# Siding for the barn? Horses have access to it.



## fireweed farm (Dec 31, 2010)

I'm sure I've asked this before but even with a search found nothing...


I've got a barn that's just plywood and house wrap at the moment. 

Would like to get siding on but don't know what to use that is both affordable, and safe for horses. The barn is within the horse paddock and they come and go from pasture into the stalls as they please so it needs to be horse proof. 

Cedar and hardy-board are super expensive. Apparently cedar would be chewed or is unsafe, unsure if that's true, but it is soft. 

Metal may be a good idea but could the horses not cut themselves on it?

Any other ideas? Money IS an issue I'm afraid. 

Would appreciate hearing what others are using. Thanks!


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Anything down low will be subject to pawing, kicks and cannot be sharp. From chest height on up must be resistant to chewing.

Nothing that's a dollar a square foot will compare to something that's ten dollars a square foot. 

2 inch thick pine down low, 1 inch boards up high. With a paint roller, saturate everything with old engine oil. Re apply every month or so. 

Protect square posts with painted galvanized sheet metal, with overlapping seams away from horses. Anyone with a sheet metal brake can form in 8 feet lengths.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I agree with thick boards low, thin high. I use a no chew spray that keeps my horses off it. No metal in my barn except gates and buckets. A friend had a metal sided barn and her good show mare kicked a hole through and totally cut the tendon in half on her hind leg she kicked with. They never rode that mare again. 

Make certain there are no gaps on the base between the boards and the ground. A horse can get a hoof caught underneath if they lay down and stretch out. Have seen that happen too, it isn't pretty.

We are going to use either Cinder block or concrete tilt walls up to 5 feet, on the back side of stalls, and tilt walls for the dividers between stalls with heavy duty welded wire on top of the walls to the ceiling. But I am building an industrial strength barn for 30 horses, that probably won't be what would work for you as far as the dividers. A good idea for the backside though!


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Rough sawn oak. If you have a lumber mill nearby it can be had at a fairly reasonable price. Granted it has been a few years but we were able to reside our barn in oak cheaper than we could in metal.









No need to paint, it will weather into a nice gray. It's bug resistant and the horses leave it alone. I don't have any cribbers so I can't say that a horse who had the habit wouldn't bother it.


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## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

We have an 18x18 ft metal sided mini-barn that the 3 horses have access to 18x9 of it as a lean-to/run-in out of the rain, if they want to go there instead of the trees. 

I would love to figure out how to block off the edge of metal which is exposed at the opening, but we haven't done it yet. We just watch them, and thankfully our 3 are pretty darn calm with each other, and in general. 
As for the wall to protect from kicking- it just has 3/4 plywood, maybe even 1/2, as we used the plywood that we had available to us at the time on the property. It is the 4x8 sheets, turned on their side, so 4ft high. We just screwed them into the 2x4s and 2x6s that made the bones of the barn. And obviously reinforced with short mini-studs behind so as to afford more stiffness and screw-down points on the plywood. There is still one original wall that has no wood panel at all. 
When we first expanded it for them from 9x9 to the 18x9, they did bite the board that was new for them... but they don't mess with it at anymore. 

Again, knock on wood, we've had no issues. 

I think your answer has to do with the specific personalities going in it, and for how long and how small the space is. 

Originally, this space was an 18x9 ft stall that went the opposite direction and we had fully kick-walled it up to 4 ft to keep anyone stalled in it as a smaller space for a roll, or a peeved kick to be safe. Especially so on that peeved kick, since when it was a stall, it was for my mare to live in after surgery for a month when she'd never been stalled much before. The worst she did at the time was to bite the wood- and not at the open ends- there is a door in there that we put a deadbolt on so it was horse safe- she would bite the dang door just because she could, even though she got no purchase. 

Anyhoo... good luck, just wanted to give our exp. And many people out here use metal walls just like this as their run-ins for horses.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

gracielagata said:


> We have an 18x18 ft metal sided mini-barn that the 3 horses have access to 18x9 of it as a lean-to/run-in out of the rain, if they want to go there instead of the trees.
> 
> I would love to figure out how to block off the edge of metal which is exposed at the opening, but we haven't done it yet. We just watch them, and thankfully our 3 are pretty darn calm with each other, and in general.
> As for the wall to protect from kicking- it just has 3/4 plywood, maybe even 1/2, as we used the plywood that we had available to us at the time on the property. It is the 4x8 sheets, turned on their side, so 4ft high. We just screwed them into the 2x4s and 2x6s that made the bones of the barn. And obviously reinforced with short mini-studs behind so as to afford more stiffness and screw-down points on the plywood. There is still one original wall that has no wood panel at all.
> ...


About covering the metal edges of your run in...I have used rubber car type window moulding. It is thick enough to take a horse brushing against it, and it stays put. You can buy that type of rubber moulding at Home Depot type stores or farm supply stores.


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## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

aoconnor1 said:


> About covering the metal edges of your run in...I have used rubber car type window moulding. It is thick enough to take a horse brushing against it, and it stays put. You can buy that type of rubber moulding at Home Depot type stores or farm supply stores.


I shall look for that- thanks! I've been wanting to do something to fix it, but hadn't thought of anything besides duct tape, which my mare promptly figured was put there for her to bite back off. Urgh.

How do you get it on, does is just slide on and stay of its own accord as I think it likely does on a car?


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

gracielagata said:


> I shall look for that- thanks! I've been wanting to do something to fix it, but hadn't thought of anything besides duct tape, which my mare promptly figured was put there for her to bite back off. Urgh.
> 
> How do you get it on, does is just slide on and stay of its own accord as I think it likely does on a car?


I used a type of super glue and put it along the inside of the rubber mounding. Sticks just fine


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## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

Mine's 2" oak on the inside, 4' up with a ledge. The outside is 1" pine.

Build your exterior walls from the best for the weather / most economical material and put a fence three feet out to keep the horses away if there is a safety concern.


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## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

aoconnor1 said:


> I used a type of super glue and put it along the inside of the rubber mounding. Sticks just fine


Perfect! I just put that on my shopping list for next time I go to town.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Dunno what to use for siding as I lived in AZ and had a wood pole barn with metal pole fencing between stalls. Never had a problem with horses getting into it with each other. And this was a boarding stable. As a matter of fact, I think being able to see each other, not just hear each other, made for a quieter barn.

But I can tell you, if a horse does start to lick, munch or whatever on your wood, just mix hot sauce with toothpaste (makes the hot sauce stick) and smear it where they are messing with the wood. Only takes a few licks and they never go near it again.


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