Horse Stalls Guide

Hello and WELCOME to Horse Stalls Guide. From Kings to our little princesses that we buy ponies for (our children), the love of horses knows no bounds. All horses, small and great, need a place to rest. And so through this website here are some insights and tips for designing and building horse stalls for our noble creatures. As builders and a horse professional myself, we have a unique opportunity to show you a slightly different side of horse barn design coupled with experience.

No matter what type of horse you have, there are certain things which are universal. Older style barns many times have tie stalls or low overheads. So let’s start from square one and out line some stall ideas.

When building a barn, or remodeling one, the stalls should be 12 feet wide. This width allows for even the big warm bloods to have plenty of room without wasting space. Yes, large areas are nice, but keep in mind when you build a stall that you are not trying to build an indoor paddock. The purpose of a stall is to have a more confined area to work in and keep a horse.

A 12′x12′ stall is ideal for the vast majority of horses. For foaling stalls or stallions stalls, adding an additional six feet to the stall, to make a 12′x18′ area, is a great idea. This allows more room for the mare and foal. When handling and halter breaking a foal, that extra 6 feet of length is valuable. For stallions a larger stall is good. Many times a stallion has to be stabled more than other horses, so having a little extra space is helpful.

A nice design for horse stables is to have a 16 to 20 foot wide aisle running down the middle of the barn and a row of stalls on each side. The the stall rows should each be 12 feet wide, yielding a building that is a minimum of 40 feet. A wide aisle has many benefits ranging from backing a hay wagon in, to riding young horses, and just grooming on cross ties.

To provide good ventilation and also for safety, a 12 foot high clearance over the stalls and the aisle is wise. Many professional “stall ride” young horses in the very beginning. The higher overhead allows for this. Also if a horse rears or jumps sideways, the high overhead prevents them from hitting their head on the barn ceiling.

Horse stall walls should be about five feet high on the sides and front. Then 2″x4″ wire, chain link, or bars should be installed above the top board of the stall wall. This allows for more ventilation between stalls but still keeps the horses from touching or biting each other over the wall. When building stalls, either stall kits or from scratch, it is imperative that the stall wall comes completely to the floor. There should never be a gap wider than four inches at the bottom of a wall. If there is a gap, the floor level should be raised, or an additional board added to the bottom of the wall. This prevents horses from getting their legs trapped under the wall.

Stall doors can be either hung on hinges or mounted on rollers and tacking. Both have advantages. When using rolls and track, the track should be mounted a minimum of 8 feet above the door. In prefab stall kits this is not usually an option, but when building them on site it is a wise choice. The higher overhead allows for a horse to rear in a door way and not hit their pole. Also a taller door way can be used to ride through. Sometimes riding through a door happens when it is not supposed to. My first pony took me on several such tours when I was a child.

Horse feeders can be either simply a bucket hung from a screw eye, a corner feeder, or a swing out feeder/ manger combo. A corner feeder can be built into the stall. The swing out mangers are hung on the aisle side of the stall on hinges.

For under foot, horse stall mats are a good choice. Ranging from flat edged, to interlocking, and drain through. Mats do provide pressure relief to the horses, limits the amount of shaving required, and also makes a clean surface in the case of an injury.

Whatever your choice, horse stalls are above all to be safe, roomy, and comfortable for our equine treasures. Read on for more ideas and design elements for horse barns and horse stalls.

Horse Stalls Guide

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Michael, May 12th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in horse barn layouts, horse stall design, horse stalls

Horse Stall Ideas

When someone owns a great majestic animal, simply referred to as a “horse” they soon come to realize how special they are. Simultaneously, it seems, the new owner also becomes aware of the special needs of the animal. Buying a horse can be a dream fulfilled, and looking into horse stall ideas is also important. So let’s look at some horse stall ideas.

Horses are many times thought of as a play thing for the rich. Yes, it is true that some very wealthy people own horses, but one visit to a horse barn will also reveal that a wide variety of people are present. In rural communities horses can be very economical to take care of. Many families purchase a pony or horse to teach a child responsibility, to give them a good thing to invest their time and interest into, and also so that they can participate in 4H. Horse stalls and horse barns don’t have to be elaborate or costly. They just have to be designed to do the job and to do it safely.

The most economical but safe way to build a horse stall is by simply buying some 2×12 inch rough cut lumber and some treated 4×4 posts. In a shed, out building, or unused garage a 12 foot by 12 foot area can be measured out. The posts need to be buried a few feet into the ground and to be set on four foot center around the outside perimeter of the stalls. The the boards are cut to length and screwed to the upright posts. The boards should be mounted no more than three or four inches between each horizontal row. Rough cut lumber shrinks and leaves gaps between the rows. To prevent horse hooves from becoming trapped between the rows, minimal space should be used between each. Stall wall boards should be installed to a final wall height of about 5 feet.

The least expensive option for a horse stall door is to simply mount three screws eyes on each side of the door and then purchase a stall guard to go across the entrance. A search on Amazon or horse tack sites for the term “stall guard” will give you some selection. Typically stall guards are made from heavy duty nylon stripes stitched together in a checker board sort of pattern. Many horses will respect the stall guard and not try to escape.

Ponies are another story when is comes to stall guards. If you find that the pony or horse will not stay in the stall and is crawling out or pushing too hard on the guard, then a wooden door may have to be built.

The simplest construction for a horse stall that I can think of is to make a door from 2×4′s and plywood. A frame about 4 1/2 feet tall can be made with a few supports in the middle. Then heavy 3/4 inch plywood can be screwed to it. Then the door can be hung from heavy duty hinges. Young horses are another consideration. They are very good at being very hard on a horse stall.

The main idea of horse stalls is to keep the horse safe and provide them a place to get out of the weather. Shelter not only helps to keep them from getting cold, but extended exposure to moisture also can cause skin problems like scratches (mud fever) and rain rot to their coats. Horse Stalls Guide is written by horse owners for horse owners.

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Michael, July 27th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in horse stall design, horse stalls

Horse Stalls Guide Using Stalls For Horse Training

Training a young horse is not an easy task. Just jumping on their backs and hanging on is a great way to get really hurt and do more harm to the horse than good. A much better approach is a slow and steady means of educating them. Some riders claim they don’t care if they crash. That is not the best way. It is very important that a horse never even learn that it can maneuver out from under a rider. So beginning training efforts in the confines of a horse stall is a good first step.

Horses are herd bound animals. Just like fish in a school or birds in a flock, these beautiful creatures find security and safety in numbers. Predator animals hunt by themselves. But horses always stay together. So when a young horse is lead away from the others it likes to whinny and turn around and try to return to the herd. For a horse to be useful for riding, driving, or just enjoyment for its owner, the herd bound tendency needs to be overcome. A good way to begin getting the horse to bond to the person and less to the other equines is to place them in a box stall by themselves. A box stall 12×12 feet is size is a good measurement. Because the youngster may not think it is very good to have to stay by himself, it is imperative that the stall be very solid and have high wooden sides. It is normal for a horse to kick and paw. The danger with horse stalls that are built with low wood sides and more bars is the danger of the horse putting his hoof through the bars. With this in mind, it is best to have the wood sides of the stall be at least five feet high before the bars or wire starts on the top of the wall. Horses can feel trapped at times, so it is best to have bars all the way around the stalls. Many layouts have solid wood all the way up between the stalls. This can be scary to some horses and make them feel claustrophobic. So it is best to have the bars so they can look stall to stall down the length of the horse barn.

Horse stalls Guide, My Inspiration

It is a good idea to separate the young horse for at least one hour a few times per week. After he begins to stand fairly quietly instead of running circles in the stall, then it should be safe to enter the stall. Some horses never have an upset period and they accept the horse stall just fine. Normally a youngster is already accustomed to coming into the barn and going in a stall to eat by itself. This is good and helps progress the first stage of separation.

Once a horse is calmed down brushing it, picking up its feet, and teaching it to tie are all great things to do in the stall. The best way to tie the horse is to have a ring mounted on the side horse stall partition, half way between the front wall and back wall of the stall. The ring should be bolted at a height of about five feet or wherever the wood and bars meet. This limits the horse from reaching the corner hay manger, horse feeder, or water. The attention of the animal needs to be on the person and the lesson of tying– not on looking for lost grain and hay scraps. Also locating the young horse in the middle of the wall allows the handler to move freely around it.

Another good lesson to teach a young horse is to wear a saddle and girth. Sometimes a young horse will think that a saddle is a threat to them. One of the best ways is to get a small children’s saddle that is old and putting it up on the horses back. Leaving him loose in the stall with it on for a hour is not a bad idea either. They become accustomed to the feel of the cinch around them, the saddle pad on their back, and the saddle on top.

The final thing that the confines of a horse stall can help with is turning. A bridle should be fitted with a smooth snaffle bit and put on the horse. Then the young horse can be turned from the ground. The owner can stand next to the horse; turn its head to the side with the rein while pushing on the horses flank with the other hand. The horse should walk a small circle around the stall. Once this is done in both directions, then taking the horse outside and leading it around with the saddle and bridle is very constructive. When going through the door of the stall the handler needs to be sure the door is open all the way. When box stalls are constructed the doorways should be made higher than the normal horse stall kits come with. Door openings should ideally be made as tall as the interior of the barn allows. A horse can rear up in a door way or a rider can have a runaway horse dive in a stall with the rider still on board. Just like in a cartoon, a very real accident can occur where the rearing horse or the rider still on board can crack their head on the beam over the door. So keeping that lintel just as high as possible is very important.

Horse stalls and training young horses go together. Following our horse stalls guide can give many other ideas to you for horse stall mats, horse stall designs, and horse barn layouts. This website focuses on a passion of mine. Feel free to leave a comment or question. I always enjoy reading and answering questions on this, horse stalls and the love of horses.

Horse Stalls Guide

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Michael, July 16th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in horse stall design
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