Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
STALL ESSENTIALS
A good stall environment begins with a minimum space of 12 by 12 feet with an 8-foot by
4-foot door. Many horses over 1100 pounds or 15 hands are much neater and more content
in a 12-foot by 14-foot or 12-foot by 16-foot stall.
For hoof and respiratory health, the barn should be located on a well-draining site. The
base of the stall floor should be porous material such as 10 to 12 inches of gravel. The floor-
ing, which goes on top of the base, should be comfortable and safe, such as rubber mats.
The bedding must be nontoxic, clean, dust-free, comfortable, and something the horse
won't eat.
The stall walls and doors should discourage rubbing, be able to withstand damage from
kicking or chewing, allow ventilation to flow through the stall, and allow the horse to look
out of the stall. There should be a clean place for the horse to eat hay (preferably at ground
level), a grain feeder, and a large water pail or automatic waterer. The stall should be loc-
ated where there is not a lot of noise or bright lights. The barn environment overall should
be healthy—plenty of ventilation (windows, doors, vents, or fans) that keeps the temperat-
ure in the 30 to 80°F range and humidity in the 35 to 60 percent range.
PROS
Stalls are convenient and allow you to give each horse individual attention.
Space.
If you have limited acreage but still want to keep a horse or two at home, stalls
can make this possible provided you have the time for daily care and exercise.
Convenience.
When you have limited time for daily riding, keeping a horse in a stall
usually ensures that he is clean and close at hand so you can quickly tack up and get to
work.
Hair coat.
A stall-kept horse usually has a better hair coat, mane, and tail than a horse
kept outdoors. If you want to delay or minimize the growth of a winter coat or speed up
shedding in the spring, keeping a horse in a stall will allow you to use lights on timers to
affect his seasonal biorhythms and hair growth.
