Field Shelters For Horses - The versatile option!

Double CROMARTY shelter with gate option
- the most popular layout -

Field shelters offer a quick and economical method of providing accommodation, and enable you to meet the RSPCA / BHS Horse Care Code established in 1995;

" A horse must be kept in a field with sturdy fencing (not barbed wire) and must have access to shelter at all times."

Field Shelters are usually erected without planning permission and can be erected either on a full concrete base (like looseboxes) or a concrete rim approximately 300mm (12") wide. An alternative method, widely favoured on cost grounds is to level the ground area with graded or crushed stone and laying a base of heavy timbers to match the walls. The building is then secured with coachscrews and steel pins which prevent uplift and horses pushing walls out of line.

Whichever method is used, we strongly recommend that after erection, fencing posts are placed in each corner before the next winter to provide additional wind protection. As a field shelter often has substantial openings for access, getting the location right is critical. Openings act to catch the wind, and while we include rear wall ventilators to lower the potential for damage, it is essential that prevailing winds hit the rear or sides of the building, usually giving a south face.

In the sketch above, we have shown a number of potential layouts, but we can offer complete flexibility in terms of openings and sizes. One of the most popular sizes is 7.2m (24') wide, which has the advantage of being dividable into two good size stalls or convertible later on into fixed Looseboxes, a bonus for customers who currently rent their land. We offer our shelters in sizes from 3.6m to 10.8m (12 - 36') and you can also add gates, sliprails and all the options applicable to Looseboxes (e.g. guttering, lining etc) to arrive at the ideal building for yourself and your budget.

We offer shelters with 3 different roof styles, all constructed like our looseboxes with kiln dried structural framing, pressure treated maintenance free weatherboarding and Onduline roofing system. Far and away the most popular model is the CROMARTY. This has a 1.1m (4'0 nom) overhang and looks exactly the same as our Looseboxes. This looks good, gives added weather protection and is popular with horses in summer - they can escape the sun and dreaded flies! The simplest structure is the BEAULY , with a flat pent roof sloping front to back and the DORNOCH differs only in that it has an apex roof and is aesthetically more pleasing.