I’m talking about situations like THIS stock photo from the internet. (Not my barn, but it does show the type of step over I’m trying to describe)
Any way to make them more horse friendly without raising both the floor in the stalls and the ground outside?
Secondary question: just how complicated and expensive is it to build a “ramp” outside and raise the stall floors?
Is the step over really too much for the horses to contend with? Most barns I see have at least some kind of lip below the dutch door, to keep bedding contained if nothing else. Raising stall floors is not complicated but is labor intensive.
How big a step?
I don’t have a step, but I do have a 2x4 at the threshold to retain bedding. It’s removable so I can pull the muck cart out. Horses step over it fine.
But I also had to bring in fill for inside the stalls to level the base, and some outside to reduce water pooling. That’s no more difficult than moving rock with the tractor and renting the plate tamper for the stalls (my most hated machine!)
I looked at a few barns with no doors to outside, with a concrete foundation up maybe 24". Would have explored jack hammering out an opening in that case. No idea if that’s feasible though?
Well, I think that’s a matter of opinion. The barn in question, while it looks nothing like the picture, has a step over the foundation of approximately the same height (probably between 1.5’ to 2’ high). While horses are currently stepping over it to enter/exit the stalls, it is a considerable step.
I have to reassess the height of the ceiling to determine if raising the stall floors is even feasible. Stall floors are currently clay. I’m not sure if we could just raise them with additional fill dirt/clay, or if it would need to become more complicated?
Interesting set-up! The lips on our doors about about 4 inches - just enough to keep bedding in.
The foundation is probably 1.5’ to 2’ high (stone and concrete) that the horses step over to enter/exit the barn multiple times a day. The dutch doors have become the primary horse access for the barn.
It is a historic barn; I’m not sure if the dutch doors were added as an afterthought or if the ground was higher once upon a time or the original builders just didn’t mind the step. However, I have seen similar setups on other old barns.
Jack hammering the foundation to lower the opening is certainly a good idea, but I’m not sure if it is an option. I am not the property owner. It is something to investigate and discuss with them, but I suspect the answer may be no.
I added a stepover board to the back of my stalls & it has made a tremendous difference in the amount of (pelleted) bedding dragged out to become boot-sucking muck.
Stalls have Dutch doors that are open 24/7 & horses go in & out as they choose.
I used 2X4 composite material leftover from a deck screwed into the metal sills just inside so the doors can still be closed.
None of my 3 have a problem stepping in or out - 16H horse, 13H pony & 34" mini.
ETA: sorry, did not read for comprehension :o
1.5-2 FEET is an issue, that is one high step!
If you are able to fill to bring the floors up (lowering that step height) FWIW:
My stalls have a base of gravel - 6" with add’l 6" stonedust on top.
Until it got tamped down, it was like beach sand, but now has the consistency of concrete. Stalls are not matted & drain very well.
No ammonia stench.
1.5’ - 2’? About knee-high? That is not too high for them to get over, but it could be in the event of an injured horse.
That’s kind of my opinion. They are certainly able to get over it (horses are doing so now), but it’s not ideal IMO. Not only would it be challenging for an injured horse, I can imagine horses injuring themselves on it moments of lapsed judgement… since it currently is the primary means for the horses to enter the barn.
Yeah, I wouldn’t want that kind of step up either. Is raising the floor inside even an option? Or does that kill the ceiling height?
A 1.5 to 2 foot step up sounds more like a training aid for competitive trail horses, I personally would not expect our horses who were highly recognized competitive trail horses to navigate a 2 foot hazard to get into a barn
Is the foundation concrete? there are companies that can saw the wall down to any height you wish
Our primary barn has a three inch step up to a level floor as the barn floor was raised to keep rain water from flowing through the barn
What is the layout? is there an easier way to get to the stalls through the bigger door from the inside and this would only belike an emergency escape?
if so it might be kind of nice, I’d probably open those up and put up grills and they could get lots of fresh air inside.
The barn is an old, gambrel, 6 stall horse barn, built around the turn of the 20th century (I think). There is a large front door; I believe there was originally a large back door as well, but it has been closed off. There are 4 dutch doors along one wall that sit above the stone foundation, which is about 2’ at its highest, and open into the pasture. The horses living on the property have been stepping over the foundation to access the stalls. The stalls are currently being left open and are serving as the only shelter for the horses.
The pasture gate is some distance from the barn, so it appears to be a bit of an annoying hike to halter them to walk in through the front door. Plus, there is no other shelter at the moment.
I’m fielding options right now on how to improve the situation. More than likely, the best solution will be adding shelter outside of the barn, adding a more convenient gate, and leaving the dutch doors closed. But it is not my property, so decisions about changes are not exclusively mine to make. If ‘plan A’ will not work, I’m wondering if there is a ‘plan B’ to make those dutch doors more user-friendly. Plus, dutch doors are just handy and it would be a shame to have them and not use them.
Dang, Tex - that’s a hell of a step! If you only needed to “gain” a couple of inches, I was going to suggest stall grids or something like that, but you’ll only pick up 2-3" with those…
Subtly bumping this back up to see if new eyes have new ideas. 
If I get the opportunity, I’ll post pictures…
Could the large back door be reopened and used for access?
I don’t know.
Load of screenings? Maybe a couple of them?
Could you put down something to stabilize the space immediately outside the stall doors (geotextile cloth or a plastic grid product maybe) and then “backfill” with crusher run or bluestone to make a more gentle slope? What’s the drainage like on that side of the barn? If your roof drains over those doors, it’ll (obviously) be more challenging (though certainly not impossible) to keep any sort of fill material in place. In any case, if you got the base stabilized, you could start low and add material until you got to a good height.
Good ideas!
Drainage is not great; the roof does drain on that side. There are gutters, but there are a lot of trees, too. I’m imagining those gutters get backed up fairly easily and they are too high to clean out with just a ladder. I’m guessing it gets quite muddy in the winter.
Dumb question- how do I contain screenings/blue stone to keep them from just spreading outwards everywhere? Or do you think if pack them down enough it would be less of an issue? I’ve never “built up” an area with them…
The boarding barn I just left put down a driveway grid system to make a dry lot. I never got to see it in action in the muddy months, but now I’m wondering if something like that would work to stabilize the area…
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