# Needing pictures of stalls in your barns



## little lady (Sep 19, 2009)

My husband(non-horsey) is not understanding me when I describe how I want our stalls built...he thinks just one big stall should be fine. NOT. I think if I can show him pictures of what I would like maybe he would understand. So if anyone can show me pictures of your stalls and any other input would be great!


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## Little Wolf Ranch (Sep 19, 2009)

I will second this request 



I am wanting to get ideas to start planning for our barn building and would love to see the stalls and your thinking behind them including size and materials used and obviously anything you would want to change.


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## little lady (Sep 19, 2009)

We took our old big horse barn and tore everything out and are in the process of converting it to a miniature barn. It is 30 long by 24 wide with three sides enclosed and the east(30ft) side open. We have just added a tack/feed room about 8x10 with concrete floor in the back northwest corner. We both want something that they can come and go as they please...it just seems to make for happier horses but I want the ability to keep one in a stall if need be.


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## Marty (Sep 19, 2009)

Here's my humble two cents about stall building for whatever its worth.Two things that are my pet peeves with stall building is size and and size. Just because a lot of minis can fit into a closet, doesn't mean that's ok. The bigger the better. Mine have been in two days in a row now due to nasty storms and they have plenty of room to bust a move and visit with eachother because the stall walls are low enough, everyone can see everyone. The third thing is that I feel all horses should have a place of their own to eat comfortably and relaxed without fearing someone else will take their food from them. There's nothing more stupid than having a food aggressive horse that has had to fight for his food in his past life. Good luck with your building and best wishes to you!

Here are the way my stalls look:


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## Little Wolf Ranch (Sep 19, 2009)

As far as size goes - would you think an 8x8 stall for a 34" and under mini would be okay? EACH stall would have a door on the backside leading out into their own private paddock and the only time they would be kept "locked in" and not be able to go in and out freely would be at nite/bad weather/illness.

Obviously we want 12x12 foaling stalls too. 





Oh yes - what size indoor wash rack would you see as a comfortable fit? I was thinking of a 6x12? I would have all my grooming equipment in the back instead of on the sides (back experience while working at a boarding stable 



)


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## Marty (Sep 19, 2009)

I had a temporary mini barn when we first began with a couple of 8 X 8 stalls and I hated them. Not nearly enough room for ME to manuever around in there cleaning stalls with them in it on bad inside days and also it gets very messy way too easily. However, I did not have the set up with an outside run attached where the horses could come and go out at will, so keeping that in mind, I'd say and 8 X 8 would work fine as long as they weren't having to stay in there locked up for too long.


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## little lady (Sep 19, 2009)

So if I make the stalls 10x16 that should be good for them and I could use it for a foaling stall or to keep one in due to an injury or what not. They would also be able to go in/out 24/7.

So now I that I got a size to work with in my space I need materials.designs for the stalls.


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## Little Wolf Ranch (Sep 19, 2009)

With a 10x16 stall they will love you


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## little lady (Sep 19, 2009)

Marty-what are the heights of your stalls in the picture?


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## ~Lisa~ (Sep 19, 2009)

I just have panels in my barn the horses like it they can see their neighbors and even my stallion can be social and see everyone and get nose to nose. The stalls used to be 10x10 but now that I have less horses they are 10x20 and I prefer it that way. My foaling stalls are 16x16 with attached pens (they used to breed Paints and QH here so they had those set up just perfect when we moved in)


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## Mona (Sep 19, 2009)

In my opinion, an 8'x8' stall for a 34" mini horse is PLENTY large enough, even when the weather is nasty and they have to spend many days on end inside...at least that has been my experience. This shows one of my mares that measures in close to 33.5" and her filly from last year.











This is a pic of one from a different angle showing the gate.






You can read and see more of my barn and how it was constructed by visiting my *Construction of My New Barn* page.


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## barnbum (Sep 19, 2009)

I love my stalls. The sizes vary--two are 6.5' x 11', two are 8' x 14 and one is 7.5' x 13'.

Here are photos...





















In use.


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## little lady (Sep 19, 2009)

barnbum I love your old barn! Around these parts they tear down old barns and put up new ones...figure that one out.


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## barnbum (Sep 19, 2009)

I'd post pics of the barn--but that's hijacking the post. The horse part is about 1/3 of the bottom. There are photos on my website if you're interested.





I LOVE my barn, too.


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## ~Dan (Sep 19, 2009)

I have 8x12 stalls for my minis, and my 35" mini fits fine when she rolls, the stalls are mini height, so they can touch noses, yet still have privacy, their pretty simple, just plywood (3/4" thick so they cant kick through it...easily



). I have the horses in at night, and when the weather is crappy outside, and the minis don't like being left in, but it gives them plenty enough room, to poop in one corner and not mix it in with their feed. I think I remeber reading somewhere Jill said she has 8x12 stalls too and that the horses tend to keep their waste in one corner of rectangular stalls. Ill try n' get pictures tomorrow. But the walls need to be scrubbed first (a lil' messy from this winter



).


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## minie812 (Sep 19, 2009)

Our stalls are 10 x 10 ft and hubby made it so all the center dividers can be removed between them during foaling season so I can make it 10 x 20 ft if I want and I can also use it that way when I am having to wean the babies, also. They are in a 10 x20ft stall and it gives them room. The stud stalls are at each end and 5 ft high and they have a wiremesh door so they can see out and get some air circulation too. Our barn is 30 x 50' and we are slowly working our way down the other side and when it is done will have a tack room-8 stalls and a shower area. We also have a run in area for the minis that are not stalled so they come and go in a large paddock area at night and are on pasture during the day. Pokey was used to being with the herd and when she had her foals had the BIG stall. Have fun designing your barn and hope all is well with you and your family


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## Kootenay (Sep 19, 2009)

Here are my stalls:






The first one is 12X8:











My second stall is 12X24 :






Looking down the stall:






Looking back up:






I have a third stall that I added shavings to tonight, but unfortunately not when this picture was taken: This stall is 8X10.






Bare floor view:






And one of the aisle :--(The area straight ahead is hay storage as is above).






It's an old unfinished barn, but if the rain stops i'll have my rubber mats cut tommorow



It'll be one step closer to it being finished..


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## jayne (Sep 19, 2009)

My mini's stalls are 8 x 12 and I LOVE that size. Plenty of room to maneuver around and they all (two minis: 31" and 38", and a 43" pony) all poop in the back of them too, so most of it stays clean. If I sneak in at night I find them all laying down and there are very comfy with lots of clearance around them.

I kind of chuckle at this because my clydesdale has a 12 x 12 stall that is plenty of room for him, too. And my two standard donkeys are happy to share a 12 x 12 as well. So, proportionally, the minis have WAY bigger stalls!

Here is a picture of my barn when it was brand new. These are the three 8x12's on this side. Across the aisle are the two 12x12's. Those are real dutch doors and the tops are always open now. The walls between the stalls are mini/pony height so they can look over and see each other.






Here is the pony Little Bit in his stall showcasing his Fabio hairdo!


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## Sterling (Sep 19, 2009)

I just had my barn built back in April. My stalls are 8 x 10's. LOVE the set up...and I was able to design the barn and the interior myself.....it's Amish built. Pine board and batten. The stall walls and are 4' high and the doors are 3 1/2'. Inside the stalls they are double padded with oak kickboards. Not that I think that these little guys would kick thru the walls, but it helps keep the pine boards cleaner...and just in case that one of the little guys does throw a tantrum, at least I know the walls have protection....





There's a window in each stall with a grate. Also I have windows crossed ventilated on the opposite side of the barn and three openings. Front, back and side doors...it's so airy that way AND gets cross ventilation all the time. In the morning is my fave time to be in it. The sun shines perfectly inside and it's just so cozy!!


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## Annabellarose (Sep 20, 2009)

Katie Guinn said:


> As far as size goes - would you think an 8x8 stall for a 34" and under mini would be okay? EACH stall would have a door on the backside leading out into their own private paddock and the only time they would be kept "locked in" and not be able to go in and out freely would be at nite/bad weather/illness.
> Obviously we want 12x12 foaling stalls too.
> 
> 
> ...


I know that people do, but I wouldn't deliberately set out to build a Miniature Horse stall that was less than 8' by 8'. I would love to have a barn with stalls with doors leading to the outside into private paddocks on the side of the barn. I took a couple of riding lessons at a Morgan barn (before I switched to a Saddlebred barn) that had a couple of stalls like that and I have loved that concept ever since. 12' by 12' would be adequate as a Miniature Horse foaling stall. My new stalls are 10' by 10' and my first Miniature Horse foal was born in one this Spring. The mare (and foal!) had plenty of room both during foaling (she still had it next to the wall) and sharing a stall with the foal (who was long-legged and boisterous). I am not a breeder and I am not going to start breeding Miniature Horses, but I may breed the occasional foal for myself throughout the years and I think that 10' by 10' (for me) was a good size for everyday Miniature Horse keeping and for the occasional Miniature Horse birth. Also, my barn was/partially still is a 30' by 50' blank slate and I am going to build 5 (3 are complete) 10' by 10' stalls down the left side and a 10' by 10' feed and tack room, a 10' by 10' grooming area (may add wash capabilities later), a 10' by 10' stall bedding storage area, and possibily 2 more 10' by 10' stalls or 1 10' by 20' "big" horse stall/foaling stall down the right side. Eventually I hope to be down to one "big" horse; I still have 3.

My 32.75" mare really fills up her 10' by 10' stall, an 8' by 8' would cramp her.

Were you going to make that grooming area/wash rack 6' deep and 12' wide or 12' deep and 6' wide? 6' wide will NOT be comfortable for you as that would only leave you about 2' on either side of the horse to "work" and for grooming and washing that would be TERRIBLE. You need to make your grooming area as comfortable and as spacious as you can afford (both money and space), especially if you intend to show (show prep/grooming, clipping, etc.) or if you just enjoy grooming your horses everyday for their (and your!) health.


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## Connie P (Sep 20, 2009)

Everyone has such beautiful barns and stalls! 

Mona, I just LOVE your stalls -


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## little lady (Sep 20, 2009)

Thank you everyone for sharing pictures of your stalls and offering the measurements and opinions!



I am now armed and dangerous.

Kootenay-your setup is what I am trying to achieve so your pictures will be quite helpful. One question though the larger door way going outside do you have a way to close that with a door or gate?

Again "big" thank you!!



I am so glad I found this place beacuse it is a wealth of information and there are some wonderful people here.


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## Kootenay (Sep 20, 2009)

I don't have doors on the outside of the stalls yet, but plan on putting some up, The horses just come in and out from the pasture at their leisure.


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## Tami (Sep 20, 2009)

Here are mine.....I bought 3 from a farm that was sold and the new owners didn't have minis. My husband made me 6 more to match.

They are 8X8.


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## Candice (Sep 20, 2009)

When we built our barn we tried to plan ahead if our needs should change. We have 5 8x12 stalls on on side and 4 8x8 stalls on the opposite side. I've found the 8x8 stalls too small for anyone over 31". On thing we did though was we made the wall between the last two 8x12 stalls easy to remove so if the need for a bigger stall ever arose (it never has) we could easily accomodate that situation. The walls between the two sets of 8x8 stalls are also easily removeable as well so I can easily turn them into 8x16 stalls in a matter of minutes.

There was an excellent article on this in the last MHW. I wish we had incorporated the ability to make the walls higher or lower as needed. Stallions need a little bit higher wall.

My suggestion would be as much versatility as possible.


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## GeorgeandHumble (Sep 20, 2009)

little lady said:


> barnbum I love your old barn! Around these parts they tear down old barns and put up new ones...figure that one out.


I'm with you. New barns are nice but the older barns are where the comforts at. For some reason I feel an older barn is more cozy (at least for me). Our barn is an old dairy barn, we have a great time building the stalls, you can't prefab anything because every piece of wood seems to need a special cut; no two stalls are the same. My heart sinks everytime I see an old barn being torn down especially the gigantic barns that show real craftmanship.


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## Allure Ranch (Sep 20, 2009)

_[SIZE=12pt]I tried to put together some photos of our stalls so you could see them as well. [/SIZE]_

We have a total of (10) all together. We made (4) of them on the one side of the barn 12x12 and the remaining (6) on the dirt side are 10x10. We also included (3) exit doors on the dirt side along with attached paddocks. They are 4 feet in height.

Here's the video link http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee194/A...nt=67a57ba6.pbw


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## targetsmom (Sep 20, 2009)

I know I will sound like a slumlord after hearing the size of everyone else's stalls, but I thought I would chip in with a different perspective. We added our minis stalls to an existing 2 stall barn with 12 X 12 stalls and didn't have too much flexibility. And coming from a long background with big horses and boarding barns - many with 10 X 10' stalls for warmbloods - we made our mini stalls (for our 34" and under minis) just 6 X 8'. Any bigger and they would not have fit. For foaling we have one 12 X 12 stall and can remove dividers to make stalls 12 X 8. Our minis are turned out every day because we also have a huge overhang area plus one of the 12 X 12 stalls (when not used for foaling) that they can hang out in. A few stay out 24/7. No one seems cramped at all and it works for us. I cut off the end off my manure fork to make stall cleaning easier.


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## Tami (Sep 20, 2009)

Targetsmom, I have 3 stalls that are 8x6 and like you... that was the only size tha would fit in an old section of our old barn... They work great, and the horses have pleny of room.


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## SilverDollar (Sep 20, 2009)

Wow, what great barns! Thanks for sharing.

We are adding another small barn that will be a tack room plus an in & out stall for the minis. My two minis are always together and each manages to get enough food without fighting. However, after reading all the posts I'd like to extend the stall a little bit so that I can divide it if necessary. I was originally going to make the stall 10'x12' but think I will make it 10'x16' so I could divide it if necessary (they would still have their paddocks--being in Southern California they are out most of the time.)

Many of you said that you have dividers that you can add or remove in a matter of minutes. How did you construct these dividers and how do you attach them to the walls?

Thanks.

Rebecca


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## chandab (Sep 20, 2009)

targetsmom said:


> I know I will sound like a slumlord after hearing the size of everyone else's stalls, but I thought I would chip in with a different perspective. We added our minis stalls to an existing 2 stall barn with 12 X 12 stalls and didn't have too much flexibility. And coming from a long background with big horses and boarding barns - many with 10 X 10' stalls for warmbloods - we made our mini stalls (for our 34" and under minis) just 6 X 8'. Any bigger and they would not have fit. For foaling we have one 12 X 12 stall and can remove dividers to make stalls 12 X 8. Our minis are turned out every day because we also have a huge overhang area plus one of the 12 X 12 stalls (when not used for foaling) that they can hang out in. A few stay out 24/7. No one seems cramped at all and it works for us. I cut off the end off my manure fork to make stall cleaning easier.


My minis are pretty much only in their stalls to eat their hard feed, they share hay out in the dry lot; and my stalls are 6x8' and for the time they spend in their stalls, they seem plenty big. I do have one 8x12 shelter for a B-size stallion and he has plenty of room to move around his stall. And, I have another space that I'm going to put a couple stalls into, and they'll be roughly 8x8 or maybe a little bit bigger.


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## Peggy Hogan (Sep 21, 2009)

SilverDollar said:


> Wow, what great barns! Thanks for sharing.
> We are adding another small barn that will be a tack room plus an in & out stall for the minis. My two minis are always together and each manages to get enough food without fighting. However, after reading all the posts I'd like to extend the stall a little bit so that I can divide it if necessary. I was originally going to make the stall 10'x12' but think I will make it 10'x16' so I could divide it if necessary (they would still have their paddocks--being in Southern California they are out most of the time.)
> 
> Many of you said that you have dividers that you can add or remove in a matter of minutes. How did you construct these dividers and how do you attach them to the walls?
> ...


Hey Rebecca....The last stall we added was built on the back of the pipe corral/stall I use for one of my full sized horses. I made it 10'x16' and had a divider so I could house either one or two minis. Being from So.Cal like you, I'm using the stalls for night and rain (what rain??? LOL). The size is great.


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