Equitopia Center presents Master Saddle Fitter Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CSE discussing how to property fit both western and english saddles. Poor saddle fit can cause pain, sheer cartilage from the shoulder blade, cause spinal subluxation and unwanted behaviors. Pressure on involuntary reflex points, such as the side of the withers and behind the saddle support area can cause the horse to stop moving forward and even buck.

Read more: Saddle Fit Basics: Protecting Your Horse From Ill Fitting Tack (16:01)

by Nikki Alvin-Smith for Horizon Structures

The effort involved in figuring out the right dimensions for the myriad of gates and entranceways needed at a horse farm and their careful installation is well worth the investment.

With this safety and security size guide, the effort involved in figuring out the right dimensions for the myriad of barn doors, gates and entranceways needed at a horse farm and their careful installation is well worth the investment.

The Main Gate(s)

Entranceways to the property that are too narrow will result in persistent issues with damage from users. Especially the heavy equipment that will commonly access the driveway to a horse property such as tractor-trailers full of hay or shavings, large horse trailers or trucks, tractors and various farm equipment.

The use of gates at the main entrance is a good idea as these can be securely closed when necessary to afford better protection and safety for both horses and humans residing on the farm. Houdini horses, neighborhood dogs on the loose, folks with nefarious intent to steal, wandering passers-by who choose not to pass by at all but come up the driveway to investigate, photo and even feed horses pastured alongside the driveway, can all be foiled by the use of closed gates.

Electrical management of the open/close necessity of these gates is commonly employed to avoid the need for frequent hopping in and out of vehicles to manage the task manually. Consider the topography of the ground (it needs to be level), and the fact that heavier gates will require back-up support on each side with possibly a second post.

Regardless of due care and attention by drivers, damage to the gates may occur. The risk of damage may be minimized by placing the gates well back from the edge of the driveway, perhaps protected by shrubbery planted on each side to serve as a soft barrier or large rocks placed just to the inside line.

Bear in mind that fancy, stone encased pillars look beautiful but if they take a hit these can be expensive to repair.

Standard driveway widths for a residential property are between 9 to 12 feet in the U.S.A., but for a horse or farm property it is wise to go much larger. A 24-foot width will serve well if you have the room. The more acute the turn off the road and the narrower or busier the road from which the vehicles must enter, the wider the gate width will ideally be built.

If you set the gate posts further to the inside of the property there will be less chance for damage as the turn into the entrance can be constructed as a softer curve than a gate post installed on the property line.

Wherever a gate is placed on a curve, extra distance from the edge of the driveway to the gate post/gate should be added. An additional 2 feet on each side of the driveway is a good average to work from but also consider the length of the vehicles and their likely turning radius.

Distance from the ground surface for gates should be between 3 to 6 inches, with much larger distances allowed if the property is situated in a snow region.

Design of the gates may include panels or bars, or mesh to deter dogs and smaller mammals. Attention should be paid to the distance between panels or bars in regard to safety for horse and human. Some building codes require certain parameters (less than 5” apart for bars to avoid young children trapping their heads between them when playing).

Cattle grids at entranceways to horse properties are a recipe for disaster for obvious reasons and should be avoided.

One Gate or Two

Obviously the wider the gate the heavier it will be to open and close. Wood gates are exceptionally heavy and can be unwieldy to manage, while light aluminum gates with large panels can be difficult to work with during high winds.

Farm style tube and panel gates should be effectively hinged for safety and to avoid simply being lifted off their hinges by trespassers. Iron, PVC or custom designed gates will all have different hinge requirements. When open, the gates should have a stand on which to rest the weight, especially if they are to be left open for any length of time to prevent them from ‘dropping’ or swinging back and forth during windy weather.

Sidebar: For tube/horse panel gate installation in paddocks/pastures and entranceways to the property, consider placing the top hinge facing down and the bottom hinge facing upward. This will also stop horses inadvertently (or advertently) lifting the gate off its hinges trying to graze beneath it. Though if a horse’s leg becomes trapped beneath it due to rolling too close to the gate it also means the gate will not pop off when the horse kicks or struggles to free himself.

Barn Doors

The main entry doors to the barn or other storage structures, need to be large enough to accommodate the use of ATVs, UTVs, and compact tractors.

Center aisles or side aisles should be designed to be wide enough to make driving through the building easy to accomplish without hitting tack boxes, saddle racks or other barn accoutrements that may be placed on or against the front stall walls. If the barn design allows horses to have access over stall doors or front walls of the stalls to the aisle, the width of the ‘driving’ lane should be wide enough to ensure they cannot reach the equipment.

Standard barn door sizes and widths in center aisle barns range between 10 and 14 feet, but wider aisles should be incorporated in the design of high traffic barns with doors at the gable ends to match.

Sliding, swinging or electric overhead doors are all options for entry doors. The latter being useful in snow regions, although be aware metal doors can freeze to the ground during periods of cold weather. However, a manual override is a necessity in case of power outages for electrical doors.

Doors should generally be placed at the gable ends of the building to avoid snow building up in front of them making the building interior inaccessible, and to avoid puddling from rain shed off the roof. The installation of gutters is a great idea to remove excess water from above entryways.

A smaller ‘person’ door or ‘horse’ door (4 foot or wider) can be included to one side of the gable end in larger barn builds, to avoid the necessity of opening big doors in adverse weather.

All doors should be properly locked back or secured in both open and closed positions to prevent them from moving/rattling or lifting off their tracks during high winds.

Stall Doors

A stall door is generally constructed with a standard width of 4 feet. However, for larger breeds of horses such as draft horses or warmbloods, an additional 6-12 inches can be added for ease of use.

When handling horses the safety-first approaches of avoiding swing stable doors and constructing the stall doorways wide enough for both horse and handler to navigate the gap easily without crowding each other should be employed.

The myriad of stall door designs available are extensive but regardless of which you choose always consider safety first and ensure the door hardware is easy to operate for humans and hard to navigate for horses.

Where stall doors are not solid and grills are incorporated, a 4” gap is standard in horse stable door grills, though even this distance can be hazardous to a rearing foal.

Paddocks and Pastures

For paddocks and pastures the gate width is also of great importance. There is nothing more annoying than installing a horse friendly turnout gate of 8 to 10 feet and then figuring out you can’t fit your bushhog and tractor for a summer ‘deworm control’ mow or a tidy up in Fall.

Large pastures may even at some point be up for haymaking, where equipment that today’s farmers utilize can be 14 feet wide or more.

As paddock gates are always a point where horses will stand and hang out together waiting for feeding time to arrive or to come in from the heat of the day, it’s important to ensure gates are securely installed with sturdy posts and good quality hinges.

Very large entry gates to turn out areas will be difficult to manage when leading a horse.

As large gates are difficult to open and close (especially if doubled up to provide extra width), it is a good idea to have a standard barn door gate size of 8–10-feet for regular use when handling horses and a separate entrance for large equipment elsewhere with the larger gate options.

The latter should obviously also be safely latched and built, to avoid providing the temptation for an excited or frightened horse to run through them. The addition of a wire support above such gates is not advised due to the risk of injury from the wires should a horse choose to jump the gate.

The height of fencing and gates to grazing areas is equally as important as the width. The typical 5-foot set height of a panel/tube gate or traditional five bar gate with an allowance of 9-12 inches distance to the ground level is a typical configuration. The idea being that this distance will minimize the risk of a horse trapping a leg under the gate.

This article originally appeared on Horizon Structures and is published here with permission.

You can find more informative articles in our section on Tack & Farm.

by Nikki Alvin-Smith for Horizon Structures

Donkeys of course are not horses, their needs for care and shelter, feed and forage, and general health care are a bit different to their larger and more energetic cousins.

When I began my equestrian career eons ago as a kid, my first Equus was a baby donkey called Sage. Along with his half-sister Cleo, they were purchased by Mom and Dad from a donkey breeding stud in the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside. Not that I was very happy about that at the time as I was hoping for a pony, but a horse is a horse of course. Well, kind of – so my late kid brother and I adjusted our wish list and set about training the wee beasties. At first with walks on bridle trails through the woods on halters, and later under saddle using the smallest tack we could find, racing saddles.

A donkey, as my farm neighbor (an equestrienne in the showjumping world of some repute) had told my neophyte pet-owning parents, was the perfect ‘starter’ horse for a child. And looking back I have to agree. Being kids, we treated Sage and Cleo just as we would a horse. We rode them in local gymkhanas where they would outshine ponies in the agility class. We would give donkey rides at local village fêtes among the tombolas, white elephant stalls and cake stands. We even participated in Palm Sunday processions some years, taking them inside the tiny village church much to the joy of children participating in the service. In fact, we rode them around the country lanes so much, we had to have them shod. The farrier was not happy about that job, and he dreaded seeing us show up at his forge.

After 38 years and 34 years respectively, Sage and Cleo, departed over the rainbow bridge. Sadly, my donkey Sage lost his life in a stable fire at my parents’ property. Though of course I headed out of their daily lives long before that, their companionship was a great comfort to my parents as they also aged up in years.

As you may imagine, donkeys and all the delights they provide are very close to this advanced dressage rider’s heart. We all start somewhere, and keeping donkeys taught me self-discipline, putting animal’s needs before my own, how to ride and stay safe riding on the roads, and generally gave my brother Curtis and I endless hours of fun.

How do you care for donkeys? Donkeys of course are not horses. And how to care for donkeys shelter, feed and forage, and general health care are a bit different to their larger and more energetic cousins. If you are setting out on the donkey owning adventure, there are a few caveats to know and a well-trodden path to follow to help ensure the wee beasties thrive under your care.

Stabling and Turn-Out

Donkeys are notoriously good at keeping unwanted critters out of their territory and are often kept as a deterrent to chase pesky loose dogs in the neighborhood, and even keep coyotes or other wildlife out of livestock enclosures. Alpacas, sheep, goats, poultry etc. are all vulnerable to attack by predators, and the donkey with his keen territorial sense will usually attack any invader.

Turnout is good for all Equus as it keeps their joints and digestive system moving and their minds refreshed and happy, but smaller species in the genus like donkeys, including the miniature variety, are prone to laminitis.

Keeping the grass from being overgrazed and free of worms is important. Manure removal from paddocks, harrowing the pastures in hot weather for best breakdown of worm larvae, deworming protocols for the donkey including fecal worm counts before treatment, are all good methods to incorporate in caring for donkeys.

Sidebar: Donkeys are the preferred host for lungworm. Dictyocaulus arnfieldi is a nematode that all donkeys should be treated for to avoid contamination of the pasture.

To mitigate the risk of laminitis, it is wise not to overgrain or overfeed donkeys. This includes keeping the grass long enough not to become oversweet (5-6 inches tall is optimal), keeping donkeys off pasture after a heavy frost when sugars are highest in the grass, and ensuring that the hay or forage provided is low in sugar.

Fences should be sturdy and secure to keep donkeys in their safe space. While a donkey does not require the height of fence a 16hh horse may need to keep it from jumping out (5’ is the standard), any fencing should always be installed with a view to future use. Because as is often the case including my own, in family life ponies follow donkeys and horses follow ponies. Barbed wire is not suitable for use around any Equus.

All animals should be provided with some form of shelter from wind, rain, snow and most particularly sun. As donkeys are smaller than horses and have a higher surface area-to-volume ratio than their counterparts, donkeys will feel the negative effects of extreme heat and cold faster than horses.

Bearing this in mind, the donkey is generally quite happy to share stable space with his compatriot herd members. A large interior barn space, or even a relatively small 12’ x 12’ stall can suffice for a few donkeys to share, as long as their grain rations are provided individually, and each receives its fair share.

Blanketing donkeys is not usually necessary unless they are very young, very old or ill, the provision of a run-in shed, or some form of in/out shelter is necessary.

Stable/stall doors of the Dutch variety installed on the exterior of the barn can facilitate the donkey’s freedom to choose to be inside or outside.

Dutch doors or stable/stall doors can be built to include three rather than the standard two split style design. This allows the stall door to be low enough to offer a room with a ‘boredom relieving’ view for the animal, while still allowing the stable’s use by horses if the need arises in the future.

Bedding your donkey on pelleted bedding or pine shavings (ensure no walnut or cherry wood is present as these woods will founder an animal) is a good idea versus straw or hay. Hay will encourage lice and fleas and is heavy and arduous to keep clean. Hay is not a good bedding material for Equus. Straw (only wheat or oat straw should be used, barley is not suitable due to its barbs), is often just a feast for the wee beast who will bloat up quickly by ingesting it.

To cut down on bedding needs and to provide comfort for the animal when laying down, rubber mats installed over a compacted stone dust stall floor or concrete floor is a good idea. Dirt floors will quickly disintegrate into muddy pits and cratered surfaces where urine and manure are consistently removed during the daily mucking out process especially where geldings will use the same spot to relieve themselves.

Give Your Donkey A Job

Donkeys, just like many domesticated animals, enjoy attention and interaction with humans. Donkeys make great service animals and companions.

However, donkeys, just like horses, do require training and establishing some basic ground rules is an essential part of an owner’s responsibility. A donkey should pick up his feet for the farrier for trimming (every 6-8 weeks is usually needed) without fuss. He should accept a halter and rope and be complaint to lead forward, stop and back up. Ideally, he would also be trained to walk onto a trailer for transport.

A donkey that works in harness in a small cart or is ridden by smaller sized equestrians (a rider will ideally only weigh up to 12% of the animal’s weight), will need appropriate training so that he understands his job. Just like horses donkeys will bolt off if frightened, kick, rear and generally act up if they are not properly trained. If you do not have the necessary experience in this training regard it is well worth investing in some professional help to set you on the right track.

Giving your donkey good basic training is a gift he will be blessed with all his life, and he will always be welcomed in the future as a new acquisition elsewhere should your circumstances change over his long lifetime and a requirement to sell or rehome him become necessary.

Bear in mind that donkeys are herd animals and do best with some form of animal companionship. It does not have to be another Equus, a goat, an alpaca, a few sheep or a cow will suffice.

Farrier and Veterinary Care

Just like horses, donkeys do require regular farrier and veterinary care. Set yourself up for success by engaging their services from the outset of your donkey ownership. Routine vaccinations against prevalent diseases such as rabies, equine influenza, encephalitis, tetanus and several more are necessary depending on where you live.

Take Home Message

So, are donkeys easy to care for? Donkey ownership can be very rewarding and is relatively easy to navigate. Watching the animals interact, hearing their noisy welcoming bray as you appear with a flake of hay or engaging them in work and play is something the whole family can enjoy.

Why not give it a go? There are many donkeys out there seeking a home.

This article originally appeared on Horizon Structures and is published here with permission.

You can find more informative articles in our section on Tack & Farm.