Solid stall partitions or bars between stalls? size?

[jrscomet]

I am looking to put up a barn this spring/summer and will be putting in several stalls.

I will be housing mares, geldings, stallions, and will have foaling stalls as well.

What have you noticed from your own horses or at boarding barns…Do your horses become defensive at feeding time if they can see the horse in the neighboring stall? Does it create pacing, etc? Or do you notice your horse becoming anxious if they cant see anyone next to them?

I have seen all different scenarios depending upon the individual horse and just cant seem to decide which way to go. I will not be putting my horses in the stalls on a regular basis. They will be used primarily for foaling, injuries, bad weather, and bathing for shows. I plan to have my foaling stall with a solid divider as they seem to get stressed if the other horses are watching baby or before foaling.

Also, any thoughts on stall sizes? reasons why? None of them will be any less then 12x12, though I have boarded at a barn with 16x16 before and loved it. I plan on my foaling stalls being 12x24…but other ideas are appreciated

Have you build your stalls from scratch, or ordered from a company?

[Simkie]

I far prefer bars between, but my horses are all friends. They get more upset about solid walls. Really loved my Priefert pieces in my old barn

Best of both worlds for you might be to make the first 4’ (in a 12’ stall) solid, with bars behind–at least in a few stalls. Then horses can have their privacy while they eat but can have their friends when they’d like to socialize.

[dotneko]

We had bars between every other stall and ended up making them all solid. Too much fighting and/or becoming too attached to their neighbor.
We have 12X12 and 12X14 stalls - bigger ones are easier to clean and I think the horses do better in them.
I don’t understand how anyone makes do with 10 or 11 foot stalls.

[Bluey]

@dotneko

We had bars between every other stall and ended up making them all solid. Too much fighting and/or becoming too attached to their neighbor.
We have 12X12 and 12X14 stalls - bigger ones are easier to clean and I think the horses do better in them.
I don’t understand how anyone makes do with 10 or 11 foot stalls.

Thank you, we too wonder about that, was thinking we like for horses to see each other and the airflow, but our horses can see each other outside, in the runs and the barn is an overhang on a covered arena, so already as open as necessary for airflow, may reconsider solid sides.

A trade off, do horses get to enjoy talking to each other thru more open sides, or do they fret and don’t like that there are others right there, looking at them?
I know one of those studies in France said they did better where they could interact, but we already have interaction in the pens, do we also need some in the stalls?

We had once a new horse that, where we had a solid partition, would fret about the other horses and kept running out to peek across to the other stalls, to be sure horses were still there.

Then, that was the only time a solid partition mattered, so maybe they are better after all?

Decisions, decisions, decisions …

[js]

We have bars between the stalls. My horses get along and prefer to see each other, mixed crowd of 3 geldings and 1 mare. One gelding will freak out if he can’t see “his” herd. On the other hand, my old show horse was a meal time monster, he needed a solid wall.

[SuckerForHorses]

I think it depends on the horses involved. At my house I only have a couple horses and they do better being able to see each other. But in your situation with a mixed variety of genders and it sounds like probably several more horses it would probably be safer to have solid walls between them.

[mmeqcenter]

The barn on the property I just bought has 10’x12’ stalls, and we built three more under the lean-to that are also 10’x12’ due to convenience of existing posts. If I ever build a new barn from scratch, I’d love 14’x14’ or 16’x16’ stalls. Just wasn’t in the cards here. However, my 17hh and large-bodied 16.1 1/2"hh thoroughbreds have no problem in the 10’x12’ stalls, there is plenty of space. They are only brought in for around 2 hours for AM and PM feeding, they’re outside the rest of the day/night.

Stall walls I’ve recently seen that I LOVE (might possibly renovate the existing stalls to this down the line) - solid about 5’ - 6’ up instead of the normal 4’, and then vertical bars across the top. Still provides ventilation and some ability to see friends, but provides more privacy too. Presently I have Floridian stalls that are solid wood boards but with 2" between each board. I don’t love it visually, but the ventilation is good.

I’ve not yet had a horse that was particularly aggressive at meal times. At a barn I boarded at with bars at 4’ and up, my mare would occasionally swing her head with ears pinned back if her neighbor finished their grain before her, but that was about it.

[caper]

I had stalls that had a 4 foot wood side wall and then the spindles between stalls. I have mares and geldings. I found when the horses came in for the night they didn’t appreciate another horse bothering them as the slept with their head in the corner. Or at dinner time too. Some kicking went on. When my mare was with her foal she became very protective to the mild mannered gelding next to her. She actually kicked and got her hoof caught in the spindles not once but twice.

That was the breaking point when one gets hurt. We took out all the spindles and I ordered some oak planks to finish the walls. The barn was much quieter and happy. I prefer it this way. All my stalls have a window so they all get light and good ventilation as I have dutch doors on 4 sides too.

[fjordmom]

My stalls are 12 x 12 with vertical spindles on the top half of the front walls looking out onto the aisle. Side walls are tongue and groove solid boards for the front 6 feet. The rear 6 feet of the side wall is again vertical spindles like the aisle wall. Feed and water buckets are in opposite corners at the front of the stall, so horses can eat/drink in private. When they are munching hay they often mosey over to the bars at the rear just to check that their buddy is still there. I’ve never had any problems with horses fighting or seeming unhappy/nervous. On the contrary, the seem very content. At times they play “lippy games” through the bars just the way they do in the pasture.

I’ve had my own geldings as well as boarded a few mares and at one point a young stallion. Never had a problem with a single one of them.

I “borrowed” the design from a friend’s barn that has a similar set-up. She periodically hosts clinics, so horses that are new to each other at that point in time. I’ve never noticed any issues between adjacent horses there either. I think the have solid wall, half bars arrangement is the best of both worlds.

[Bluey]

Here is more on this:

http://www.lucasequine.com/stallpartitions.html

I would say, with our fierce winds, maybe solid walls could possibly make sense, since we would have the door into the run open all the time, but at least in the stalls the wind would not be blowing thru it as much?

[Simkie]

@Bluey

Here is more on this:

http://www.lucasequine.com/stallpartitions.html

I would say, with our fierce winds, maybe solid walls could possibly make sense, since we would have the door into the run open all the time, but at least in the stalls the wind would not be blowing thru it as much?

I found a nice deep overhang FAR more useful on the wind front than anything inside.

We have an 8’ overhang here, and it’s pretty useless Stalls with solid walls still have a gale blowing through them. 12’ overhang and barred stalls was SO MUCH better.

[Bluey]

@Simkie

I found a nice deep overhang FAR more useful on the wind front than anything inside.

We have an 8’ overhang here, and it’s pretty useless Stalls with solid walls still have a gale blowing through them. 12’ overhang and barred stalls was SO MUCH better.

We had a 14’ overhang, then added another 14’, so have now a 28’ overhang in the old barn and it was a wind tunnel there, until we added solid fronts partway to avoid that.

[OverandOnward]

On the one hand, airflow … on the other, I’ve concluded that the common 12x12 stall puts horses closer than some of them want to be to neighbors they don’t select themselves.

If you can set up something flexible, so that you can have the ventilation and airflow between stalls or you can block the view from one stall to another where neighbors aren’t getting along. that’s ideal. Not sure it is a standard product option though …

Whatever you put between the stalls, put the mangers in corners where the horses’ heads won’t be together … that is, all on the left side, or all on the right. I think that helps cut down on cantankerous behavior if at least they don’t feel as if they have another horse eyeing their dinner while they are eating it. It’s less convenient for the human dishing it out not to do two at once, but it leads to less horsey stress.

[Bluey]

@OverandOnward

On the one hand, airflow … on the other, I’ve concluded that the common 12x12 stall puts horses closer than some of them want to be to neighbors they don’t select themselves.

If you can set up something flexible, so that you can have the ventilation and airflow between stalls or you can block the view from one stall to another where neighbors aren’t getting along. that’s ideal. Not sure it is a standard product option though …

Whatever you put between the stalls, put the mangers in corners where the horses’ heads won’t be together … that is, all on the left side, or all on the right. I think that helps cut down on cantankerous behavior if at least they don’t feel as if they have another horse eyeing their dinner while they are eating it. It’s less convenient for the human dishing it out not to do two at once, but it leads to less horsey stress.

That putting their feed on one side all along the stalls, so they don’t have to eat close as so feel that they are competing, is a good idea.

We do that and I will add, since we feed coming down the aisle from the left, all feed doors will be on the left, so it is easy to go right along feeding in the left corner.

If we were coming from the right, maybe the right corner would be a better place for the feed, quicker to feed.

We need to consider that horses will be in stalls at times only to eat, others to stay there for long time.
Horses will have different needs thru the day, at meal times, they may want peace, but at other times they may do better with interaction with others.
Providing for both very different needs at the same time, in one stall, is what is tricky.

[fordtraktor]

I bought a preexisting barn so it has some things I wouldn’t keep. First among these is the full stall partitions. One of my horses gets very anxious unless he can see the other horses so when he is in for any amount of time, he spends the day rearing so he can look over the top into the stall next door. This is obviously not great and is downright terrible if he ever needed to rehab something. One other will do the same thing on occasion but is chill most of the time.

mine are not cranky about eating next to each other but they also have free choice hay. I think horses get a lot crankier if they get jealous. Some horses will be cranky no matter what, so none of mine eat right next to each other. If you set all your stalls up the same, they won’t be (for instance all my feed buckets are in the front left corner, and hay in back right mostly. water on the front wall.

as for size, I would love 14 by 14 stalls. Mine are 10 by 12 and work fine, mostly because I have Dutch doors and my horses are hardly even actually IN the stalls. They come in to eat then go back out. If they had to stay in half the day I would prefer something much larger.

[fordtraktor]

I bought a preexisting barn so it has some things I wouldn’t keep. First among these is the full stall partitions. One of my horses gets very anxious unless he can see the other horses so when he is in for any amount of time, he spends the day rearing so he can look over the top into the stall next door. This is obviously not great and is downright terrible if he ever needed to rehab something. One other will do the same thing on occasion but is chill most of the time.

mine are not cranky about eating next to each other but they also have free choice hay. I think horses get a lot crankier if they get jealous. Some horses will be cranky no matter what, so none of mine eat right next to each other. If you set all your stalls up the same, they won’t be (for instance all my feed buckets are in the front left corner, and hay in back right mostly. water on the front wall.

as for size, I would love 14 by 14 stalls. Mine are 10 by 12 and work fine, mostly because I have Dutch doors and my horses are hardly even actually IN the stalls. They come in to eat then go back out. If they had to stay in half the day I would prefer something much larger.

[StormyDay]

I think open bars between stalls cause territorial horses. Horses like to have ‘their space’ with walls that they can face away from without worrying about anyone sneaking up behind them.
I boarded at a place with open stalls and no one liked them. My food territorial horse would lunge at anyone that came near. One horse almost kicked the wall down between two stalls, the mare was afraid to get near the bars on one side because of the gelding next door… I would never have open sides in my own barn. What I do have is open fronts, and everyone is calm and happy with that setup.

[Bluey]

@StormyDay

I think open bars between stalls cause territorial horses. Horses like to have ‘their space’ with walls that they can face away from without worrying about anyone sneaking up behind them.
I boarded at a place with open stalls and no one liked them. My food territorial horse would lunge at anyone that came near. One horse almost kicked the wall down between two stalls, the mare was afraid to get near the bars on one side because of the gelding next door… I would never have open sides in my own barn. What I do have is open fronts, and everyone is calm and happy with that setup.

I am thinking that, if horses can interact in runs outside, that their stalls are private may for most be an advantage, if air flow is not at a premium, where you have an enclosed barn, as you need in some places where that is necessary due to the weather.

[OverandOnward]

I think there is some better solution than what is available as standard from most stall/barn makers - either full view between the stalls, or completely walled up. I’ve wondered if having a visual screen for half or three-quarters of the wall would help horses feel they can escape the company if they wish. Just a few feet of open wall, on both sides, at the front of the stall, would enable the horses to see what is going on in the barn aisle as well. And, being able to put in all or partial solid screens between some stalls and not others would also help customize for each and every personality of horse.

That would all be very custom so therefore cost something …

Horses are indeed much like people. Overall a gregarious species, but very different individually in their level of desire for close company. I completely understand why one some horses would find the constant close exposure to be stressful … but there are others who want to be reassured and chat with their neighbors all day. And, I understand their frustration when they can’t see the other horses except the one directly across from them, and can’t see what else is going on in the barn. That’s kind of like prison.

[StormyDay]

@Bluey

I am thinking that, if horses can interact in runs outside, that their stalls are private may for most be an advantage, if air flow is not at a premium, where you have an enclosed barn, as you need in some places where that is necessary due to the weather.

That is pretty much my current setup. Horses can go out into their runs and socialize or they can stick their heads over the doors and see each other, but they can also be alone in their stalls. Since the doors are open we have good airflow.