I’m designing a new barn and looking at stall options. I know at a minimum I want the bottom of the center doors to be a mesh grid for air flow purposes, but I’m debating whether I should also do the mesh grid vs wood for the bottom of the side panels. I’m in the Houston, Texas area so HOT and humid in the summer, and air flow is critical. Any experiences out there to share - pros and cons of either configuration? Also, I’m looking at Lucas Equine stalls if anyone has specific feedback on those. Thanks!
Those heavy duty 2"x2" mesh stalls work well for many horses.
Be sure to have the bottom 12" to 24" solid to keep bedding out of the aisle.
If you have solid mesh between horses more than just the top, be sure you have nice horses that don’t kick or beat on the walls and get along well with their neighbors.
I would try to go for the heavier, smaller crosshatch mesh.
Tractor Supply sells the lighter 2" x 4" and many are using that one today ok, but if a horse really was hard on fences, I wonder if that will hold up too well.
It maybe would properly reinforced.
If you have open stalls, if there is a rare problem horse, you could always hang rubber mats to keep his walls protected.
Our veterinary clinic expanded and that is what they used for their new stalls:
I’m in Florida, and had Lucas make me all mesh stalls. My horses, so far, have all gotten along. 12" at the bottom to keep bedding in. They take some getting used to when mucking–if you’re used to throwing bedding against the wall, you will be throwing it OUT of the stall!
Love, love, love them! EVERYONE who comes into my barn remarks on them–especially since I also put just a roof with a large overhang over them and screened it in. Maximum ventilation. When it rains sideways, I have roll up doors that come down.
Its perfect for me. My experience with Lucas has been very good. Make sure YOU, not a contractor, goes over everything you want with them. If you are near the sea, or have tons of humidity, I would go with galvanized. The powder coating gets scratched and they rust.
Horses rarely kick them. It’s probably very uncomfortable.
If you have any questions, just ask. I say, go for it, but be prepared to pay big bucks. I think my 4 stalls were about $30K, but I had no back barn wall, so I had to buy more mesh panels.
[QUOTE=dressagegirl123;8732457]
I’m in Florida, and had Lucas make me all mesh stalls. My horses, so far, have all gotten along. 12" at the bottom to keep bedding in. They take some getting used to when mucking–if you’re used to throwing bedding against the wall, you will be throwing it OUT of the stall!
Love, love, love them! EVERYONE who comes into my barn remarks on them–especially since I also put just a roof with a large overhang over them and screened it in. Maximum ventilation. When it rains sideways, I have roll up doors that come down.
Its perfect for me. My experience with Lucas has been very good. Make sure YOU, not a contractor, goes over everything you want with them. If you are near the sea, or have tons of humidity, I would go with galvanized. The powder coating gets scratched and they rust.
Horses rarely kick them. It’s probably very uncomfortable.
If you have any questions, just ask. I say, go for it, but be prepared to pay big bucks. I think my 4 stalls were about $30K, but I had no back barn wall, so I had to buy more mesh panels.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for the tips. Do you have pictures of your set up? Also, I am curious why you suggest the owner talk to Lucas and not the builder? I would be very nervous that we weren’t speaking the same language and measuring correctly.
I have Lucas mesh stall fronts that were installed about 15 years ago. I am in central Alabama and it too is hot and humid here. The stalls get excellent air flow and the horses love being able to see out. And nobody has been able to bend or break them, but not for lack of trying.
Mine were primed but were not powder coated because at the time they were too big to powder coat. Also I didn’t have the $$$ for that option.
You do need to have your builder talk to Lucas so that everything is measured correctly. If I had to do it all over I would buy these stall fronts again. I did put some smaller mesh panels from County Manufacturing on top of the wood stall partitions. These panels are not even in the same league as the stuff I got from Lucas. I would only use those if I had very very nondestructive horses.
Oh and my vet redid his stalls and got those stall fronts from Lucas. They look great and really helped with airflow in his barn.
Awesome, thanks everyone for the feedback! I think I’ll go with the all mesh fronts, still tbd on the middle partitions. I expect both my builder and I will be personally involved in the discussions, but if there are any specific issues y’all ran into that would be good to know about please share. And dressagegirl123, I’m definitely going with galvanized - the humidity here is rough and I know powder coated will last all of about 5 minutes 
IMO it is more of an “aesthetic” thing over function. Sure there will be some better “air flow” I don’t think it is that significant to justify the substantial added cost.
Most people have fans in their stalls anyway.
“Horses rarely kick them”
I have not found this to be true. Depends on the operation and the type of horses. I have seen plenty that have lots of cosmetic issues from being kicked. Which is why I would not install them. Along with the big $$ ticket.
A barn that is well “sited” with decent natural ventilation and stall fans rarely have air flow issues.
IMO in the end if you like the look and have the budget why not. They may or may not have maintenance issues in the future.
