HORSES are an essential part of the fabric of rural Ireland, and the equine industry contributes significantly to the economy, from Connemaras in Clifden Mart, to bloodstock in Goffs and Tattersalls.

The latest round of the Department of Agriculture’s Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS III) brought with it additional items of interest to equine owners, who had felt hard done by in previous schemes.

Housing, feed storage, gallops, exercise areas and stud fencing are now all eligible for TAMS aid, at rates of 40%-60%. The minimum requirements to qualify for grant aid include:

For the purpose of this article, we will look at some of the specifications surrounding housing, with specifications changing for some investments in a redraft in July of this year. Both box housing and loose housing are acceptable, with specifications and reference costs varying for both.

Loose boxes

Loose boxes shall be sized according to expected use. For ponies/small horses the minimum size shall be 8m² , with 2.8m the minimum length of the shorter wall. Boxes for larger horses shall be in the range 11-20m² and be as square as is practical. The minimum length of the shorter wall shall be at least 3m.

Boxes for foaling shall have a minimum size of 20m², with 4m the minimum length of the shorter wall.

Boxes for stallions shall be at least 15m² with 3.5m the minimum length of the shorter wall. The maximum size for a foaling box or for a stallion box is 25m², for other boxes the maximum size is 20m².

As a general guide, when calculating the size of stables for horses, the following calculation may be used, subject to the minimum size above being achieved:

Loose housing

Loose housing refers to the group housing of three or more animals. The following floor areas are suggested, with the lower figure being the minimum:

Where equines are loose housed in groups, care should be taken to ensure bullying is not an issue and that all animals can easily access feed and water. Where horses are group housed, each pen shall be accessible from either the feed passage or from outside the building without having to pass through another animal pen.

Roof structure

All roof structures shall comply with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Specification S101. Alternative proprietary construction systems (eg of protected timber) may be used if such systems have received prior acceptance from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Gutters and downpipes shall be fitted to all roofs and arranged, so as not to discharge onto soiled yards. All metal cladding fixed to timber rails or purlins shall be separated by a layer of DPC (damp proof course) membrane.

Roofs under tiles or slates shall be of traditional construction, with batten spacing, etc, and in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.

Open ventilation

Permanent open ventilation shall be provided as a strict condition of grant aid. Opening/closing windows, or opening/closing half-doors, shall not be included in the required inlet/outlet areas given below.

Air inlets shall be at least 2m above floor level and air outlets at least 1m above the inlet. Inlet(s) minimum of 0.3m² /adult animal. Outlet(s) minimum of 0.15m² /adult animal, though 0.3m² /adult animal is strongly recommended.

Inlet area is defined as the aggregate area of all unobstructed air inlets (eg if Yorkshire boarding, or other system is used to reduce wind speed, the area of the timber/plastic is not part of the inlet area). Permanently open half-doors are a useful method of supplementing inlet ventilation.

Vented sheeting may be used for inlet ventilation only – in such cases, a minimum of 1.5m² of vented areas of sheet shall be provided per adult animal. American barns shall have a ridge opening at least 300mm wide. If a ridge cap is fitted, there shall be a clear space of at least 175mm on both sides between the cap supports and the roof.

Ceilings

Ceilings are not required and not recommended, as they can obstruct ventilation. If installed, they shall follow the slope of the rafters/purlins and shall not obstruct the outlet ventilation at the apex.

Walls

Walls shall be 225mm solid block with continuous wall plate to support the roof, or have 450mm x 450mm solid blockwork piers as roof supports. Infill walls between stanchions/piers at 4.8m centres (or less) shall be 150mm solid blockwork, which shall be firmly secured to stanchions/piers. Internal walls shall be of 150mm solid blockwork.

All block walls shall be of solid blocks certified to a minimum strength of 7.5 N/mm², though it is strongly recommended that they be constructed of mass concrete. Use of hollow core blocks is not permitted. A damp-proof course shall be fitted not less than 100mm above floor/yard level for all blockwork walls.

Walls in boxes shall be not less than 2.4m high. Walls in loose houses, stall houses and barns shall be of solid construction up to 2.4m, with minimum eaves height of 3m.

All internal walls shall be smooth-plastered with 5:1 sand-cement mix, steel-trowelled. External walls shall be smooth-plastered or constructed of well-pointed, fair-faced blockwork.

Walls may also be of 200mm mass concrete with pillars at 6.4m, or 150mm where built between stanchions at 4.8m centres. All blemishes in the concrete surface shall be finished smooth. Mass concrete infill walls shall be constructed with nominal mesh reinforcement. It is strongly recommended by the Department that all gable walls be constructed of mass concrete.

Proprietary wall panels used as stable dividers are permitted, though they will have to be sourced from Department approved suppliers (listed on S.157).

Use of rubber/EVA matting on walls is permitted. The matting shall be a minimum of 25mm thick.

Full specifications can be accessed through the DAFM website, with equine housing and facilities detailed in form S.156.

Costings

The below are the reference costs of the different types of housing under TAMS III. Reference costs are exclusive of VAT, as grant aid will not be paid out on this. It is important to note that reference costs are the maximum costs paid out on an investment; where the spend is higher than the reference cost, then grant aid will only be paid out based on reference cost. However, where the receipts submitted for the grant claim turn out to be lower than reference costs, then the actual costs will be the figure used to calculate grant aid.

In short

Martin Merrick is the Buildings & Labour Efficiency Journalist with the Irish Farmers Journal