12 minute read
Building a base for
The Nursery Wing
THERE’S A LOT TO THINK ABOUT WHEN BUILDING FACILITIES FOR BREEDING. EMMA PENNY ASKS THE SPECIALISTS WHAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED.
ABOVE: CONSIDER THE LAYOUT OF NEW OR UPDATED FACILITIES FOR BREEDING STOCK CAREFULLY, TO INCLUDE ACCESS IN AND OUT OF THE STABLES. D esigning – or redesigning – premises to provide an ideal environment for in-foal mares, foals and youngstock is an art. afety for horses and staff is the main consideration. Andrews Bowen, perhaps best known for its arena surfaces, also off ers a design and build service. For company director David Andrews and UK sales director Colin Way, designing a practical, horse-friendly environment is key.
For anyone planning to build on or redevelop a site, David says there are multiple things to consider. “Sometimes it can be cheaper to knock down existing buildings and start from scratch. Then you can build what you need to on that footprint, and so everything works well.”
That includes thinking about where any hub of activity might be, and locating stables away from it, BD offi cial partner Andrews Bowen so horses can relax in is surface provider for the their stables. Consider Winter Championships at where the prevailing Hartpury and the National weather comes from and Championships at orienting buildings for Somerford Park. optimum ventilation and providing shelter in paddocks, suggests Colin.
When it comes to day-to-day operation, safety is critical, says David. “It is even down to thinking about where your machinery is stored. What happens if a mare and foal gets loose?”
Rounded corners and chamfered edges mean there is less risk of a horse catching its hip on a right angle, while using thicker gauge steel for internal stabling will give additional strength and longevity.
At Mount St John Stud in Yorkshire, Emma Blundell’s
RIGHT: INTERNAL WALKWAYS NEED TO BE EASY TO CLEAN, AS WELL AS BEING NON-SLIP FOR HUMANS AND HORSES.
INSET BELOW: IF ALL WEATHER TURNOUTS ARE USED THE SURFACE MUST STAND UP TO THE HORSE DIGGING AND DOING ‘THE WALL OF DEATH’.
NOELLEFLOYD
foaling boxes are in a traditional yard. A grille system between stables means horses can see and touch one another. However, these are boarded up for foaling so that mares are not constantly on guard.
Another vital point is that any water source – troughs or buckets – in foaling boxes should be high enough so that foals cannot reach them. “They will quickly imitate their mothers, but they shouldn’t drink water as this can lead to diarrhoea and then dehydration.”
Being able to wash and disinfect boxes between foalings is critical. Emma’s stone stables have sealed rubber matting on the oor as moveable ones can trap a lot of dangerous bacteria under them. Rubber mats on the walls are also easily washed and kept clean. aygain, which supplies ooring in addition to its hay steaming systems, says sealed ooring such as its omfort tall oor ensures urine doesn’t seep through to the stable sub oor where the ammonia can build up and cause harm to horse and human respiratory health. Investing in good ooring should provide long term support for joints, respiratory health and promote deep sleep and rest, says Kim Miller, the company’s partnerships manager. he believes ooring is often overlooked in planning or upgrading a yard. “It needs to be comfortable for the mare, with a surface that provides both give and traction for easy ups and downs, and is easy to sanitise. We hear of a lot of people leaving thinking about ooring until last and regretting that.”
Internal walkways also need to be easy to clean, as well as being non-slip for horses and humans. Concrete is a common choice and should be grooved or
HOUSING YOUNGSTOCK
In the UK climate, youngstock will often need to be housed over winter, with fi eld groups moved to loose housing in barns which maintains their social hierarchy.
Mount St John Stud is on clay, so there is no winter turnout, explains Emma Blundell. Youngsters come in to repurposed cattle barns which have indoor space with big straw beds, and free access to an outdoor grooved concrete yard.
Hay feeders, which take a full-size Hesston bale, are located inside and outside. “It’s important to have nothing that the horses can bang their heads on. Our feeders are open at the top, or there are plastic ones which are available.
“We designed the yards so we could do everything with a tractor – mucking out, bedding and feeding – as we wanted to reduce manual labour.”
Incorporating horse-friendly gates as part of the design for youngstock housing can help make it more fl exible, says Andrews Bowen’s Colin Way. “It can give the option of a large group, or even an individual pen.
“For youngstock housing, one of the most important things is to have more feeding stations than there are horses. Make sure they can all eat and have enough space.”
ABOVE: INVESTING IN GOOD FLOORING SUCH AS HAYGAIN’S COMFORTSTALL SHOULD PROVIDE LONG-TERM SUPPORT FOR JOINTS, RESPIRATORY HEALTH AND PROMOTE DEEP SLEEP AND REST. textured to make it less slippery, but Andrews Bowen has also laid non-slip rubber or granulistic block paving in some yards. Kim also advises against using leaf blowers or sweeping passageways while horses are in their boxes as this can cause or aggravate any respiratory issues.
When it comes to turning out recently foaled mares and their off spring, locating their paddocks close to buildings is important, while those for youngstock can be further away.
Emma Blundell’s offi ce overlooks nursery paddocks where mares and foals are initially turned out for controlled exercise. “They are big enough that the foal can trot and canter, but not get up to a full gallop.”
Mount St John’s nursery paddocks also allow individual mares and foals to be next to one another and to touch in a safe environment before going out in a larger group. “Mares can be very protective so this is a way for them to get used to another mare and foal so everyone is safe. I can keep an eye on them from the offi ce and can see how they are getting on before they make the next step to a bigger paddock.”
Where access to all-weather turnout is the initial step for mares and foals – and perhaps used by all horses – again safety should be top of mind. David says this should be regarded as a ‘small arena with a fence’, ideally 18mx20m with rounded corners. “It needs to have a full drainage network and a substantial surface which will hold up to a horse digging and doing the ‘wall of death’ which will put more strain on the surface.” He recommends a 6ft full board fence surround, or post and rail with tennis court netting.
Walkways and tracks should be a minimum of 3m wide, with easy access to turnout paddocks, he says. Tracks to paddocks need to be comfortable for unshod horses and capable of taking machinery, and he advocates surfacing them with a grade of aggregate which is 5mm down to dust and binds together to leave a fi rm base over time.
Besides making handling breeding stock easy, the property layout also needs to work practically, he says. “Think about where your services are, such as the muck heap, or parking and loading or unloading horseboxes.
Can you access your feed room without going past all the horses fi rst? “If it is a business where you have visitors, you want to keep it as clean and tidy as possible. Everyone who has horses is busy, so think about maintenance, using materials for longevity and ease of use.”
Emma echoes those views, and focuses on providing a safe, comfortable and clean environment for her horses. “It’s got to be commercially realistic and practical - and the long-term costs have to come into account too.”
LIGHTING OPTIONS
Caroline Clarry of the Peregrina Stud in Oxfordshire, developed her facilities from scratch so was able to purpose-build her barn. She installed HorseLight early last year to help with the breeding programme and provide her team with an effective, bright working environment.
It is a light therapy technology emitting a very specifi c spectrum of blue light, centred around the notion that the Circadian Rhythm, the mammalian body clock, can be infl uenced with artifi cial lighting.
Under HorseLight, mares have been seen to have a more reliable ovulation pattern, producing a higher rate of fi rst-time conception. The stud has also had positive outcomes with barren and maiden mares. HorseLight says that for other studs, the earlier breeding season produced by light therapy could benefi t ET mares, reducing disruption to their competition schedule.
The system which Peregrina Stud installed provides a red-light function, enabling the team to complete late night checks and remain on foal watch via in-built cameras without disturbing foaling mares or other horses in the barn. It also gives enough light to help a mare if they need any intervention during foaling.
Each HorseLight is 60W, so for Caroline’s barn of 16 stables, energy cost (current rates of 18p per kw) is about £2 per day.
STABLING
PRODUCT WATCH
HORSELIGHT is an
advanced form of light therapy technology, scientifi cally proven to enhance the health and wellbeing of horses by emitting blue light.
HorseLight can be used to bring mares into season early and has been seen to support mares with a more reliable ovulation pattern, producing a higher rate of fi rst-time conception. It also helps to improve a foal’s growth rate as well as restricting bacterial and fungal growth within the stable, thus minimising the risk of any threatening infection that the new-born could be exposed to.
The Advanced HorseLight provides a red-light function, enabling you to remain on foal watch without disturbing the horses.
RRP: FROM £240
horselight.co.uk
EQUESTRIAN SURFACES LTD'S surface
range has been developed following years of in-depth research, and features a selection of durable, all-weather waxed and non-waxed surfaces which will provide a consistent footing when used for training, schooling, or competition purposes. A leading provider, trusted by private and professional equestrians across the globe, we’ve been manufacturing and supplying high-quality riding surfaces for over 35 years.
RRP: POA | equestriansurfaces.co.uk
HAYGAIN
The Haygain way harnesses high temperature hay steaming, the Forager slow feeder and ComfortStall sealed orthopaedic fl ooring to support natural horse health and behaviour. Haygain steaming reduces up to 99% of the respirable irritants in forage. The Forager keeps hay clean and enables eating as Mother Nature intended: slowly and with a lowered-head position. ComfortStall reduces bedding needs while providing cushion for joint health, deep sleep, and rest.
RRP: HAYGAIN HAY STEAMERS: FROM £789. THE FORAGER SLOW FEEDER: £290. COMFORTSTALL: PRICING BASED ON BOX SIZE AND
QUANTITY | haygain.co.uk
FARM & STABLE DURACORRAL is a
modular, rotomolded, UV-stabilised plastic turnout pen, allowing you the fl exibility to build to any size or format you require. Supplied with a steel gate and eight plastic panels, this versatile system can easily be added to with a creep arch or extra panels to extend. Duracorral is safe, strong and easy to move around. Available with fast delivery across the UK.
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ANDREWS BOWEN PROGRADE RANGE is suitable for a wide range of synthetic surfaces. Rollers are wrapped in mesh to reduce vibration and consequently machine wear, whilst offering a superior fi nish. Top link adjusters enable roller height to be fi ne-tuned to allow for optimum tine depth and a detachable side plate makes it easy to remove any build up against retaining boards. Suitable for either tractor or quad use. Available in 1.2m, 1.5m, 1.75m, 2m or bespoke widths.
RRP: FROM £2,915 PLUS VAT | andrewsbowen.co.uk
WG Stud – Producers of Elite Progeny
Carthago Chicago
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Silvester
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£800 NFFR (£200 deposit, then £600 when scanned in foal).
Lord Rico
Lord Leatherdale / Gribaldi 16.2hh AES Licensed & D-OC tested Exciting young stallion with fantastic temperament, power and movement you would expect from his bloodlines.
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