The equine are the pride and joy of this little farm, and most of the property is arranged for their need.
We have walking trails for exercise, a dry lot, grass-pasture space, the main barn and the cutest hauling trailer.
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THE MAIN BARN FOR THE PONIES
The main barn is off the right side of the garage and the house.
It’s a white and green steel-sided pole building that measures 30×32.
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Their space inside the barn is stalled off, and we have open space to add additional stall areas if ever needed.
We rarely stall anyone unless for veterinary visits or health concerns, like when Mixie has a laminitis flare-ups or GI issues.
The space in the barn that the ponies have free access to is about 15′ x 10′.
This enclosed stall area was built so that we could have a space to heat if needed for emergencies.
This space has been ideal for washing our Shetland Pony, Mixie, who experiences fecal water syndrome during the winter.
It’s also been a great spot to help warm her legs, given her winter laminitis concerns and winter farrier trims on those below zero days.
Although it may be difficult to tell from the photos, we used PVC vinyl for the windows.
To be honest, it's actually a clear vinyl table cover I found on Amazon, but it's thick and the pvc plastic is the same as they use on ice houses.
It was the exact size I needed for my window space, a super affordable, a safer option over plexiglass, and hold the heat great.
YOU GUYS I RECOMMEND!
We use a propane heater to heat the space, and don't worry we would never leave the heater on in this space unattended.
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We use thick rubber stall mats over the sand footing in the stall areas and in front of the hay bin.
This main barn also stores our hay, feed, and pony supplies.
The hay area holds about 275 small 40-50lbs bales at a time.
The hay is kept off the ground by a platform that has been built off the ground.
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One side of the dry lot has access to the main barn while the other has the lean too for shelter if needed, but normally when everyone is done eating their specific meals, I open all of the fencing so they can go in both sides freely.
A dry lot is a space with no grass and is required for equine with restricted diets or health concerns.
We use both a tiller and a drag to prevent grass from growing in this area.
My ponies, Mixie and Shiloh, have Equine Metabolic Syndrome which is basically diabetes for a horse.
Grass can have different sugar levels, so they need the dry lot for their overall health.
Mixie has also foundered and keeping her on a dry lot helps with hoof care issues as well.
HAY FEEDERS
Because our equine are kept on a dry lot that has sand, we feed Sand Clear for sand colic prevention and sometimes chia seeds.
We also try to keep hay off the ground with our hay-feeding areas.
These stations were built with landscaping timbers and a heavy landscaping fabric that lets water soak through and isn't slippery in the winter.
A wooden fence post is centered to hang the hay nets.
THE GRASS PASTURE
The grass pasture is a solar-fenced-in area of 2.25 acres.
Unfortunately, because of the health concerns with our ponies, turnout time in the grass pasture is limited to evenings
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For solar fencing, we use a Zebra Electric Fence Charger, this panel has mixed reviews, but I can say that we’ve had it working just fine since 2017 with no issues.
We keep it in a sunny location, and it works 24/7, even in our cold Minnesota winter months.
All our wooden posts were installed by hand, using a post-hole digger, and they are spaced at 25 feet apart.
I purchased the wooden fence post from Menards, and they are 3″x7′ AC2 treated.
We used Slant Nail Wood Post Insulators to hold the Power Fields Fence Wire and spaced the four rows at 12 inches.
On the corners we used Corner Post Ceramic Insulators.
Since I don’t have regular-sized horses, I only run the electricity through the two bottom rows of wire.
BACKYARD TRAILS FOR PONY EXERCISE
One of my favorite places to exercise the ponies is on the backyard trails, and I think they enjoy them too.
We didn’t specifically make the trails for the ponies, they were created when my boys were younger, but now they are so great to have.
These days I even have a few fairy accessories along them to add a pop of color and a bit of magic.
THE PONY TRAILER
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