Prefab Metal Horse Barns: What To Know While You Shop

Whether you’re a first-time horse owner or are exploring your horse facilities, you’ve doubtless started looking at your options for building a horse barn to protect your animals. While many people think all horse barns are made of wood, most professionals and savvy horse barn shoppers choose to build prefabricated (prefab) metal horse barns.

Prefabricated metal horse barns are popular for several reasons, as we’ll explore in a bit. In the past, wooden horse barns were regarded as the standard, but that is quickly changing as prefab metal horse barns become more affordable and widely available.

Horse barn kits are also key to this change, letting anyone purchase pre-assembled barn kits that contain everything needed to build a durable horse barn for an affordable cost.

If you want to learn more or get a free quote, you can always contact us by phone or our website form.

Considerations When Shopping For Steel Horse Barn Kits

Whether you’re building a single horse barn or several horse barns, there are many reasons to choose a metal building over alternative building materials. The strength of metal building structures means that you’ll be able to keep your horses safe for years to come, much more so than a wooden stable.

Here are some considerations to keep in mind if you’re deciding to use a pre-engineered steel horse barn kit.

What are the site preparation requirements for metal horse barns?

Before you start building a metal horse barn, you need to make sure that there’s an available power source and that there’s enough distance from your residence or any other horse barn on your property.

Also, it’s best to consider the airflow within your area and the wind direction and wind speed. Wind factors such as these influence the type of roof you’ll use for your metal horse barn.

What metal building size do you need to build a metal horse barn?

To make sure your metal building stays durable and strong for years, you must choose the right metal building components for your steel horse barn.

For starters, you want to learn about the different types of steel buildings.

Here are the most common ones:

  • 46 x 21 Raised Center Aisle Barn
  • 48 x 51 Fully Enclosed Barn
  • 48 x 31 Metal Horse Shelter
  • 50 x 41 Continuous Roof Barn
  • 44 x 21 Metal Seneca Barn
  • 36 x 21 Metal Horse Barn
  • 44 x 36 Metal Barn
  • 46 x 51 Barn With Lean-To
  • 48 x 41 Enclosed Metal Barn Building

What is your horse stable building going to be made of?

Often, horse stables are made of timber wood and used to store machinery, livestock, or equipment. However, metal horse barns provide increased durability and keep your horses safe through all types of weather conditions.

What will your horse stable floor be made of?

Aside from your horse barn building, you also want to consider the material you’ll use for the floor of your horse barn.

There are two types of stable floors to consider for your steel horse barn: porous and impervious.

Some materials that are commonly used as a porous stable floor are sand, soil, and clay. Impervious stable floor materials include concrete, limestone dust, brick, grid flooring, and asphalt.

How accessible is your horse barn site?

A big consideration when selecting a site for horse barns is accessibility. It’s a good idea to ensure a driveway or path to and from your horse barn, so there’s easy access for large delivery trucks, hay delivery trucks, and horse-trailer trucks (horse trailers need adequate room for loading and unloading horses).

Tips for making sure your horse barn is accessible:

  1. Make sure the selected location has a good, well-draining base.
  2. Dig new trench lines, so your new horse barn has water and electricity
  3. Book an electrician so you can get electrical wiring in once the barn is built
  4. Hire a plumber or heavy equipment operator to install barn plumbing
  5. Decide on either solar panels or another energy-efficient lighting system
  6. Make sure you have a sufficient amount of room for future expansion

What kind of anchors are best for prefabricated metal buildings being used as horse barns?

There are several different types of metal building anchors that are best suited to specific metal building types. The type of metal building anchor you choose will depend on the foundation you have for your metal building.

For horse barns, metal building experts generally recommend the following types of steel farm building anchors:

  • Rebar anchors: Best for locations with sturdy soil and not a lot of wind. Rebar anchors should not be used on a concrete foundation.
  • Auger anchors: This type of metal building anchor is perfect for soil or dirt foundations. Auger anchors are also called mobile home anchors.
  • Concrete anchors: This kind of building anchor is designed for foundations made of concrete or cement.
  • Asphalt anchors: Designed to secure buildings that are installed on an asphalt foundation

Are there different styles of barns?

There are different styles of metal barns that you’ll come across as you’re shopping for barn kits to build a great horse barn.

Common types of metal buildings being used in agriculture are:

  • Metal buildings with an attached lean-to
  • Metal carports that are modified to act as horse stables
  • Triple-wide metal buildings
  • Metal barns
  • Metal storage buildings

You can learn more about the types of steel buildings being used for agricultural purposes here.

What are essential structures to include in metal horse barns?

Some important structures to include within metal horse barns are:

  • Multiple entrances: Having multiple doors will benefit you in the event of an emergency
  • Ample ventilation: Plan for a sufficient number of vents and windows, so your horse barn is adequately ventilated
  • Ample aisle space: Allow a few extra feet to give your horses enough room to walk and move through your metal barn
  • Add enough storage: The recommended size for a horse stall is 14′ x 14′ x 7′, but you should allow additional storage room.
  • Account for additional items: Often, horse owners don’t allow for the weight of additional items like kickboards. With proper estimating and metal building engineering, you can account for this additional weight. Of course, inside height clearance is also critical if you’ll have an indoor riding arena.

Can I customize the price and design, so I get a custom horse barn?

Yes, at California All Steel, you can customize any of our metal buildings to your specific needs and preferred design requirements. When you call us to request an estimate or quote, our sales representatives will help you select or customize a metal building product that fits your budget or requirements.

Reasons Why Metal Buildings Make Great Horse Barns

Horse in nature, not in a prefab metal horse barn.
Prefabricated metal horse barns keep horses protected so they aren’t left standing outside in harsh weather.

In the past, horse owners would look to wooden barns when building a shelter for their horses (horse stables, indoor riding arenas, etc.) or agricultural storage buildings.

However, because of the many benefits of pre-fabricated, pre-engineered metal buildings, metal buildings have become a top choice among farmers and equestrians.

This section will discuss the main benefits of using metal buildings for agricultural use cases, like horse stables and hay storage facilities.

Quick Construction

Large metal barn with cows that represents metal horse barns
Metal barns can be used for livestock, like horses and cows, as well as equipment

When you’re looking to build a new barn for your horses or store farm equipment, one of the biggest factors of your project is the completion timeframe. Often, a building project can get drawn out unnecessarily, but installation times are fast with a metal barn building.

Because prefabricated metal buildings are pre-engineered and delivered in kits with all the metal building components needed, all you need to do is assemble the pieces.

With horse barn kits, you don’t have to cut building materials to size, and there’s minimal measuring or cutting involved as with wooden horse barns.

Durability

Three giant metal buildings, steel barns being used for cows. Metal buildings are examples of prefab metal horse barns.
An example of prefabricated metal horse barns, although these metal buildings are being used on a dairy.

Building a metal barn allows for increased building durability over typical wooden horse barns. Steel buildings don’t warp or crack like wooden buildings. If you’ve looked into concrete buildings, you should know that concrete buildings tend to chip and crumble due to their brittleness and absorb moisture due to composite materials like sand, gravel, and other chemicals.

Low Maintenance

Strong, durable metal horse barn interior
This photo was taken from the inside of a barn and shows the importance of choosing a sturdy building material for your horse barn.

You should choose a metal barn kit during your next agricultural construction project because of the low maintenance required for metal buildings. For equestrian facilities and horse barns, in particular, maintenance is critical to protecting and caring for your horses and livestock.

So how does using a metal building for a horse stall or livestock barn make maintenance easier?

Well, for starters, a metal building eliminates the whole issue of mold, which is a common problem with wooden barns. Every horse owner and farmer knows the importance of a well-ventilated building, but mold can be an issue even in the best wooden barn.

With metal buildings, the problem of mold is solved since the very frame and structure of the metal building has no susceptibility to mold.

In addition to being mold-free, getting a custom steel building for your agricultural building project can deter pests. While most equine experts would recommend buying barn cats, using a metal building can be helpful too.

Remember, when you select a steel building kit to store equipment or shelter your livestock, you get the benefit of quicker construction time and competitive pricing as well. Additional details and benefits like no termites are a plus.

Competitive Pricing

A aisle in a metal horse barn that's brightly lit
Part of ensuring the safety of your horses and livestock is making sure your metal horse barn is wired for electricity so there’s sufficient lighting.

In addition to faster construction times, steel horse barns also tend to be cheaper than wooden stables or other traditional building types. When you buy a steel building kit or barn kit, the building materials are pre-assembled and engineered, so your labor costs are drastically reduced.

In addition to the lower construction costs for a steel building, there is also the benefit of less maintenance needed, which further increases the affordability and cost-effectiveness of kits for horse barns.

Eco-Friendly

Top of a new red metal horse barn with a custom roof style
Metal horse barns can be customized according to your building project needs and specific style preferences.

Steel buildings are a top choice when it comes to durable, sustainable building options for horse barns. According to the WorldSteel Association, the energy use within the steel industry to produce raw steel has decreased by 60% since 1960. This means that there is less waste resulting from the steel manufacturing process.

Steel waste and steel by-products are recyclable and often used repurposed within the construction industry. As far as toxicity or harm to humans, the steel manufacturing process releases no toxic run-off as with some other building systems.

Versatile Structures

Various steel building types can be adapted and customized to various project applications like equestrian facilities, feed barns, livestock stables, and equipment barns.

At California All Steel, our company is proud to offer leading-quality steel carports, triple-wide steel buildings, storage buildings, ClearSpan buildings, metal barns, and much more!

The versatility of steel building systems is a primary reason for their growing popularity among homeowners, farmers, equestrian centers, and more. If you think that steel horse barns are the solution for your property, give us a call today! We’d love to help you customize a steel kit or building style to your needs or required customizations.

Considering A Metal Horse Barn? Here’s What To Know As You Buy

If you own horses and are considering steel building systems as your preferred stable choice for your horses, you’ve probably got many questions about the level of customizations available, the cost, and the overall installation process.

Our company is proud to be a leading California steel manufacturer that offers business owners, homeowners, horse owners, and other customers top-quality steel buildings built with the precise frames and dimensions they need for their project.

Often, a farm owner will use metal structures and barn kits to build durable stables, add equipment space, a durable, stable building solution, and other types of structures with custom dimensions and customizations.

Here are some considerations for when you’re buying steel buildings:

Understand Your Land

One of the biggest factors when shopping for steel buildings is the type of land you’re building on. This is the case, no matter what types of structures you’re constructing, whether it’s a feed storage building, a tack room, horse stables, or equipment space.

Another aspect of land details is making sure you’ve got enough room for your stables or other agricultural structure. When considering space, it’s a great idea to allow for expansion as your stable or steel building storage needs increase.

Get The Required Building Permits

Side view of female jockey with horse, representing the care that's needed when building a prefab metal horse barn
Caring for your horse is important, which is why most horse owners choose metal buildings for their horse stables.

Before building the instruction of your steel building, you need to make sure you have the necessary permits for your structure and steel frame.

In general, to apply for a construction permit, you’ll need to have the following on hand:

  1. Your property deed with a brief property description
  2. The size dimensions and an explanation of how you’ll use the structure (or structures)
  3. The exact location where the steel structure will be installed and constructed on your property

After you’ve received the necessary approval and building permits, you can start the process of building your steel structure.

A quick note about the permitting process is that while some areas can have a fairly fast approval process, the permitting process can be quite lengthy in other regions.

It’s best to plan and research your local area so you can estimate how long it will take to gain the permits and approval for your steel stable.

When choosing a steel building company, be sure to choose a company that offers certified plans since permitting requirements often necessitate engineer-stamped plans and letters of certification.

Choose A Great Foundation

A dimly lit barn interior with a haystack, showing how metal barns can be used as hay storage buildings.
Metal buildings can be customized to act as hay storage buildings, in addition to metal horse stables.

When it comes to building structures, the foundation is key. Even the strongest steel frame will collapse if the foundation is improperly laid out. Ensuring a good foundation will ensure your horse stables are a worthy solution to your horse shelter needs, keeping your animals protected and safe.

Determine Your Steel Building Budget

Large metal red barn with big silos
Metal barn buildings range from massive agricultural operations to small farms. But, in either case, metal buildings offer superior value.

Every customer wants to get a good price for a top-quality steel building. At California All Steel, we provide a free quote builder that lets our customers pick the type of steel building they need, specify their size, and get a quick estimate so they know an approximate price.

We’re proud to have numerous great customer reviews online and actively work hard to ensure that we provide our customers with the space they need for their stables and other structures at a fair price.

Customize Your Building

Equestrian facility and farming equipment
Equestrian centers and farmers often use metal buildings as equipment sheds, tack sheds, or metal horse stables.

One of the biggest reasons our customers love metal buildings is that these structures can be fully customized so you have the features, size, and color you need at the price you can afford.

If you’re looking for top-quality steel buildings, call us or email us! Our customer service team will get back to you as fast as possible so we can discuss your preferred solution, whether it’s a stable, tack shed, or another style of building.

Top Questions About Our Metal Horse Barns

Are you looking for affordable, stable prices within your zip code? We’ve been in the steel building business for years and serve customers in California, Arizona, Nevada, and many other places throughout the United States.

We’ve rounded up the most common questions about our steel stables, horse stalls, roof style options, available size choices, and farm stalls so you can get free answers any time of day. If you see a question that isn’t covered here, give us a call or contact us using our website.

Ultimately, we want to give you the perfect style, the ideal price, and a superior warranty for a building that has all the features you want, whether it’s extra stalls, an area for a tack shed, or a customized roof size.

How much does it cost to build a horse barn?

Horses in a prefabricated horse barn
In this prefab metal barn, a horse awaits its owner. Horse owners often choose metal buildings because of their reduced costs in long run.

Typically, the cost to build a wooden horse barn is roughly $45 per square foot. On the other hand, prefabricated steel barns cost between $7 and $25 per square foot.

In addition to the savings, all of our steel structures come with a limited warranty, regardless of the roof type, zip code, structure’s size, or other factors. Contact us for more details about how our warranty keeps you protected and holds us accountable for superior building standards.

Is a wood or metal horse barn cheaper?

A horse in a stable, illustrating the idea of steel horse stables.
Keeping horses protected and safe is a top concern for any farmer or horse owner, which is why many people choose metal horse barns.

The main advantages of metal barns over wooden buildings include a flexible design, longer lifespan, and decreased maintenance needs.

How do I keep my horse barn warm during the winter?

Two friends are sitting atop horses, showing how prefab metal horse barns are a favorite of horse owners.
Horse owners love using metal buildings as prefab metal horse barns.

To keep your horse barn warm during the cold winter months, here are few tips:

  • Construct your horse barn so it is properly insulated, so you reduce your heating bill for rooms like your tack room or viewing room.
  • If you have many empty stalls, move horses into adjacent stables and consider closing off empty rooms and stables during winter.
  • Install heaters so your horse stable is comfortably warm and invests incorrectly sized doors as you build.
  • Pick steel siding and a sufficient roof size to ensure the size matches your needs to limit unnecessary space.

How can I keep my horse barn safe?

Horse looks out of a prefab metal horse stable
Keeping horses safe is key for any farmer or horse owner, which is why most people choose prefab metal horse barns.

Good horse barns protect your livestock animals from harsh weather conditions so they aren’t left standing in unbearable conditions. If you choose steel sheets as your stall liner, be sure to avoid sharp edges or jagged or overlapping panels. Horse kicks and abrasions can damage your walls if there is insufficient protection in the paddock areas and steel siding.

Can I use metal buildings for my equestrian center?

California All Steel metal farm building
At California All Steel, our metal buildings are versatile enough to be adapted to any agricultural application, including horse stables.

Steel equestrian centers are growing in popularity and used for riding arenas, steel horse stables, steel barns, tack sheds, and equipment storage buildings.

If you want to learn more about how you can use steel for your equestrian center, pick up the phone and gives us a call!

Call California All Steel For Your Metal Horse Barn!

Our sales reps are waiting to hear from you, whether it’s by phone or through our website contact form. We’ve helped numerous customers find the perfect building for their needs, from business facilities and homes to farm buildings and construction sheds. Contact us today by phone or email, and let’s start your next building project right!

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