Hello, congrats on your first ever horse! How exciting. It's good to hear that you are planning ahead for the winter. I would not put plastic or a tarp down on the dirt floor. It will draw moisture up and through ( I did this myself so I know). If you can get pallets that's great. If not storing them on the dirt is fine as long as rain does not drain down into that area. If you have gaping holes in your shed you should try to fill them. I don't know where you are but blowing snow can get everywhere and cover your bales quickly.

How will you keep the horse from getting at the hay?

Just out of curiosity, where are you located? what did you pay per bale? How much will your bales weight roughly? Also, what kind of a horse did you get?

Pallets, cement blocks or old fence posts laid down (4-12" apart) will keep the bales off the dirt, and hopefully out of any moisture and damp. I would also tie a tarp over the top of the stack so that any birds that also shelter in the shed won't leave droppings. You can't really keep mice out, unless your cat moves in for the winter, or spends time out there.

You will DEFINITELY have to keep the horse from self feeding from the stack - if for no other reason than it's wasteful, and messy. Be aware that you will need to have a gap of at least 4', 6' would be better, between the stack and the horse, and a solid barrier - horses can stretch their heads and necks out quite a distance when motivated to.

A drafty shed won't be much shelter for the horse, so block up the gaps - you don't need it to be totally airtight, just not have any spaces that allow drafts over the horse. Gaps above the horse's head level allow for air exchange and keep the atmosphere in the shed fresh.

Also, FYI, pick up all the hay strings and keep them out of the horse's reach - they can cause accidents and injury, both to you from tripping, and to the horse.

OT but you mentioned mice, I have a ton of mice and a ton of feral cats and kittens. The cats do CRAP! I think my Orpington chickens do a better job. Do you or others worry about the mice population? I do and complain often to hubby. He seems to think its part of nature and you can't do much about it. Is that so? Especially since the the price of alfalfa and oat hay is so expensive. I don't' like feeding rodents!

Getting the hay off the ground depends on your climate. Unless you are in a very dry climate, moisture will come up into the bottom bales and ruin the bottom. Also, I have had rats and snakes burrow up through the dirt into the hay. If you can't get pallets, make your own platform from 2x4's or 2x6 with slats over. I used old fence boards.

You can use wire corral panels to keep the horse out of the hay, it helps keep air circulation in the shed, but unless you have plenty of room, the top needs to be at or above head level. Definitely above chest level or the hay has to be 6' away. Just think of the distance from the horse's chest to the tip of her nose. Hay must be at least that distance away or screened off. If they can get their head over, they WILL stretch and push, so the barrier must be secure.

I agree on the sides of the shed. You need to fill the gaps. Both to keep the hay dry and to keep winter drafts off your horse. They can handle a surprising amount of cold if they can stay dry and out of drafts.

Thanks for all the great advice. The hay will be delivered on Tuesday so I need to get going on filling the gaps of the barn and get some boards to keep the hay off the ground.
nhsuzanne: I bought 1 1/2 tons of hay and requested small square bales (I do not have a tractor to move large bales), this is the amount of hay suggested by a friend. My horse will also have 6 acres of pasture to finish eating. Most people I tell this to tell me I bought too much hay but the horse that I have when I got her was severly emaciated. She came from a rescue group in NC and was probably 200# under weight. She has gained weight nicely in the month that I have had her and I refuse to allow her to get back in the same condition as when she got here.
Hay around here is running $5-10 for 45# bales and large 5X4 round bales are $65-100 each. I paid $500 for the hay and this includes delivery and stacking in the barn.

Congratulations on your first horse! I applaud you for adopting a rescue.

Did you order the hay from a reputable seller? What kind of hay is it? Alfalfa, timothy, etc?

Make sure when the hay is delivered that it is nice and dry and doesn't have mold or funny looking weeds in it. You might want a knowledgeable friend around to help check it BEFORE they unload it.

Many years ago, my grandmother lost a horse to moldy hay. Her neighbors watched the horse for her when she went on vacation. They didn't know anything about horses and thought think it was ok to feed the horse damp hay.

tejas_pacas makes an excellent point about making sure the horse can't get into the hay. I had a horse colic from eating too much bermuda hay after he got out of his corral. If the hay had been fenced in, he wouldn't have been able to reach it. He was ok, but it was touch and go for many hours until he finally went to the bathroom.

Sometimes, you can find free pallets on Craigslist.

Do you plan to keep one horse or do you have plans to adopt another?! Horses are herd animals and get lonely without company. If you don't plan to get another horse, I hope you have a dog, goat (?), etc, to help keep your equine friend occupied when you aren't around.

Links that might be useful:

Laminitis - The Hidden Danger Of Pasture
ezinearticles.com/?Laminitis---The-Hidden-Danger-Of-Pasture&id=443295

http://www.horsechitchat.com

http://horses.about.com/

Bales heavier than the others, are a clue to possibly damp or moldy hay in them. You don't want to feed the moldy stuff or use for bedding. Better hay dealers will take back bad bales, ask your hay seller about it.

Do make the fencing firm, so horse can't lean over and push into the stored hay.

Has horse been checked by horse dentist, up-to-date on vaccinations, since you brought her home? Bad teeth, with long points, uneven surface, make eating hay hard. Horse won't get food value from hay you serve him. Now that horse is in better shape, you want to make sure it is protected from the basic problems, tetnus, Rabies, fly-borne illness, West Nile. You can vaccinate horse yourself, or have the vet out to do it. Do you have a history from the Rescue folks? If not, you start from scratch, with two sets of injections, then yearly boosters next fall. With giving injections yourself, no cost for vet visits, you can easily space out the shots, not give them all the same day. We try to space ours a week apart. Less stress on horse system, than with a bunch of different meds given at once.

With horse being in poor shape on arrival, you may want to make a chart of her gains, post inside the barn. Weight tapes are available at the local TSC type farm stores, tack stores. Use tape to measure horse girth, guestimate weight, put it on the chart. Take a photo if possible, put it up on chart as well. Date the numbers. Plan to take the numbers again, weekly, put on chart. Take a monthly photo to add to chart. This will provide a consistant record of how you are keeping the horse. Prevents big weight gain or loss under winter hair, with weekly checking.

You may have some issues with horse feed quantities, since you have not managed keeping one on your own before. Most new owners tend to overfeed, a LOT. Hair covers things, may be porked out or ribby under thick winter coats. Weekly check should help you here.

It is better to feed more hay, a couple times a day, than to increase the grain quantity. Plain cracked corn and oats are great grain feed, you don't have to buy expensive brand-name feeds. Most are just full of sugars, which horse doesn't need.

Hay quantity will vary on how well horse uses it up. Colder, freezing temps, will mean horse should get more hay quantity to stay warm. Not a lot more, unless temps are down below zero.

I try to feed what horse will clean up in an hour of steady hay eating. Longer eating time usually means mine are just stuffing themselves, not NEEDING it. Nights mine are fed inside, they get a little more hay quantity, fed individually. Nights are colder, need more food to stay warm, plus it keeps them busy in stalls. Fatter horses get less, young horses get more, because it is probably opposite when feed as a group outside in the AM. Hay is better for staying warm, semi-ferments, creating body heat to keep animal warm. Grain doesn't work that way, so not the same benefit to horse.

Provide ample salt and water, especially in cold weather. Tank heaters will keep ice from forming, so horse has water at all times during cold weather. Water is almost your most valuable winter feed product. Without it, horse will easily sicken, not be able to manage in the cold. Colic is a huge problem with winter horsekeeping. They don't drink enough to keep the gut hydrated. Know your horse's normal water consumption amount, pay attention when horse doesn't drink that much. You have to get them hydrated somehow.

Wet beet pulp is the new favorite feed for horses, can be a great filler, adds liquid to the system. We feed it daily here, all the horses eat quite a bit, especially in winter. Cheap, easy to digest feed. Something you might check out for yourself.

Lots of really good advice here for a first time horse owner.

Dream Garden, thanks for posting the links to the pasture/laminitis articles. It's a hugely important thing to know. I have easy keeper Morgans and founder/laminitis is always a concern. I strictly limit their time on pasture, especially in the spring. It's terrible that one of things they love the most is not all that great for them.

Another great site on the dangers of grass is:

Safer Grass

Here is a link that might be useful: Safer Grass

Goodhors has some very good points. I don't know how much horse-keeping experience you have, but reading a few good books can help. There are a number of first-time horse-owner books, but any of the Story publications, and Cherry Hill's "Horse-keeping on A Small Acreage" can be recommended. Read them to get a feel for the normal, what to do if anything is abnormal, and for pointers on how to make life easier for you and your horse.

Since you say the horse is a rescue and was very thin, be aware that emaciated horses can have health issues - putting weight on too fast can be damaging to them. The Hooved Animal Humane Society in Illinois does a lot of horse rescue; I believe they have a web-site for feeding protocols. I assume you are working with a vet to deal with health issues, as well as with routine vaccinations, teeth, etc.? You will need a decent farrier also - even bare feet need to be trimmed every 4-6 weeks.

congrats on your first ever horse! i'm probably much too late with my suggestion but i'll give it anyway...

make your first layer of bales straw. i have stored horse hay for 30+ years. pallets or any other method will still allow moisture to collect and your bottom bales will be ruined. if you put a layer of straw bales (NOT just loose straw) down, there is no way moisture can get to your hay.

have fun with your new horse!