BarnBiz n’ Bits

FCP is the official barn manufacturer of the 9th annual Equine Affaire January 29 thru February 1 at the Fairplex in Pomona.

This year’s premiere equestrian gathering offers opportunities to learn, shop and network with horse enthusiasts from a wide variety of disciplines.

Clinics, Seminars & Demonstrations

Plan to attend one of the many world-class educational programs presented by the nation’s leading trainers, coaches and competitors.

~ • ~

Trade Show

Enjoy shopping in six exhibit halls with the foremost equine related retailers presenting a wide array of products from riding apparel, grooming supplies, gifts, tack, farm equipment and horse trailers!

~ • ~

Breed Pavilion

Informational exhibits showcase horse breeds with a rotating cast of selected stallions, mares and geldings.  Association representatives perform scheduled demonstrations, spotlights and in-hand presentations throughout the four day event.

~ • ~

Arabian Horse Association Youth Pavilion

For the horse-crazy kid of all ages the Arabian Horse Youth pavilion displays a Celebrity Horse Showcase and plenty of fun activities for the kids!

~ • ~

Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race

With the same competition as seen on RFD-TV cheer on your favorite horse and rider team as they contend for cash and prizes in a timed obstacle course!

~ • ~

For detailed information and event schedules log onto www.equineaffaire.com. We hope you’ll stop by the FCP “Little Red Barn” display for event specials and an enlightening look at our innovations in equine housing.   Be sure to enter the FCP raffle for your chance to win a Freestanding Pasture Shelter!

Experience The Nation’s Premiere Equestrian Gathering

Equine Affaire
Fairplex Pomona
January 29 – February 1, 2009

Smart Planning and Design of Your Barn Pays Off in Both Dollars and Quality of Life

Most of us would agree horses are part of the family. As owners, we intend to create a building that provides health, comfort and safety for our horses. Unfortunately, we sometimes find ourselves regretting some of the decisions made in our barn and facilities investments. With some careful planning, you can avoid common mistakes and unforeseen expenses.

Plan For the Future

While a well-designed barn is more comfortable and enjoyable, it can also help lower maintenance costs, lower vet bills and add overall property value. In other words, a low-cost strategy can result in a high-maintenance property in the long run. Everyone needs an ideal barn design for their budget, and the first key to barn design is planning. Planning is as important for a two-horse barn as it is to a large equestrian facility.

Many property owners find themselves wishing they would have known then what I know now‚ before they began building. One of the most common regrets comes when the owner needs more space and has no ability to expand.

How do you make sure you plan for both today’s needs and what you anticipate years down the road? Here is a basic checklist to help:

Design Planning Checklist

Write it down.

•  Planning on paper can avoid expensive modifications and additions after the barn is built.

Ask yourself how the barn will be used.

•  Will it be used for personal pleasure only or will you board horses?

•  What is the maximum number of animals you project?
•  What kinds of horses do you have? Different breeds and sizes have different needs that impact the design.

What will you be doing with your horses?

• Think and walk through how you will spend your day with your horses.
•  How will you store tack and feed?
•  Where will you groom your horses?

Consider your own needs.

• Owner amenities such as restrooms can improve your workflow, and lounge areas can allow you to relax in comfort while you enjoy your animals.
Do you need a multi-use facility?

• You may have a need for non-equestrian storage, etc.

Visit other horse owners’ barns to see what you like and what works. While design planning can be exciting, you can do yourself a big favor by taking care of some other considerations first, like budgeting and zoning.

Budget

Financing should be a key part of the early planning to avoid wasting time on designs that will not fit the funding. FCP can design and build a structure to meet almost any current budget constraint with future expansion options.

Some helpful hints:Include permit costs, grading, turnouts, final landscaping, and utility hook-up costs in your budget plans. Always assume there will be unforeseen expenses. A good rule of thumb is to factor 10-15% of your budget for unplanned needs.

Zoning

Often overlooked in the beginning stages, you can save yourself a lot of time and trouble by researching zoning issues first. Consult local building codes and governing bodies before planning to ensure your project is within acceptable standards.

Put some time into these basic steps, and you will have fewer regrets and expenses down the road. Most importantly, you can look forward to many years of health, comfort and safety for these valued members of the family.

FCP Barns & Buildings innovation benefits the environment and barn owners

Summer is just around the corner and heat is one of the major problems facing barn owners, especially in Southern California. Excessive heat is not only uncomfortable for the horse and owner, it can also increase the potential for illness and disease. But FCP Barns & Buildings has found a solution — ULTRA-Cool® roofing materials.

FCP Barns & Buildings is the first modular horse barn manufacturer to use ULTRA-Cool® roofing materials, a new system developed by BASF. This innovative new system reflects solar energy to keep barns 25-45 percent cooler.

It uses a simple principle: a barn’s roof is heated extensively by sunlight or solar energy, more so than the surrounding ambient air temperature. The greater the amount of heat a roof reflects, the less the amount of heat available to transfer to the barn’s interior. In the past, heat reflectivity could only be achieved by using light-colored roofing material instead of a dark-colored material. FCP’s ULTRA-Cool roofing increases heat reflectivity without sacrificing color choice.

The revolutionary coating increases the reflectivity of colors, particularly medium to dark colors, thus promoting cooler interior spaces. ULTRA-Cool not only increases a roof’s ability to reflect the sun’s energy, but also quickly emits any energy that it does absorb. This greatly reduces the barn’s interior temperature and increases the life of the roof.

Metal roofs already have many commonly recognized benefits such as fire-resistance, a light-weight, seamless integrity, a wide variety of color choices and longevity. Cool roofs have all the same benefits as metal roofs and are available in the same colors and styles. Insulation can also be added for an even cooler effect.

Due to the increasing concerns about global warming and high energy costs, green building codes will become required and legislators in certain energy conscious districts are including cool roof requirements in their energy conservation program. FCP spokesmen say it is likely that all building codes will soon require cool roofing.

Conscious of this trend, FCP’s barns are environmentally friendly. ULTRA-Cool is no exception. It allows equestrians to have a cooler barn at no extra cost, with the added bonus of helping the environment because ULTRA-Cool is made from 100 percent recyclable material.

In a recent press release, BASF Corporation explained that the growth of urban areas has lead to an “Urban Heat Island” effect, with heat-absorbing roofs being among the chief culprits. These hotter-than-normal temperatures result in greater energy consumption. The excess heat and increased energy production has also led to alarming increases in the levels of smog and ozone. In addition, while aiding in lowering environmental temperatures and thus helping reduce smog levels, cool roofing provides cooler interior spaces. This, in turn, increases horses’ comfort and safety; with less expansion and contraction, roofs have a longer life expectancy.

A cool roof is not only a good idea, it’s a responsible idea. As our world strives to become more ‘green,’ every barn owner can do their part- not only for themselves, but also for the earth.

To learn more about Cool Roofing, call an FCP Design Consultant at 1-800-807-2276, or www.CoolMetalRoofing.org

Today’s horse owners are facing ever increasing costs in the day to day maintenance of their four legged friends.  With apparent shortages of wood shavings, bedding prices have reached an all time high.  Leaving most barn and stable owners with a pondering thought: What else can we use?

Barn Biz ‘n Bits recently had the great fortune to meet with Mr. Ross McArthur, fellow horseman, business entrepreneur and inventor of the patented bedding system, Perma Stall Plus.  Read what he has to say about a most amazing new product revolutionizing the horse keeping industry.

Perma Stall Plus

If the cost of shavings and the ever rising cost of manure removal have you looking at ways to rethink your bedding system, Perma Stall Plus is something you may wish to consider. Ross McArthur’s patented system offers horse keepers a full service bedding program that is getting rave reviews from many users.

After owning his own stable in Toronto and riding and competing in Europe in show jumping, Ross worked with a chemist to formulate a specialized coating to treat rice hulls creating a new bedding product. He has specially treated the rice hulls with anti-bacterial drying agents and coagulants to create soft bedding that absorbs and eliminates odor without requiring huge amounts of bedding to be stripped from the stall. Many users have reduced their waste removal costs dramatically.

Ross is the first to admit that his product is not for everyone. He personally oversees the installation of the product and trains the owners and workers on how to clean the stalls and how to maintain them. Farriers that care for horses on the product have been pleased with how hooves improve after only a few months in the new bedding. The urine is quickly dissipated from the treated product and damp, wet smelly areas are virtually eliminated. The bedding is quite soft and horses that normally have hock sores or other skin problems show much improvement sleeping on the Perma Stall Plus.

Once the bedding is installed, the need to add more is usually minimal. Depending on the horse and its routine, Perma Stall Plus may only need to be added once a week or every few weeks. Ross is very watchful over the maintenance of the product. He reviews his customer’s horse barns and works closely with those who clean the stalls. Twice daily cleaning is recommended to keep the stall or pen at its best.

Dove Hollow Dressage Center of Olivenhain and Anderson Farm of Rancho Santa Fe are huge fans and extremely pleased with Perma Stall Plus. For more information call Ross McArthur 760-274-4325 or see his website.