Outdoor Shade Structure

Cost: $110 – $135 per structure

Need:
◆ Shade tarp
◆ Four 10-foot-long 4″x4″ pressure-treated posts
◆ Four bags of quick concrete
◆ Concrete-mixing receptacle like a wheelbarrow
◆ Posthole digger or posthole-digging shovel
◆ Heavy-duty zip ties

Providing shade to animals during the sunny summer months is important, and if trees and run-in sheds aren’t available, building a very simple shade structure is another option. Luckily, it doesn’t have to break the bank.

Harbor Freight sells mesh tarps ranging in size from 8’x10′ to 12’x 20′. These tarps have a close-knit weave that blocks approximately 60 percent of light, and can be doubled up if needed. The tarps cost $33 to $55.

Purchase four pressure-treated wood 4″x4″ posts with a minimum height of 10 feet from a hardware store, and dig four 2-foot-deep post holes in the appropriate configuration for the tarp. These posts cost approximately $17 each.

Drill ½-inch holes through the beams within 4 inches of the top for fastening the tarps with heavy-duty zip ties.

Mix quick concrete to slightly drier than package instructions, and cement the posts into the holes, checking for plum lines and even spacing.

Allow the concrete to set for 24 hours before using a ladder to secure the mesh tarp to the tops of the posts with heavy-duty zip ties. Be sure to watch the shade structure for any wear and tear, including holes in the tarp or failing zip ties.

Five-Gallon Bucket Safety

Cost: $5

Need:
◆ Electrical tape

Five-gallon buckets are used for all sorts of things around the barn, including storage, step-stools and their intended purpose—watering horses. Their universal nature is appreciated, but when used as water or feed buckets, the small hooks attaching the handle to the bucket can pose a hazard to a horse.

Itchy horses can rub their faces on the small hooks and damage a nostril, eyelid or catch long hair in the tight space. To remedy this, buy some electrical tape from a local hardware store and wrap the electrical tape tightly around each of the two hooks on a five-gallon bucket. The tape will make the hook less accessible, and the stretchy nature of electrical tape means it will grip more tightly as it is applied.

As a safety bonus, make sure all double-ended snaps are facing toward the wall when the bucket is hung. This means there is less opportunity for scratching horses to snag anything on the clip.

Safer Grain Storage

Cost: $50-100

Need:
◆ Deep freezer or heavy-duty bin
◆ Clear tape to hang feed tags

Storing grain in a consistent environment can be difficult, especially if the feed room is more rustic. No matter the location, keeping pests and mold out of the grain bin is critical for your horse’s health.

A classic grain storage hack for your barn is using an unplugged deep freezer to store the feed. Freezers are insulated, durable and seal to keep animals out. Plus, they don’t have to freeze things to keep grain safe. They’re frequently available on local sites such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for less than $100. Any other type of other tight-sealing, heavy-duty storage boxes that you already own or can find for second-hand purchase will work, too.

As a bonus hack for your barn, save all feed tags and tape them to the grain bin for reference while feeding that bag. The white tags located on the bottom of grain bags list the lot number of grain and sometimes “best by” dates.

Should something go wrong with the grain, knowing which lot the grain came from is vital for feed companies.

Metered Fly Spray

Cost: $25 each

Need:
◆ Automatic bathroom scent sprayer
◆ Batteries
◆ Canister of metered fly spray

Flies are a constant hassle of horse ownership, and controlling them can feel like a never-ending task. Employing fly boots and misting horses daily with the bottle is nice, but automatic fly-spray systems in barns take fly control to the next level.

Although metered fly-spray devices are available at feed stores for around $50 each, you can save by making them from battery-powered bathroom scent sprayers. You’ll need to make sure the device matches with the brand of metered fly spray you purchase. With some leg work, an automatic and adjustable fly spray system perfect for your barn and run-in sheds is within reach.

Muddy Spot Remedy

Cost: $0-50

Need:
◆ Shovel
◆ Organic material to fill

A muddy spot at a gate or barn door is not only irritating; it can also pose a danger to horses. Mud can be slippery and promote thrush-causing bacteria growth. Try this hack for a muddy barn area.

The first step to helping a muddy spot is to see if a small ditch can be dug to direct any pooling water away from the area. The width and depth of the ditch will vary with the size of the issue, but should measure at least 6 inches wide and several inches deep. Using some elbow grease and a digging shovel, dig a channel away from the muddy spot.

If digging an escape route for water isn’t possible, adding product to a muddy spot can help too. Some of the common options are woodchips, gravel and sand. Local tree-care businesses often have woodchips from jobs for free, as long as you pick them up yourself.

Gravel and sand are also widely available at local landscaping shops. Or buy by the yard, and not by the bag, at a hardware store.

Whatever material used, add to the problem area when it is dry and get a nice, sloped base draining toward the lowest point. When it becomes muddy, add material as needed until the mud is subdued. Eventually, the place will be built up with fill material and less water will be able to pool there.

DIY Corner Feeder

Cost: $30 each

Need:
◆ One 55-gallon plastic barrel
◆ Drill with ¼-inch drill bit
◆ Jigsaw
◆ Coarse sandpaper
◆ Cleaning supplies
◆ Heavy-duty zip ties
◆ Wall eyelets

Feeding horses with their heads in a downward position is the most natural and has been proven to put less strain on their bodies. There are several large, plastic corner feeders on the market, but they start at $100 and climb in price from there.

Make a budget-friendly corner feeder for grain and hay using a 55-gallon plastic barrel. These can be purchased second-hand on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist or from local businesses (make sure they only ever held food-grade materials) for approximately $20 each.

Once the barrel is home, measure and mark where it will be cut. Cutting one in half will yield two corner feeders, although the top portion will not be as suitable for feeding grain due to the grooves from the lid.

After measuring, drill a hole into the line of division and use a jigsaw to cut around the barrel as it lays on its side. Jigsaws can be purchased for about $30 or rented for about $15.

Once cut, thoroughly wash the barrel with hot water, dish soap and diluted bleach. Sand the rough plastic edge with a coarse sandpaper. Drill at least two small holes in the barrel near the top to secure it to the wall.

Using eyelets screwed into the wall, secure the feeder to the corner with heavy-duty zip ties and trim them short.

Making life easier around the barn is a constant journey, but one horses deserve and owners will be thankful for. These hacks should improve life around the barn for your horse, so give them a try.

This article about DIY barn hacks appeared in the September 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post DIY Barn Hacks appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

In this article, you will learn: what tools you should have for projects around the barn, what types of projects that tool is best for, how to make DIY projects easier, and what types of projects around the barn are easy to tackle.

Does any of this stable talk sound familiar?

“Barney broke his bucket hook off the wall.”

“The wheelbarrow handle is loose!”

“The ATV won’t start.”

“They chewed that fence post in half!”

There’s no doubt about it: Horses can be somewhat destructive when it comes to things like stalls, bucket hangers, gates, feeders, troughs, fence posts, and so on.

Projects Around the Barn

Not to mention all of the barn equipment like UTVs, mowers, tractors, trailers, carts, wheelbarrows, et cetera, all of which see heavy use and require repairs or maintenance over time.

Happily, you can stay on top of all of this. With the right tools for the job, there are many simple tasks and repairs that an average stable owner can accomplish on their own.

With the right tools for the job, there are many simple tasks and repairs that an average stable owner can accomplish on their own.

What do you need in your stable toolbox? Here are a few of our top suggestions.

Cordless Drill

“Wait,” you’re thinking, “I don’t see why I would have much use for drilling holes around the barn.” But a modern lithium-ion cordless drill is a versatile tool that does far more that drill holes—it doubles as a fast and powerful electric screwdriver.

Using screws for fastening is usually much easier than using a hammer and nails, and with the fairly reasonable cost of even high-quality drills, you should really consider adding one to your barn toolbox.

Battery power in the range of 18 volts should be enough for most of the jobs you’ll tackle. When combined with a good selection of bit types and sizes, cordless drills make quick work of any fastening job: bucket hooks, hay racks, stall latches, fence insulators, and many other stable needs.

For bits, get some Phillips head, square, and Torx, and then stock up on exterior grade screws in a few different lengths.

Now you’ll be ready the next time something breaks.

Hammer

If a cordless drill is often helpful for fastening, do you still need a hammer in the toolbox? Absolutely.

Besides its obvious first intended use as a nail driver, a standard claw hammer (distinguished by its two rounded claws on the back) is also useful for tapping objects into place or for removing old nails, staples, and other fasteners.

Socket/Wrench Set

You may not be a professional mechanic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make use of a basic socket set around the barn. This will come in handy for maintenance
to machines like ATVs and UTVs (think oil changes), as well as simple repairs to farm tools, such as tightening up a loose bolt on the wheelbarrow or adjusting the hinge of that sagging gate.

This needn’t be a super-expensive purchase. Choose a solid set that includes the socket wrench, a few adapters, and a basic selection of socket sizes. If you can get one that includes both metric (millimeters) and standard (inches) sockets, so much the better—you’d be surprised how often the need for a metric socket arises. Also look for a special spark plug socket that will allow you to easily remove and replaced old plugs on a small engine.

If you’d really like to be prepared, throw in a half-dozen small wrenches of various sizes, along with an adjustable (monkey) wrench to fill in any missing sizes.

Locking Pliers

You might already own a pair of basic pliers, and they’re useful to have around for projects around the barn. But for your barn toolbox, you might go one step further and include a pair of locking pliers.

These robust tools feature jaws that are adjustable to different widths and can snap firmly in place with a very tight grip. They can be very helpful for grasping stuck or rusty bolts, old screws or nails, and other small objects that are otherwise challenging to work with. Be careful using locking pliers, however, as they’re so strong you can actually damage the object you’re trying to grip.

Circular Saw

Your stable certainly isn’t a construction zone, and if there is any major carpentry work to be done, you likely turn to someone knowledgeable. That said, there is one power saw worth having on hand around the barn: a circular saw.

These saws are versatile and can perform a wide variety of wood cutting tasks, including crosscuts (across the grain of the wood) and rip cuts (parallel to the grain). For the most power, you can choose a corded version, but there are also smaller battery-powered circular saws available.

Short Tape Measure

For simple repairs around the farm, a short 16-foot tape measure might be all you need, plus it will be lighter and less bulky than a standard 25-foot type.

Tire Inflator

A tire inflator is not something you typically think of when it comes to tools, but they’re almost essential around a barn. Keeping a small, portable electric inflator on a shelf in the barn will make life easier the next time an ATV or wheelbarrow tire is flat.

A Helper

Be sure to ask for an extra pair of hands when you need them for projects around the barn and get advice on a task if you’re unsure of how to proceed. Take care, and don’t use a tool until you understand how it works and how to perform the task safely.

This article on tools for DIY projects around the barn originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

Further Reading

• Fence Maintenance
• 30 Property Maintenance Tips
• Getting the Barn in Shape for Spring

The post Stable Toolbox: The Right Tools for Projects Around the Barn appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.