By Tommy Brannon
Those who have undertaken the task of designing and building a barn for horses know just what a daunting task it is, and how much planning goes into a functional barn. Jason Doyle and his wife Poppy, who own Trinity Farm in Lakeland, TN, have done just that. Trinity Farm is a well designed boarding and training facility catering to hunters and jumpers.
The quality is in the details, and Jason has planned many details in Trinity Farms Barn. He says that they had been around enough barns previously to learn the dos and don’ts and to plan for future expansion.
The barn has 18 10’ X 12’ stalls, plus four brick-lined wash bays inside and a concrete wash rack outside. The brick work was the only thing Jason contracted out; all the rest he did himself. Jason said he designed the stalls to be 12’ deep and 10’ wide because that size gives even large horses plenty of room, while that size is more economical to bed and mat.
The bulk shavings, hay storage, and tool and maintenance equipment storage are each housed in plank-lined 10’ X 12’ foot partitions that can be converted to stalls in the future when a maintenance shop is built. The metal exterior barn with concrete skirt and oversized gutters is fully insulated, which reduces the heat gain in the summer; there are fans throughout the barn for summer cooling.
A feature that is usually not found in barns is the commercial drains with wide heavy horse-safe grids in the 40’ concrete center aisle. Another useful feature is the mechanical room which houses the electrical boxes, water heater, future fly control system, and the telecommunications security equipment.
Indeed, it is the security system that makes this barn truly unique. There are security cameras in each stall and throughout the barn. The cameras can be monitored in the Doyle’s house, which is also on the property, and horse owners can watch their horses via the internet. There is an infrared and a pull down fire alarm and motion sensors in the aisle. Should a horse escape or intruder break in, they will be detected immediately. Each boarder has an individual security code to access the boarder’s tack room, and there are separate code pads for Poppy’s office and the mechanical room. Jason said the electrical system is “souped up,” partly because there is an expansion plan to add a 2,000 sq. ft. ground floor apartment on one side of the barn for live-in staff. Even the lighting is designed for efficiency, with high output, low wattage bulbs that provide plenty of light without a lot of heat.
Trinity farm is located at 10356 Monroe Rd. Lakeland Tn. and provides lessons, boarding and training. Contact Poppy Doyle at 901-483-2705, or visit their website: www.trinityfarmtn.com
Those who have undertaken the task of designing and building a barn for horses know just what a daunting task it is, and how much planning goes into a functional barn. Jason Doyle and his wife Poppy, who own Trinity Farm in Lakeland, TN, have done just that. Trinity Farm is a well designed boarding and training facility catering to hunters and jumpers.
The quality is in the details, and Jason has planned many details in Trinity Farms Barn. He says that they had been around enough barns previously to learn the dos and don’ts and to plan for future expansion.
The barn has 18 10’ X 12’ stalls, plus four brick-lined wash bays inside and a concrete wash rack outside. The brick work was the only thing Jason contracted out; all the rest he did himself. Jason said he designed the stalls to be 12’ deep and 10’ wide because that size gives even large horses plenty of room, while that size is more economical to bed and mat.
The bulk shavings, hay storage, and tool and maintenance equipment storage are each housed in plank-lined 10’ X 12’ foot partitions that can be converted to stalls in the future when a maintenance shop is built. The metal exterior barn with concrete skirt and oversized gutters is fully insulated, which reduces the heat gain in the summer; there are fans throughout the barn for summer cooling.
A feature that is usually not found in barns is the commercial drains with wide heavy horse-safe grids in the 40’ concrete center aisle. Another useful feature is the mechanical room which houses the electrical boxes, water heater, future fly control system, and the telecommunications security equipment.
Indeed, it is the security system that makes this barn truly unique. There are security cameras in each stall and throughout the barn. The cameras can be monitored in the Doyle’s house, which is also on the property, and horse owners can watch their horses via the internet. There is an infrared and a pull down fire alarm and motion sensors in the aisle. Should a horse escape or intruder break in, they will be detected immediately. Each boarder has an individual security code to access the boarder’s tack room, and there are separate code pads for Poppy’s office and the mechanical room. Jason said the electrical system is “souped up,” partly because there is an expansion plan to add a 2,000 sq. ft. ground floor apartment on one side of the barn for live-in staff. Even the lighting is designed for efficiency, with high output, low wattage bulbs that provide plenty of light without a lot of heat.
Trinity farm is located at 10356 Monroe Rd. Lakeland Tn. and provides lessons, boarding and training. Contact Poppy Doyle at 901-483-2705, or visit their website: www.trinityfarmtn.com
