Best Portable Shelter for Horses

portable-vinyl-shelterAlthough I have 2 stalls as part of my barn, I also wanted to get a portable shelter to put out in the horse’s field in case they wanted to lie down out there – since we live in the rainy Pacific Northwest. But then I added another horse to the herd (with a 4th on the way) and the need for a covered eating space to put the slow feeders under became top priority!

Now, the interesting thing about portable plastic/vinyl shelters is that the ones sold on horse sites, or marketing directly to horse owners, seem to instantly go up in price from the ones sold to truck and RV owners – even though the specs are the same! So be sure to check pricing on RV sites and places like Canadian Tire or Home Depot. You may also find a secondhand portable vinyl RV shelter on Craigslist – but act fast as the good ones are snapped up. If you are getting one of these vinyl portable shelters, then it’s nice to get one 9 or 10 feet high, so it feels spacious and not claustrophobic.

However, after much searching – and visualizing what it would FEEL like for the horses during wind, rain, etc. – I decide to go with a wood-built portable shelter. It has a metal roof, so I ask the builder, John, if he can sound-proof the roof; he uses a layer of board, then tar paper, then the metal roof and it cuts the hammering sound of rain right down to almost nothing! Ahhh… who wouldn’t prefer peace when they’re eating?

portable-wood-shelter

I also get John to build it so that I can add walls later if I wish – so the poles are welded with brackets and then he just screws in 1×2 inch strips of wood for now. This will give me greater flexibility for when I move to my own land and whatever I might need there. As you can see from the photo, I can add walls or a door anywhere I like and can divide the shelter into two halves if I wish. It’s 12×24 feet so plenty big enough – even with the two big 4×4 foot slow feeders under there.

Because there are no walls, or even side bars, John has to anchor the posts by bolting them onto concrete blocks dug into the ground. If I want to move the shelter, I just undo the bolts. And pour new concrete anchor blocks as I can’t see myself digging those out of the ground – but ya never know!

Yes, it can be more expensive to go with a wood portable shelter, but it depends on what you want; what size, and do you just need a roof, or 1 wall, or 4 walls, etc.? For example, a basic 10×12 foot shelter like this one from Rainforest Sheds is actually cheaper than a plastic or vinyl portable shelter. Not to mention how much easier it is on the environment, and quieter and more enjoyable for the horse too:

simple-portable-shelter

If your field has no natural wind break (a line of trees, or a building nearby), then you may want to consider getting at least one wall on your shelter. You may assume that if you live in a very cold, snowy place, that your horse is going to need/want an enclosed shelter with only the doorway open. However, I had horses for 10 years in Alberta (weeks at -40 degrees Celsius) and my horses rarely chose to be inside the barn. As long as they are regularly kept outside and allowed to grow a thick winter coat, the snow and dry cold doesn’t seem to bother them much.

My horses here on the rainy coast of British Columbia got much colder when wet (shivering and shaking with cold) than I ever saw my Alberta horses get, even though they too had thick winter coats. Since we put up the new portable wood shelter, along with the walk-in barn stalls, there is always enough room for all of them to get out of the rain, no matter how cranky one of them might be. And so even on the coldest, wettest days, no one is shivering. They just munch away at the slow feeders and wait for the downpour to abate so they can go roll in the mud or crusher dust. Meanwhile, this is what I’m doing in the manure pit – but that’s another story!

manure-pit-rake

Best Portable Shelter for Horses

8 thoughts on “Best Portable Shelter for Horses

  • February 1, 2016 at 2:07 pm
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    “Meanwhile … in the manure pit…” know that feeling!

    Thanks for the great blog – I love everything I have read & concur pretty much 🙂

    Erica

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    • February 9, 2016 at 8:59 am
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      Yes, when you’ve been there, you know!! And glad you’re enjoying LTYH Erica!

      Reply
  • October 24, 2016 at 12:36 pm
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    I came to the same conclusion about vinyl vs a wood shelter. Actually the cost is about the same if you do the work yourself. Problem with those metal roofs is they are heavy, rust, and they are very dark (horses generally don’t like dark corners). And oh that stinks about added layers for sound proofing! Also, a roof that heavy also makes it nearly impossible to make without a couple of guys or 3 people. I found that using Suntuf panels as roof brings in light (many levels of light can be let in with different colors). I can put the entire structure up as a woman by myself. Super light, noise is a non-issue – one layer is all you need. I’ve used them on and off for over ten years for various animal housing projects and they do not fade, crack or weather. I’ve removed them from old housing and reused them else-where. I’ve had horses walk on them and they don’t break. It’s crazy but they seem to last forever. Nothing compares to filtered light coming in too and the different colors are great or even the white or tinted (or if you want dark, they have that too). All lengths. Just have to follow manufacturers suggestions if you have snow to worry about. We don’t have snow so I skimp on the extras regarding underneath supports and have never had issues. Just a thought.. Very nice shelters you have.

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    • October 25, 2016 at 6:02 pm
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      Wow – those are amazing panels Jane, I’d never heard of them before so thanks so much for sharing! I did some googling:
      http://www.palram.com/suntuf

      And I see they’re even used for stadium roofs! I guess the only concern would be environmental – as it’s composed of a carbonate group and bisphenol-A:

      http://pslc.ws/macrog/pc.htm

      So what happens when it eventually breaks down or goes in the landfill? Maybe the fact that you can re-use them mitigates that…

      The metal roof on my shelters is not one solid sheet of metal. As I discovered when we took it apart; it is narrow sheets of a pretty lightweight material – they’re unwieldy, but I can lift them by myself. I think they must be this – galvanized steel, 20 lb each:
      http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fabral-Shelterguard-10-ft-Exposed-Fastener-Galvanized-Steel-Roof-Panel-in-White-0410116169/100048241

      Anyway, I very much appreciate the info and the fact that the Suntuf let the light in makes them pretty darn attractive…

      Reply
  • July 5, 2021 at 11:26 pm
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    Thanks for also pointing out that a lack of windbreaks will have to be addressed when getting new horse shelters. My uncle is planning to start taking care of horses soon so he is planning to have the accommodations prepared soon. I’d like to be there when he really brings the horses in because I’d like to see how friendly they can be.

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    • July 7, 2021 at 1:13 am
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      Wow Alice – your shelters are so reasonably priced! Sure wish we had a supplier like you in Canada…

      Reply
  • April 19, 2023 at 8:09 am
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    Thanks for the great contact re: temporary portable shelters. I’m on VI 🙂

    Reply

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