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Barn Stalls

1K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Smilie 
#1 ·
So, I recently decided to build a stall inside my barn. What is everything that should be inside the stall?? Flooring? Feeding area? Salt lick? What is some advantages to have in the stall? Etc. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
The stall will allow you to have a place to put an injured horse that needs to be on stall rest. It would also allow you to keep the horses inside for vet or farrier appointments if the weather is bad outside. Those are just two of many reasons to have at least one stall available.

A stall can be anything you want it to be. For flooring what do you already have in the barn? I will suggest mats over whatever you have though as they are softer on a horses legs and will save on bedding and ammonia odors building up.
Really all you need is a couple of water buckets, a spot for hay or a hay net, and maybe a smaller bucket for some salt. If you have a horse on stall rest I'd make sure there is a place to attach a stall toy or two for their entertainment.
 
#3 ·
You can use rubber buckets for water and grain (if you feed that), but if your water bucket has a metal handle, you will need to hook it to something solid, with a spring hook, or tie it with a rope. Horses can get their foot through things like handles and hurt themselves.
Ditto on above. =D
 
#4 ·
The most important thing for a stall is that it's safe- any openings need to be big enough that a horse can easily free himself or small enough that a hoof can't get through it in the first place. This includes the gap between the bottom of the stall door and the floor (if the style of door you're using has a gap there at all), gaps between bars (if the stall front or sides have bars). If you're using long boards on the sides, they need to be thick enough that the horse can't bend them, or reinforced in the middle. Horses can otherwise end up getting feet/legs trapped in those long boards if they're throwing a fit in the stall.

In the stall you'll want access to salt and water- salt can be from a block (in which case you'll want a block holder), hung from a rope tied around bars or some other fixture in the stall (for some salt licks, especially some Himalayan or Redmond rock blocks), or in a bucket/mineral feeder (for loose salt). Water is often 5 gallon buckets mounted to the wall- mounting 2 is best to prevent them from running out. There are a number of bucket hangers out there designed to make these safe and easy to hang. Or you can use a large muck tub on the ground (this is what I do, since my horse cribs on water buckets on the wall and spills the water everywhere!) There are also a number of automatic waterers on the market, but probably not worth getting for an infrequently used stall!

Then you'll want to consider how you want to feed. I use a large rubber feed pan on the ground for hard feed, but have also in the past used plastic corner feeders that are permanently mounted in the stall. For hay, I like to have a ring to hang up a hay net, but hay can certainly be fed on the ground with no special equipment at all. You can also get hay racks if you desire, though I don't find them especially useful as my horse will pull all of the hay down and eat it off the ground anyway.

As for benefits? I assume you have some in mind already, but you'll have a place to keep your horse if he needs stall rest following an injury, or if you want him inside and easily accessible for the farrier or vet, or if you want to keep him clean after bathing, or (the big thing in my area) just a place to let him dry out for a few hours or overnight during prolonged wet spells.
 
#5 ·
I used my stalls a lot more in the past, when I had mares foaling early in the spring, and used to keep my show horses in part time.
I now use my stalls much less, for when I bath a horse before a show, if a horse needs stall rest, and, I stall horses just enough, so they accept being stalled.
Nothing like taking a horse to a weekend or longer show, where he must be stalled, and have that horse 'climbing the walls', as he is not used to being stalled!
Totally agree on a stall being safe. My stalls have commercial stall fronts-the ones where the top of the door can be dropped or put up. That stall front is solid half way up, with the top half bars. There is not gap anywhere along the floor.
The other three walls are solid wooden planks (4 x 8 ), also no gaps, 10 feet high. Floor has rubber matts
The stalls have corner feeders, built into the wall, for things like beet pulp. The stalls are also big (12 X 12 ) as I kept mares with foals in them
 
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