How do you feel about having a round pen panel available for that scenario, that you could use to separate them?
I think I remember that you intend to have them out as much as possible? Barring terrible weather or whatever? Spending time and $$ to come up with a solution for multiple stalls when you only want to use them very rarely just seems like resources that could be spent elsewhere.
A panel is, what, a couple hundred bucks? And done. You can try out different configs with it, and once things are settled after the move, and you’ve firmed up how the space works for you, you can decide to make it more permanent (or not!)
That’s how I’d go! Even if you build it out with wood later, panels are soooooooo handy to have around, or they sell like hotcakes on the used market, if you really don’t want to hang on to them.
I was just about to post the same. 14 foot gates and/or panels are out there. If you did need a head panel, it’s easy to zip-tie on 1/4 inch plywood (we’ve done it when necessary) as a screen.
Nasty weather, really really windy, decided to hang out with the hubs and the dogs.
Honestly, with my now all-of-a-sudden needing to also find a new job in the middle of this, I am… very tired. Just too much chaos in the last year. I keep plugging away at it, but damn it’s a grind.
This week as a whole will end up being more or less a wash. People retiring, people resigning, people getting fired. Lots of goodbyes.
You’ve received lots of good advice re: run-in vs stall.
I personally like my permanent stalls and am planning on building individual runs with dutch doors for the in/out features. They’ll supplement the track system I have that loops around through my dry lots for days that are hot/buggy/rainy/icy. I am planning on gutting a shed that is also on this track for use as a run-in, but it’s last on my priority list as I’m not sure it would work for the boys this summer. They love their stalls as a way to get away from each other, and the stalls are open enough and large enough that they can touch each other through the mesh between the stalls and if they REALLY want to touch noses they can through an over the door/through the feed hole strategy.
Once I have my runs in place, I’ll likely take the pig fencing off the stall fronts and just put one additional board between the stalls so that they don’t attempt to go over them. There’s just one of the horses that I worry would get himself into trouble, and I do not need to try to lift him off yet another fence. We had to do it once with the 5’ pipe fence and that was no fun.
Anyway - my point is (I know I had one in there) - try to make as many flexible systems as you can and as many options as you can. They don’t all have to be done at once, it’s taken 3 years for me to kind of figure out what I really wanted given the property, it’s bugaboos and the horses that I have. What I’ve learned to value is that flexibility, and you can do it either with configurable options, like you’ve mentioned, or you can do it with “more” options, which has been my approach since I was dealing with an existing facility.
I feel you. I am in-between things, which has never happened to me before and it’s emotional and disconcerting. More emotional than I had expected - I’m in tech and I’m REALLY not used to all this emotion
Take care of yourself.
You’ve already accomplished so much, and there’s no point in killing yourself! The horses will be fine, even if everything isn’t perfectly how you want it right away.
I feel for you @endlessclimb but take the weekend to take care of yourself. If you feel antsy, paint I found with horse stuff that it’s easy to get into that indecision paralysis because there are just so many different ways to do things, but it’ll be okay. And the job thing will work itself out too. Not what you planned but it will.
Just to say hello to my new boss and to shove the point home that we have no coverage (and now, a supervisor called off for medical so I’ll be working a 12 sunday)…
I took all next week off.
I’ll finish the perimeter fence, I hope. Maybe I can get my friend over to doll up and finish the front of the tack room.
I found with horse stuff that it’s easy to get into that indecision paralysis because there are just so many different ways to do things, but it’ll be okay. And the job thing will work itself out too. Not what you planned but it will.
