Clearspan roof system covers temporary stable barn

By Sigrid Tornquist

Tony Marsh, managing director and owner of L.H.Woodhouse & Co. Ltd., is always on the lookout for ways to develop new products and improve existing products. One such development is the temporary stable barn, which the company introduced in 2008. “Traditionally we would have back-to-back stables with a PVC or canvas roof, with the horses facing out,” he says. “Effectively, we took the barns and put them in two rows with a generous aisle down the middle and put a clearspan roof over the whole thing to emulate an American barn.” The concept came after conversations with equestrian clients who craved dry working conditions when grooming and tending to their horses. The new stables make use of a curved 12-meter clearspan roof system to avoid having a ridge, which makes it easier to pull the PVC covers over the framework. The covers are tensioned at the ends so that there is good airflow to keep the horses comfortable in all weather conditions.

“One of the biggest issues we have over here in the U.K. is that it is likely to rain at some stage during a 3 to 5-day show,” Marsh says. “And at the end of the day if you can provide a comfortable space in a dry environment in the middle of a field, which is what we have done, you’ve got a winning product.”

Sigrid Tornquist is a freelance author and editor based in St. Paul, Minn. She is also the associate editor of InTents magazine.