Barn doors

[appendix100]

Trying to figure out new barn doors. When be bought the place there were no doors on the barn from the runs into the stalls. Essentially it was a fancy run in shed with a shop. Had some issues & DH cobbled together a dutch door that gave us the option for stall rest when we needed it. 2nd stall has a gate, so can keep a horse in, but doesn’t keep the weather out.

Finally time to consider real doors for the stall openings.
DH wants sliders rather than dutch. I want something that will allow me to open the top half like a dutch, or something with a window so there is some light coming in if we have to confine them. They spend 90% of their time w/ the doors open. These doors are going to be on the outside of the barn, but there is an overhang. Want to be able to open them from the inside, & latch them tight when needed, but that would probably be on the bottom of the wish list

Also, I don’t think the people that built the barn had every heard of a level or plumb line. Not a square corner on the place, including the door openings…

suggestions? Experience w/ dutch vs slider on the outside stall doors…

[LCDR]

I have sliders on the center aisle and dutch doors on the outside, which I think is a good way to go. My exterior dutch doors allow the stall to be closed off to the outside weather completely, or leave the top open for ventilation while keeping the horses out or in, or completely open so the horses can choose to come and go at will. With a sliding exterior door, depending upon whether it is solid or barred, you lose one of those options.

My dutch doors can be opened from inside or outside. The top portion is locked back with a magnet, which I really like, because it prevents the upper door from rattling noisely as can happen with a different type of lock-back.

On the other hand, if your barn is as out of square as you say, a sliding door can be hung on the outside a lot easier than trying to shim or re-frame for a dutch door. Of course, you could buy already framed dutch doors and insert into the opening, if the opening is somewhat close to square. My dutch doors also have a glass upper panel, protected by bars, which really helps with light inside the stall when the upper portion is closed. Here are pictures of the three dutch door position options.

[appendix100]

I like these - manufacturer & price if you don’t mind?

[LCDR]

This is the source. I had the barn built and nothing was priced individually - all part of the barn package - so I have no idea about prices of individual items.

Horse Stalls | Barn Equipment | Barn Flooring

[walktrot]

My Paint gelding spent his last 18 months living in the lap of luxury with an almost-perfect barn manager. He had been on pastue board for 19 years and hated stalls. I was worried, but he settled down with a nice 12x12 stall with the largest runout. The BO said she kept the back stall doors open 100% of the time, except during thunderstorms, and very windy conditions. The back doors were wood dutch doors with an overhang. The aisleway doors were sliders. They had a grill across the front of the stall wth a “window” that also was open all the time. This was handy when they had to track distribution of meals. We could close them if a horse was on crossties.

These are two of my favorite photos, my buddy Zeke, artist at work, with Speckles the model. Great way for kid and horse to bond.

[clanter]

@appendix100

DH wants sliders rather than dutch. I want something that will allow me to open the top half like a dutch,

we have one stall that has a slider out into a private paddock. the top part of the slider is open with bars that we insert a plexiglass panel in during bad weather which really has been a rare event here but the panel is there by the stall if needed

[endlessclimb]

If you’ve got kickers, I’d do the dutch doors with latches top and bottom to protect them. Horses can really screw a slider up fast if they’re blasting away at it regularly.

[Pico_Banana]

I have Dutch doors. I leave them completely open most of the time. During thunderstorms I close the bottom but not the top. The horses like having that window to the outside.

I put mine in a 35 year old barn. I got the pre-framed type from Barn Depot. They are all wood, no steel framing like most. I’m not sure if that is the issue or if it was a question of installation and/or settling, but the doors have gotten uneven a bit. Nothing drastic, but I have needed to go out with a sander and sand off some of the edges to get them to shut. A bit heartbreaking considering it was about $2000 per door between the door and installation though. I don’t know if a steel framed door might be better.

[clanter]

@endlessclimb

Horses can really screw a slider up fast if they’re blasting away at it regularly.

my company did a lot of work on zoo enclosures for all sorts of large animals (we were the authorized installing company for Richards-Wilcox in our area)… I am pretty sure All the doors we installed were sliders, I just remember our major concern was the operation if the doors, there was one zoo who wanted hydraulic sliders, I got one of my clients (FINA, Inc.) to get us bio grade oil that was food grade to use in the system… if for some reason there was a leak in the system the animal could consume the oil without ill affects

We did enclosures for all sorts on animals up to elephants and hypos. The doors were secured with top. bottom and side hardware

Also we did blast proof doors for military installations …all were sliders . The doors had to withstand the blast of whatever was stored in the structure (roofs were designed to release the blast)

So I kind of think a slider Could withstand a horse’s kick if installed correctly …all of our stall doors have remained undamaged over the last thirty plus years

[endlessclimb]

Having repaired both, I’d rather repair a Dutch door 100 times.

I prefer sliders because they’re tidier looking. But when they break they’re a booger to get fixed and sliding well

[PaddockWood]

Our Amish builder used Silvercraft dutch doors for the stall exteriors and every visitor has commented on the quality, weight, and construction. We’ve been very happy.

Silvercraft-Door-Brochure (3).pdf (6.3 MB)