ABSTRACT
The ideal farm would be square, rather than oblong, and would be laid out like the spokes on a wheel with barn, feed, and storage centrally located and pastures radiating out to the property line. Driveways should make a straight entrance to the barn area and should end either in a large parking area or should circle the barn to facilitate turnaround for horse trailers. Cross-fencing also is especially valuable as a means of separating horses according to nutritional requirements. Individual feeding pens ensure each horse its proper diet, but they are not always economically feasible. Each feedlot can be facilitated with a catch pen, preferably a long narrow dead-end run that is helpful in catching horses that have not received regular handling. Flooring ranges from clay and sand to asphalt and concrete. Horses housed on hard ground are more prone to puffiness and swelling in their legs.
