09/2023: Creation of the dormitory

During a conversation with a long-time acquaintance, the idea emerged that perhaps the horses at the stables could also move freely between their paddocks and stalls. Initially, they were kept half the time in a stall opening onto a terrace, and the other half in the paddock with their friends. The idea of them being with their companions day and night, moving freely 24/7, appealed to us much more. This lifestyle was much closer to what we wanted for our horses. From that moment on, we constantly thought about how to make it happen. We couldn’t leave the stalls open to all horses it was far too dangerous. If two horses decided to enter the same stall, the one at the back would get trapped behind the one in front, with no way to escape. So, we realized we had to knock down all the walls separating the stalls, creating one large open space. With the tack room and the electric meter in the middle, there would be two dormitories, each 3m × 15m, on either side of the tack room. Once all the technical issues were resolved, there we were, trying to knock down a wall using just our strength, though aided by a sledgehammer. For our first wall, unfortunately, we discovered there were actually two walls side by side.
Although we had initially managed on our own, our determination to break down the seven walls by hand faltered. We therefore opted for a mini-excavator equipped with a hydraulic breaker. It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either, but the project was completed in just one day. Since then, the horses at the stables can also enjoy a free and herd-based life 24/7, much to our delight and theirs as well !