For years we’ve been using fly curtains.
When we built the run-in shelter, we overdesigned it so the structure stands a massive 16-feet high. Getting up to the rafters and front of the overhang is not an easy undertaking, nor is it all that safe.
Twice a year I tremble watching Zac go up and down the ladder….balancing precariously against the metal roof overhang about 14 feet above the ground. I hate it. He has to go up and down and reposition the ladder multiple times in order to reach the hooks to hang the curtains. We do it in spring and in fall.
For years I’ve been struggling to figure out how to fix this. Certainly there HAS to be a better way.
I finally sat down this spring and studied pulleys, fly systems, and more. I watched videos, and I saw how other people have done it. Nobody has quite the same layout we do, so I was concerned that taking so many turns would not work out quite right.
Nothing to it but to do it…I do better when I can hold it in my hands. So after studying and studying, I decided to simply buy a few pulleys. Holding them in my hands I could better picture what I was going for, and made a mock-up design using Google Slides.
So I bought all the materials.
- 5 Single Pulleys
- 3 Double Pulleys
- 1/4″ Rope, A bunch of it
- 3 Eye Bolts
- 6 Wall Anchors
- 8 Carabiners
- 3 Wall Cleats
- Curtains (These are 6’x12″ and 5 total)
- Shower curtain rings
We went to Lowes and purchased 2 10′ Conduit pipes and a single 8′ Dowel.
The Conduit I chose because I imagined it would be more durable to weather than schedule 40, which gets brittle and shatters. The dowel I purchased to help in the center, both with joining the PVC and with preventing the PVC from sagging too much.
The fist thing we did was put the dowel inside the PVC, and connect them all (We didn’t actually cement it yet but plan to). Then an eye bolt with washers on both sides was drilled through each end of the PVC.
Since the tack room is smaller in width than the stall, there is a 12 ft span on one side, I wanted to support that weight so I also drilled an eye bolt at 1/2-3/4 between the stall width. This also meant I’d drill a hole through the wooden dowel so it would stay in place.
Zac got up on the ladder and screwed in wall anchors inside the rafters. Attached to the anchors were the carabiners, which also attached to the pulley.
For the stall side (Red rope in the diagram)…a rope was tied to the eye bolt on the pvc end, traveled up to the rafter through a single pulley, over across the rafters through a double pulley and back down to the pvc. It went through a single pulley attached to the PVC and back up through the same double pulley. It went again across the rafters to a double pulley positioned inline with the others but at the point where the stall and tack room meet. The rope then goes IN towards the center of the barn through another double pulley where it travels DOWN to the wall cleat.
For the tack room side (Pink rope in the diagram)…a rope is tied to the eye bolt at the end of the pvc, travels up to the rafter and through a single pulley, through the same double pulley as the “red” rope, moves INto the barn through the other double pulley, then DOWN to use the same wall cleat.
Once it was installed it seems to work ok. There’s a lot of friction but it works. The stall side requires a lot more rope and a lot more pulling due to its design and layout. BUT IT WORKS…and it is a WHOLE lot safer than the ladder method.
We also installed a wall anchor, carabineer, and single pulley on each side of the barn. A single rope attaches to the end of one of the curtains and lifts it to cover the side of the overhang. The wall cleat is attached about 5-6′ above ground…not too high to not reach but high enough to be MOSTLY out of the way of the horses.
All that was left was to install the curtains. I bought closing shower curtain hangers, a pack of 50. The mesh curtains are airy so I simply put the hangers through the mesh and around the PVC. Perfect fit.
We hung 3 curtains across the front, and a corner of each side curtain. The other side curtain corner was attached to the pulley ( I think we just used extra carabineers). It was so nice, we hung the pvc at a height that worked for us while we installed the curtains. We then raised it a little bit to ziptie the top half of the curtains. We’ve learned that when we don’t ziptie the tops the curtains just blow around too much.
We installed, attached, ziptied, and then we raised the curtains.
WAY easier than ladders! WAY safer than ladders! And Quick!!!!
I am SO pleased with how it turned out.
We invited the horses back into the barnyard (we kicked them out while Zac was on the precarious ladder). Nahe has used the curtains for years, and he knows and loves the comfort they provide. Augie was concerned the first day. On the second day I came outside to find him enjoying the curtains.
Zac also repositioned the fan so it blows directly into the stall. It feels incredible!
I often come outside to fine Nahe inside the stall and Augie hanging out with the curtains over his body, head inside. They both enjoy less bugs and the cooling breeze of the curtains/fan.
Recently the wind had blown and some shower curtain rings fell off. All we had to do was lower the pipe, reattach, and raise it back up. No ladder, no fuss. It was fixed in five minutes. With the ladder method, it would have meant getting the ladder out there…at least aa 20-minute ordeal and only in optimal weather. I can do this in any weather.
After we figured everything out I wanted ways to keep the excess rope contained. I found mesh clothespin hanger bags on Amazon that work perfectly for the job. I also purchased velcro straps. In the winter I have the option of lowering the PVC and taking the curtains off completely…but then I’ll have to store them. My idea is to roll the curtains up and velcro them in place for the off-season.
The Green Horseman 
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