the decrease in demand for horses over the last century, with the invention of the motorcar and other engine-powered machines, the need for horses in Britain has changed hugely. Horse Stables in the UK no longer serve so many horses that are used for labour work, such as pulling carts and traps, or carrying out work in farms, and as a result, the main usage for horse stables has changed.

In the past, many horse stables were owned by a single wealthy family, whose horses were all kept in the stables where they were fed, groomed and exercised. This meant that a large number of the horse stables at the time were situated within large estates or even mansions, with lots of land surrounding the stables where the horses could be ridden.

More recently, most stables have still been privately owned, but they’re owned by businesses, and the majority of them serve horses for recreational use from many different customers. The stables no longer serve just one family, and instead may serve several to a couple of dozen families, depending on the stables’ size.

Currently, the use of large stables is declining; those people with horses are often opting now to fit their own small stables into the field they keep their horse, which seems to suggest that the age of the large public horse stables in the UK is coming to an end.

If you would like to obtain a horse stables for your own horse, contact Jon William Stables, who can supply horse stables of many different kinds to you, depending on your needs.

Help prevent dehydration with field shelters

Dehydration is the loss of water and salts from the body which are essential for the body to function properly. Dehydration happens when not enough fluids are taken in, in comparison to those which are lost. This could be through excessive sweating, participating in strenuous exercise and even from being unwell. Staying outside in the sun for prolonged periods of time is also a prominent cause of dehydration. However, it is not only humans that suffer from dehydration as many animals can also effect as well.

As humans, we are usually able to manage our hydration levels by drinking when thirsty and staying out of sun when it is hot. Our bodies also function very well in cooling us down – or there are many mechanical aids including air conditioners and fans to give our bodies that helping hand. For horses it is not as simple.

Horses are large animals that cannot control their own body temperature as well as a human, partially due to the high proportion of heat produced from large muscles in the body when performing any physical exercise. The one way that horses are able to reduce their overall body temperature is through sweating. This process is usually excessive – especially during strenuous exercise – meaning that far more water and salts are lost than what the horse will take in. This is heightened in hot and humid conditions. By keeping your animal cooler, with round the clock access to shade, the need to sweat would be reduced, making it far less likely for the animal to become dehydrated.

Fieldshelters could help to provide shade in paddocks during the warmer summer months. These shelters can usually be designed specific to your requirements, with options for large overhanging canopies and multiple windows for improved ventilation. Some companies offer mobile field shelters, making them easy to reposition, depending on the suns direction into the field, to give optimum shade throughout the day.

If you are worried about dehydration in your equestrian animal during the upcoming British summer and would like to find out a little more information on field shelters, please visit the website of JonWilliam Stables to view the wide range of products available. Alternatively, if you would like to speak with a member of the team to discuss your bespoke requirements, please call 01380 850 965 where an experienced team member will be more than happy to help.

Things to consider when buying a Timber Stable

The use of timber as a building material in construction has been momentous. Timber is an easy material to work with as it can be shaped specifically into its desired use and offers strength and longevity. Unfortunately, timber is also extremely attractive to various insects and also fungal infestation which can weaken its structure – making for a less than solid build.

Wood boring insects can seriously damage wood structures as they eat their way through, literally tunnelling through the very core structure of the timber. Once inside adults will lay their eggs which, once hatched, continue to eat through the material as they develop. Once fully mature, these beetles then repeat the process; making for easily infested wood. Most timber boring insects prefer damp wood conditions and so any external timber structures are more prone to an ‘attack’.

The other major destroyer of timber is fungal decay; or more specifically dry rot and wet rot. This decay is, again, able to grow better in damp conditions. These fungal infestations can cause the timber to split and often shrink making any structure extremely weak. If undetected, fungal rot can causes masses of structural damage that, at worst, could result in a collapsed structure.

If opting for timber as a building material it is important to take every precaution to prevent such destructive infestations occurring – particularly if using it externally where it is more prone to damp conditions. If you are looking at a timber stable structure, you should opt for a product that uses pre-treated timber. Timber stables, such as those sold by Jon Williams Stables, are usually protected against both insect and fungal decay with a high pressure treatment called tantalising. This treatment preserved the timber making it less likely to be attacked by such intrusive destroyers.

If you are looking for a new timber stable and want to be assured that it will withstand against possible decay and insect infestation, please speak to a member of the Jon Williams Stable team by calling 01380 850 965 to find out more about their timber treatments. Alternatively, please visit the company’s website to view a wide range of timber stables that use tantalised timber as standard to add to the longevity of your structure.

Timber Stable Construction and Maintenance

Getting a suitable timber stable built to shelter your horse or pony is something you want to do quickly and efficiently. Fortunately this is what this guide hopes to give you a hand with with a series of basic steps for you to follow.

Step 1) Survey the Ground

The first step is to survey the ground that the stable is to be built on. Ideally the ground should be soft enough that preparing foundations does not take longer than it needs to. At the same time, it should also not be so soft that it could sink or list after construction. The grounds immediately outside and within the timber stable should also be relatively flat and even, to make movement easier for your horses.

Take a look at surrounding plants too. Scour the ground of any weeds that may be harmful to your horses and remove them thoroughly with weed killer. This will help ensure that the stable and the surrounding area are safe places for your horses and won't cause them any unnecessary harm.

Step 2) Plan Your Timber Stable’s Layout

The function and capacity of your stables are two important things to consider. A simple shelter to keep your horses out of the wind and rain while out in the paddock to graze and stretch their legs will not be the same as a stables intended for them to sleep overnight in.

The former can literally just be a small shed tucked away in the corner of the paddock, while the latter will be a fairly large structure with numerous rooms, storage areas and amenities.

Timber stables intended for bedding down in will also need to take into consideration other factors, such as....

• The stable should be designed to make evacuation of horses fast and painless in case of emergencies, like a fire or a bad storm. 

• Ensure that you have factored in high ceilings and broad throughways, with at least two large exit doors that swing open from the inside. 

• Another important detail to work into your timber stable are more general elements relating to the horses’ health and sanity -- they should be bright, airy and have good access to clean water. 

• Electronic lighting for the evenings would also be a good investment. 

• Storage rooms should be large, dry and air-tight, while easily accessible by the stables at large.

Step 3) Materials and Construction

Construction materials should, of course, be durable and strong. A horse, when bored or frustrated, may lash out with its hooves at the stalls. While no wood can last forever against iron-shod hooves and strong hind legs, stronger woods will allow the stables to last longer. Oak is a traditional building material for English-style timber stables. However stronger, heavier woods tend towards the expensive and not everyone can afford thick oak beams or panelling.

An important thing to consider is the possibilities of the wood splintering, try to line any wooden areas with ply, to further protect the horses. Concrete is a good all-purpose base for your foundation, although you should cover the floor with hay or wooden floor beams to help soften the ground for your horse’s hooves and legs. Hard floors may cause them injury.

For further information about timber stables, or for a selection of affordable flat-pack stable sets, you can always visit the website of Jon Williams Stables, a provider of professional timber stables and equine supplies. You can also contact them directly by phoning 01380 850965.

Storage Ideas with Stables for Sale UK

A horse is known for needing lots of care and attention to keep them happy. With this comes plenty of equipment from riding tack to grooming and feed which is all necessary to maintain a horse. Not only is this equipment fairly expensive, but the large bulk is often difficult to store – especially if it needs to be easily accessible.

Finding a storage option that can easily accommodate such a large amount of equipment and store it in a convenient way is often very difficult. Designing your own storage space may be just the alternative to ensure all of your needs are met.

Companies such as Jon William’s Stables offers a wide variety of stables forsales in the UK which can be uniquely tailored in design specific to your storage needs. Additional ‘storage rooms’ can also be added to all stables for sale UK, offering a safe and protected space to house all of your equipment including feed.

Many stables for sale have options for additional internal doors which can be completed with a lockable system just to give you that added piece of mind that your horse’s equipment will be safe. These stables are also well protected against insect and fungal infestation which could otherwise ruin your equipment.

If you are looking for a tailored storage solution in the UK and would like to view the range of products that Jon Williams Stables has to offer, please visit the company’s website which will also give full details of stable specifications and ‘additional extras’ that may be available to help make the design work best for you. If you would like to find out any further information or would like to speak to a member of the team for a little advice on the types of stables for sale that may suit your needs best, please contact them by telephoning 01380 850 965.

Timber Stables Fire Safety

If you have stables, chances are they’re timber stables, unfortunately wood sets on fire easily. As such, if you want to avoid fires that could very easily have been avoided, it’s important to ensure that you and anyone else using your stables follow fire safety procedures very closely.

For reference, it takes about two minutes for a horse to die in a fire. You have about thirty seconds tops to get the horse out of the stables before the smoke starts searing its lungs.

So what can you do to prevent this sort of occurrence? The most basic thing you can do is just enforce some basic fire safety measures around your timber stables. No smoking. No open flames. Make sure hay is properly dry before storing it. Don’t leave hot objects lying around where it could ignite dry hay. Make sure wiring and other electronics are well maintained. Install fire alarms. The basics. Also make sure that everyone is familiar with the layout of your stables, and drill out a basic plan of action should your stables ever catch fire so that people know what to do and how to do it.

Another more integral thing can be undertaken to ensure that horses sheltering within your timber stables are more protected in the event of fire, and that’s to carefully plan out the overall lay out of the stables. For example, make sure that the spaces inside the stable are fairly spacious and airy, so that smoke doesn’t build up inside too quickly. That can buy you precious minutes to get the horses out of their stalls and out of the stables before they start suffering from smoke inhalation. A high ceiling also helps with this.

You should also design your stable doors so that they swing outwards, so as to make opening them easier during an emergency. Exists should also be placed on as many of the walls as possible to provide your horses (and any hands) plenty of avenues for escape. It also helps to space buildings a fair distance away from each other, say about 10ft-20ft apart, so that flames have a harder time spreading from building to building.

 Every little helps, and there are dozens of other strategies and techniques you can use to protect your horses and property from fire. Doing all this can make your timber stables safer, and also protect your horses more effectively in the event of a fire.