Posted 2008-07-26 4:08 PM (#88325 - in reply to #88279) Subject: RE: horse stalls
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824
Location: Kansas
I can't speak to brands because the company that made my barn is out of business but still love the barn. Specifically-sliding doors w/solid bottoms and barred tops. Bars fairly close together so not even baby noses can get caught. Feeders are the kind that open out into the barn and you can dump feed and load hay but that can be awkward. If I had it to do over hay feeder would have its own separate door or the feeder part would be lower. Reasons for this-dump the feed first and hay is falling into horse's eyes when you go back with hay. Do this the other way around and it is awkward to reach under the hay to dump feed. Would also prefer feeder to be just a little lower for horse comfort.
On two of the three stalls I have gone back and added a stall gate behind the solid slider. Living in Kansas there are more days than not where if I stalled full time I would not want the horse confined in such a claustrophobic, airless environment. Nice in the winter but even then they are much happier seeing the barn lot rather than the street. The solid sliders have been heavy for me to move but my old gelding figured out if he kicked them at the bottom long enough he could rock them enough to get out. Usually just use them when confining sick one, would probably not do those again.
Be sure you get the best heavy duty hardware available for door and corners. I have an outlet available at each stall. It only took one summer of tripping over extension cords to know I needed to be able to plug fans in right at the stalls. Good lights-have used/needed these a bunch. Separate feed room with regular door. Even though mine have been wandering around the barn and made a mess they have yet to open a door knob. Good horseproof latches on all stall doors. Mine are a flat piece of metal with a ring welded on the end. They fasten parallel to the door surface but are on a bolt that allows me to flip it into or out of the stall to lock/unlock. Could put a lock in the ring but they have not figured out how to flip latches for themselves.
Posted 2008-07-26 8:06 PM (#88336 - in reply to #88279) Subject: RE: horse stalls
Elite Veteran
Posts: 781
Location: La Cygne, KS
As Terri said, bars close together. Powder coated metal for longer lasting durability. I have tongue and grove walls and love them. My bars have channels that fit over the stall wood wall. Harder for a horse to crib, and looks nice too.
My stall door has a 2x2 square latch recessed into the stall wall. When you lift up the latch and slide the door it opens, when you close the stall door the latch drops at automatically and latches door closed after completely clearing the latch.
Outlet for each stall for fans in the summer and heated water bucket in the winter. I use the feed hole for my water bucket to fill from outside the stall.
I use to have swing-out hay feeder in my old barn, but didn't like them because they only held 2 flakes of hay. I use a hay rack mounted on the stall wall now with built in feed bunk. I usually like to pet and check my horses anyway, so opening the stall door to feed is not a problem for me.
Posted 2008-07-31 10:51 PM (#88718 - in reply to #88279) Subject: RE: horse stalls
Veteran
Posts: 153
Location: Iowa
Thank-you for replying. I think I will get the hay feeder on the swing out door but the feed pan will be seperate. I plan on getting outlets above every stall. We will have a hayloft above the stalls so lighting will be the next question to ask.