Promoting the equestrian lifestyle within a sustainable environment. Since 1997 HCW has offered ways to care for horses that improves the farm they live on and reduces non-point pollution.

1. Tips for Setting Up a Chore Efficient,
User-Friendly, Fun Horse Place
Designing a Horse Property:

9. 10 Tips for Setting Up Horse Properties
1. Locate barn & paddocks in high, well-drained area
2. Deal with drainage right away
3. Protect wellhead & drain field
4. Choose horse-healthy shelters & feeders
5. Have chore-efficient equipment that works
6. Get native plants working for you
7. Locate compost bins for chore efficiency & cover manure piles
8. Consider accessibility – for people, horses & vehicles
9. Have access to places to ride & exercise your horse
10. Lay out place for ease of use – wash rack, garden, compost
bins, round pens, put important things close by

10. 1. Locate paddocks & barns in
high, well-drained areas

11. Paddocks should slope AWAY
from the barn or shelter

16. 2. Deal with drainage right up front
• French
drains
• Gutters &
downspouts
• Footing
materials in
high traffic
areas

21. Gutters & downspouts – diverted away

27. Footing material in high traffic
areas – helps with drainage

33. 3. Protect
your
well &
septic
system

36. Keep horses (& heavy equipment) off of drain fields

37. 4. Horse-healthy shelters & feeders
Shelter designs, from simple to more elaborate

38. Shelters

44. Feeders

47. Feeders

49. 5. Have chore-efficient equipment
that WORKS!

64. 6. Get native plants working for you

65. Be sure streams & water bodies are
well away from horses & livestock

67. Plant water-loving plants in wet
areas for mud control

70. Use trees for summer
shade & winter sun

71. Plants can be a nice visual screen
or buffer between neighbors

72. Native plants
as dust barriers
& visual screen

76. 7. Locate compost bins for chore
efficiency & cover manure piles

80. 8. Locate compost bins for ease of cleaning
paddocks

81. Cover
all bins &
manure piles

87. 8. Consider accessibility –
for people, horses & vehicles

88. Accessibility– for people

91. Seasonal accessibility

92. Paddock accessibility
(can’t have too many gates!)

96. 9. Have EASY access to places to
ride & exercise your horse

101. 10. Lay out your
place for ease
of use
• Wash rack,
garden, compost
bins, round
pens…
• Put important &
fun things close
by

102. Make your barn & horse property
the center of your universe!

105. Our garden on the path to the barn

114. Good Horsekeeping to you!