Stalls with partial removable divider wall

[wsmoak]

I’ve seen stalls set up with a removable center divider (boards slide into a channel, and can be removed to open up into a foaling stall.)

I’m thinking of doing this but with a 4’+ long solid wall and only 8’ removable. One of them is the ‘end stall’ and I need the solid corner on the ‘inside wall’ for feed and water. Plus my barn is an odd size and 8’ boards are cheaper than cutting down 14’ ones!

If I ever do use it as a foaling stall, will I regret having that short wall “sticking out” into the middle? Is it imperative to have a perfectly smooth square or rectangle for stall?

Example of divider with boards sliding into channel: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/db/6f/82/db6f82c23b105796759edbec94834179.jpg

[clanter]

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should work… we have had similar channels made that we used to make up our stalls

We have some miniatures which did not need a 12by12 stall for themselves as we divided one stall into two 6by8 stalls with a four foot isle in front of the new small stalls …everything is removable to easily allow converting back into a 12by12 if needed

I will see if I can post a photo later today… success… divider is just an 8ft stock panel… gates are standard 4ft center divider wall is just a a plywood separation…all is screwed to a lower plate which is held in place by the end verticals which are screwed to walls … could be completely converted back to a 12by12 in a few minutes (little black shoes one the divider are for one of the minis

[Huntin_Pony]

I have foaling stalls (12 x 24) with temporary wood dividing walls when not used for foaling. Instead of the metal channels, which I would not want in the stall with a foal, we used wood for the channels. I also have stiffening boards bolted through the middle of the divider boards to minimize warping and to withstand horses rubbing/sitting on walls.

I think you could make the short wall safe enough, though it is certainly not ideal. I would router the corners of the “center” post. If you are actually thinking of foaling in the stall, I would also bank the bedding heavily around the short wall to discourage the mare from foaling right there.

Good luck!

[Gbryelle]

I would not do it. I think you will regret having that short wall sticking out if the stall is used for either foaling or a large double stall. IMO it defeats the purpose of providing a larger more open space for mare and foal, a larger horse or a horse on stall rest. And having bouncing foals playing, that wall would be an awful place to end up running into, or swinging a head into…an obstacle.

We also used wood instead of the metal brackets for the channels and rounded the corners so no sharp edges.

[Mango20]

I would think a 4’ wall and 8’ opening would be awkward. Why can’t your solid corner be on the outside corner?

My stalls have a channel with removable boards (2 stalls on each side of the aisle). I made the channel with 2x4s. It works pretty well, but the top board between the small pony and the biggest mare sometimes gets displaced (I think it’s the pony) and I have to slide it back into place. The boards between the other two stalls are never bothered by either horse. My boards are 4’ high, with nothing on top of them other than a metal strip to prevent chewing. Maybe I should install “stiffening boards” as described above.

[goodhors]

We used angle iron for making the channels to hold the removable boards in place, with a flat, wide steel strap in the center for stffening, holding the removable boards aligned. The angle iron pieces were removed when divider boards were out, so only smooth surfaces inside the double stall.

I really think a short wall in a stall is asking for trouble. Too many ways to get hurt to list on here.

Any chance of moving a stall door to give you an inside corner for buckets and feed tub? Or maybe choose a narrower stall to have the removable partition, so 12ft boards are cheaper than 14ft. Our very large mares were fine with only 12ft width, never hurt a baby. Mares over 17h, 1500 pounds, in aND oUT to the field every day. Led them out, no run-in stalls…

[wsmoak]

Thanks all… I’ll go with the full length divider so it can be completely removed. They do spend a lot of time trying to hurt themselves, no sense making it any easier for them!

(The current resident caused problems when he was boarded because he was so protective of his food, heaven forbid another horse even looked at it, so I was trying to get a solid inside corner for him to eat in. He’s 27 or so now, hopefully he’s mellowed a bit.)

[NancyM]

A word of warning for planks that can be removed from a channel as a stall wall. They need a stiffening center support which is bolted THROUGH the planks, so that they can not be shifted or bent. We had a race mare at a training track many years ago. The stalls were built with plank walls, and not secured. It was all very old wood, very dry, very hard. She got cast in the night, and when we arrived to feed in the morning, she had kicked hard enough while cast to spread the boards, and her hind leg had gone between two of them, and they (naturally) snapped back together, holding her leg in there. We were two grooms, I opened the stall next door, and saw the leg coming through the wall, The other groom was opening the stall the mare was in, saw her standing there with her leg caught through the wall (she had got up like this, no one knows how). She was just standing there. The other groom pulled on the board (wrecked her back) and I got the job of lifting the leg out of the wall. Surprisingly, it was not broken, but severely damaged. It took a year for her to recover, and was heavily scarred.

So, keep this in mind when building stall walls where the planks slide down in channels in the wall, and may be considered to be “removable”. Use the center supporting vertical plank or metal flatbar, nailed or bolted solid to hold the horizonal planks from moving or spreading apart, should a horse get cast, and kick hard. Even “tongue and groove” boards can separate if not held together, if a horse kicks hard enough. Avoid disaster n advance if you can.

[wsmoak]

They really do try to kill themselves using whatever is available, don’t they…

Happily, the quote I just got includes two ‘wall stiffener’ strips, so they already have that covered.

[Christa_P]

For a solid corner you could either make the entire wall solid it’s full height or use a piece of plywood above the wall in the corner to cover and view points.

Personally, my dividing walls are solid 2" planks 7’ high. This helps limit arguments between neighbors.

[beau159]

@wsmoak

If I ever do use it as a foaling stall, will I regret having that short wall “sticking out” into the middle?

I think you will.

Can you put the food/water on a different wall? And center it, so he’s still away from his buddies?

[Schatzi09]

I also would recommend a solid, full length wall. I have channels that the boards slide into and use a metal stiffener in the center. I also secured the ends of the boards in the channel with screws just to be sure they don’t move. Also, I put the boards partially back in once a foal is old enough to start eating creep feed. This way the foal can go under the top boards but the mare can’t. I do have to put the foal’s feed bucket on the far wall though so the mare can’t reach under and steal it.