Ideas for Building Stalls

Size

• When planning a barn, the first thing to take into consideration is the occupation of the horses being housed along with how many you need to house. Horses are designed to wander and graze all day not stand in one spot; provide as big a stall as possible within your financial and overall size constraints. The minimal stall size usually seen in barns is 12 by 12 feet. Stalls used for foaling out mares should be at least 12 by 24 feet, or double the normal stall, if not bigger.

  The number of stalls to build depends on the number of horses you need to house and how much space you have. Some counties have limitations on the number of horses you can keep on a certain amount of land. Check with your county officials before building your stalls. Horses are also meant to move around so whenever possible keep them in large outdoor paddocks.

Ventilation

• Proper ventilation balanced with security is the next consideration. Walls should be solid with no place for a horse's foot to get caught. Ceilings should be 16 feet high to ensure a rearing horse does not hit his head. Whenever possible, keep as much airflow through the barn and stalls themselves. This can be achieved by mesh gates instead of solid stall doors, fans at the ends of the barn and stall walls that do not reach the ceiling. Stall windows that look out are also advised as they give the horse something to look at that can help alleviate boredom.

Stallions Have Special Needs

• Stalls meant to house stallions must be more secure than for a regular horse. Stallions can be aggressive and unpredictable, especially during breeding season. A 2-inch piece of wood would be little match for a powerful kick. Ideally, a barn intended for housing stallions should be built of stone or brick with padded wood paneled walls to protect their legs when they kick. They should also not be allowed to reach a passerby---windows or open mesh stall doors should be given on an individual basis to well behaved stallions.