Pony shelter cladding

[Chap]

I may be building a pony shelter in the near future, trouble is all the cladding i've seen is rather expensive: ie. suitable for housing.
What i want is something that's cheap and rustic (rough as a badgers A-hole ), like you get on a £12 fence pannel!

Where can i get this from, and what would it be called?

Thanks
Nathan

 

[JohnD]

Your pony will kick or gnaw through anything less than 35mm thick.

Fence panel stuff will probably not last a day. It also has nails in it that will injure him when he has smashed the thin panels.

I suppose you could use Shuttering Ply, which is 18mm thick and of very rough appearance. It comes in sheets 8ft x 4ft (ish) and will work out stronger than equivalent planks.

 

[Chap]

The g/f's pony (I'm a car man )

Copying from an existing design, looks like general construction from 2x3, perlins from 2x4, 'plank' clad on the outside and then (waterproof?) chipboard (?) from the ground up to 4' on the inside- this acts as a kick board.

I just meant the type of wood that they use to clad fence panels.
(Though i did consider just nailing some together to begin with )

 

[JohnD]

There is a lot to be said for having a dwarf wall or something to keeep the first timber (except the replacable kickboards) a foot off the inside ground level. Otherwise they will be constantly moist with urine and will rot very soon. I imagine it is being built on a concrete raft so a single row of blocks would do.

If your g/f is going for the deep bed system at least 2 feet off the ground.

Rodents will probably live between the outer cladding and the inner boards.

If she insists on straw bedding then the floor needs to be laid to a good fall to drain.

The top of the lower door should be covered with metal sheeting bent round as the pone will otherwise chew it. Some like to chew the upper door frame too.

 

[Chap]

Right then, it seems the one i was going to copy isn't ideal. It has no concrete raft or dwarf wall, so i'ts just sitting on the ground in the feld.

What i produce essentially (sp) has to be mobile; to negate the need for planning permision ..and allow it to be moved between pens in the field.

Considering what you have said, would it be in-advisable to produse a rectangular timber frame as a base, for the side and back panels to mount on? This would be sacraficial, and periodically replaced when rotten; but would also add rigidity to the structure for when it is moved.

I hope you don't mind me asking further. (i have no experience designing such stuctures, but don't doubt i can build it)

- Chew resistant door framing noted
(though it will have no door, it's just going to be a feild shelter)

 

[JohnD]

OK, field shelter, should have two large doorways (both facing the same way) if not an open front on the "low" side of the roof, facing away from prevailing wind. Will be less prone to chewing or kicking as the pone will not feel frustrated at being confined. But he will rub up against it when he has an itch, and this will loosen joints.

If no concrete base it will drain on its own and the pone will not be in there all day or all night peeing on the floor.

Sacrificial base sounds a cunning idea, then you could replace the rotted feet. If you are going to want to move it in future then I suppose best made of sections that can be manhandled. I have no experience of a movable shelter. I still like shuttering ply, you could treat it with a dark-brown fence stain. Wood preservative or creosote-type things will be poisonous when chewed, but I suppose you could soak the bottoms of the posts that will be in ground contact.

 

[Chap]

open front on the "low" side of the roof

Noted

another thing wrong with the one i was going to copy!
Does the low side need a gutter? (plan to use a clear corrugated roof)

I plan to screw together the side and rear panels as a flat pack, then bolt these together and to the base. May be able to tighten screws/bolts to firm up joints in the future.
Screw eyes bolted through base, for dragging around feild with a 4x4

I may yet be turned to shuttering ply.. would be a lot cheaper.
My only reservation is the way it looks.. the ponys are going to a newly rented feild, and as such i don't want to upset the neighbours!

I suppose i could always cut the ply into planks lol

 

[JohnD]

The roofs are usually not clear. Having the shelter dark discourages flies, which are a nuisance on hot days. If you fit a gutter you will have to have some kind of spout. to throw the water away from the wall. If your other design has high-side open it might be to give enough room for pones not to bang their heads. pones are very aggressive and fierce and will bully each other (that's why you have two doorways, so one can escape if being bullied by another standing by the door).

I don't know how much headroom a pone needs if it goes up on its hind legs as they will if fighting - your gf should know.

 

[Chap]

Thanks for all the help john!

I may use a tin roof then.
Pretty much sorted the spec out now.. realised if i have the low-side open it negates the need for a gutter

Gotta wait for them to start renting the field (15th Sept), then i can crack on and struggle building it without power tools