# O So New Stall Project



## O So (Dec 26, 2010)

This is one of my 2011 goals! I want to make a better shelter for O So. I thought it would be fun to make a "project" thread about it. I put it in the photo section of the forum do to the fact it will have a lot of pictures as I go along. If a Mod feels it is suited better for a different forum, feel free to move it!






Today I was telling hubby that I was thinking of taking part of my garage ( or barn if one wants to call it that, lol) and make it into a stall for O So. He thought that was a pretty good idea!! We basically use it for storage of junk, I mean prize possessions, that we don't use but don't want to get rid of! LOL That and 2 parts of it are my Macaw's indoor areas.

Here is a pic of what the area looks like now. Yah, it is a mess.






You can see a row of garbage cans on the left. On top of the last garbage can you can see yellow Tupperware, just above those is a shelf. That shelf will be removed but the shelves above it will stay. They are high enough O So will not be able to get to them. Then of course all the junk on the floor will need to be moved to a new spot. Basically I will need to "heaven forbid" get rid of some stuff!

Here is a very rough photoshoped version of what I want it to look like!






Here is a view from looking in the door way. I am standing between the 2 macaw indoor cages.






What you see in that picture is O So's hay rack and a bunch more of my "prize possessions".

Here is a view of the same pic from above, but with my expertly done photoshop! LOL






The hay rack will be moved down to the right so there will be no chance of him getting to it. That and the washing machine will be gone too!

The total size when complete will be 8' by 11'. Not the biggest stall, but it will be much better then the make shift shelter he has now. Some bonus's ( at least I think they are) is that the floor is all concrete, so that will make it much easier for me to keep it clean and his feet will stay dry. I plan on using wood shavings for bedding. Another bonus is I plan to make the door way that leads outside, closeable. That way I can lock him in if I want him to stay out of the rain.





I will add pics as I go along.


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## TheCaseFamily00 (Dec 27, 2010)

I think O So will be very happy there.Look forward to seeing more pics


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## CCC (Dec 27, 2010)

I think it's a great idea! good luck with it, i'll be looking forward to seeing the next set of pics as you go along!


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## Annabellarose (Dec 27, 2010)

Just keep in mind that if something interests him on one of those shelves, he WILL rear up on his hind legs to get at it, ESPECIALLY if confined (bored) to a stall for any length of time (it may only take him 5 minutes, LOL). If you have a concrete floor, I would recommend putting down rubber stall mats so that he does not have to stand directly on the concrete. Concrete gets very tiresome for a horse's legs (horses stand on their legs a lot more than humans do). Where I live I can buy a 4 foot by 6 foot mat (that can be trimmed) for about $55. You can cut them up and rearrange the pieces so that the entire area is covered. They make stall cleaning a lot easier and quicker and feeding time for him when he's in the stall a lot more sanitary (as mats can be pulled out occasionally and scrubbed).


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## candycar (Dec 27, 2010)

Looks like a great plan. 8X11 is plenty big enough!

Mine are only 8X8 and both "R- Bs" will go together in one stall to hang out. I also have a shelf in the stalls. They come in very handy when all your other horse stuff is in the garage or house or way out the other side of the yard in a shed. Never had any problem with them getting stuff off of it. I even keep their hay ration (in laundry baskets) and grain (in containers) on them. It is high up though, about eye high on me and I'm 5'3". I would ditto the stall mats though, they pay for themselves with shavings saved and are more comfy for the horse.

Looking forward to more pics as you come along....


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## O So (Dec 27, 2010)

I got off work at 7am this morning. Came home and ate breakfast then went to work out in the garage. Just now stopped working on it and it is now 4.30pm. I am bushed.

Here is a pic at about an hour into cleaning!






At lunch I played musical cars ( rearranged cars) to make room for our small box trailer. That took some of my garage time up, but it was all good because now I have somewhere to put the stuff, oops, Prize Possessions that I don't want in. That and it also is acting as a garbage can at the back end of it! I already have the front half of the 4x6 trailer filled with stuff I decided to get rid of! I still have about 4 more feet of shelving to go through tomorrow. Not including the top shelf. I may not do that one quite yet.

Here are a few pics of when I quit for the day. It doesn't look like much but I really did make a lot of head way. Things are just kind of scattered in the center right now so I could try to work in the front corner, not in the pics!

In this pic if you look past the hay rack, you can see I have a few shelves pretty well cleaned off!






In this one you can see the floor under the shelves is pretty well clean. The stuff on the bottom shelf is stuff I need to make room on a shelf somewhere I can get to it. It is basically tools and such that I will use from time to time. The stuff on the next shelf up is stuff I am keeping.






Ok, after reading your guy's replies. I may shuffle the stuff on the shelf that is staying, over to the side of the garage. That way O So can't stand and get to it. Either that or I will put a boarder around it all so he won't be able to get it even if he can reach up that high.

Thanks for the tips on the rubber mats. I saw some at the feed store last time I was there. I will have to go price them.

I came up with something I would like to do inside his stall. I think I will take about a 3 or 4 ft. section and have just rubber, no shavings. It will be separated by a 2x4. On the other side of the board I will have the rubber mats and shavings. I will put O So's food and water dishes in the area with no shavings. My thinking on doing it this way is, when he knocks hay out of his feeder, it will not get mixed with the shavings. That and the water will pretty well drip mainly on the rubber mat. I know some shavings will cross the boarder, but it still would be easier to keep his food separated.

If all goes well in the morning, I am hoping to get a few more hours in before I have to take my nap for going to work at midnight tomorrow night! If not, I will for sure work on it when I get home from work on Wed. morning! I'm really hoping to have it ready to build the inside walls and door by this coming weekend. Building it will be kind of the slow part. I have to wait for hubby to help me do that part! LOL


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## mydaddysjag (Dec 28, 2010)

You dont have to use a 2x4 to divide it, just put rubber mats in the entire stall and only spread the shavings in the back half of the stall. Its also a very good way to teach them to potty in one part of the stall, which makes stall cleaning easier.


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## LindaL (Dec 28, 2010)

mydaddysjag said:


> You dont have to use a 2x4 to divide it, just put rubber mats in the entire stall and only spread the shavings in the back half of the stall. Its also a very good way to teach them to potty in one part of the stall, which makes stall cleaning easier.



I do that, too (altho I do have a mare that "prefers" to poop right in front of the stall door



)

Horses will sift thru the shavings for bits of hay...No need to separate them.

It is looking good so far. I would put things that are to be left on shelves as high as possible, tho...or put some sort of cabinet doors on them. Horses are like little kids...curious little beggers...LOL!


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## O So (Dec 28, 2010)

Today wasn't a very productive day. I only had a few hours to work on it do to having to sleep part of the day to get ready for work tonight at midnight. I will hopefully be able to finish the cleaning tomorrow though!

In this pic you can see I have some of the shelves organized. I now have a shelf for my misc. tools and screws, nails, nuts, and bolts. I have a shelf for my tie dye and garden stuff too. Most important, I finally have a shelf for my horse tack!






I still need to add some more misc. stuff to those shelves but it is a start.

Here you can see I got almost all the stuff off of the shelf that needs to be removed!






Tomorrow I am hoping to finish it off. So this weekend we will hopefully (depending on hubby) build the actual stall wall.

Now to answer some replies!

I figured the 2x4 would help keep the shavings out of his hay area. I guess it probably wouldn't do to much anyway, considering he will probably kick it over when he goes back and forth anyway!

The reason for separating the shavings from the food is to keep him from ingesting the shavings. I plan to put rubber mats through out the whole thing.

As far as the stuff on that shelf that is staying. We plan on putting a 1x4 or 1x6 board all across it. That way he won't be able to reach the stuff or knock it off!

What do you guy's think of those truck rubber mats? You think those would work just as well as the actual horse ones? Reason I as is I can get those free! LOL Hubby runs across them from time to time at his work. All I would do is cut the wheel well sections out to make on long straight piece. Then piece them together. I just don't know how much cushion they would have compared to the actual horse kind.

Thanks for the suggestions and tips. Keep them coming!!


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## LindaL (Dec 28, 2010)

O So said:


> What do you guy's think of those truck rubber mats? You think those would work just as well as the actual horse ones? Reason I as is I can get those free! LOL Hubby runs across them from time to time at his work. All I would do is cut the wheel well sections out to make on long straight piece. Then piece them together. I just don't know how much cushion they would have compared to the actual horse kind.
> 
> Thanks for the suggestions and tips. Keep them coming!!


If it were dirt/sand as a base, I would say those would work, but since it is concrete, I'd say a minimum of 1/2 inch thick padding would be best. It is very tiresome for them to stand on hard surface all day and truck mats just aren't that "shock absorbing".


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## O So (Dec 28, 2010)

LindaL said:


> If it were dirt/sand as a base, I would say those would work, but since it is concrete, I'd say a minimum of 1/2 inch thick padding would be best. It is very tiresome for them to stand on hard surface all day and truck mats just aren't that "shock absorbing".


Ok, thanks! I will buy some normal horse mats.

Hubby and I were out looking at my progress today and we were discussing where the outside door was going to be. I made a diagram of how I want it set up to where he wants the doors.

I had to take a pic of my diagram because I couldn't figure out how to save it as a jpg. LOL I don't have a 'paint' featrue for mac. I need to go buy one. LOL






What do you guy's think of the lay out? The dark blue thing on the top upper left is the door leading outside. The words didn't show up very good in the photo.

I wanted the water somewhat close to the door so I can empty and refill it easier. Just toss it out the door.



I really don't care for the feed bucket being so close to the indoor door, but I wanted the food and water at the opposite ind of the stall, far away from the bedding. Hubby wants the door at the left end of the stall because he will be able to connect it to a pre existing wall. Which will make it a more solid door then just having it in the middle. Right now the plan to secure the main wall is to use lag bolts that you drill a hole in the concrete and drive the bolts in, they expand to hold the 2x4s snugly to the ground. I explained that so you can see where a door in the middle would be weak. I may try to talk him into running board up to the rafters at the top, so in my book, that would make the middle more solid and I would think we could put a door in the middle instead. I will have to talk to hubby about that.


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## O So (Dec 29, 2010)

Today was a productive day! I only have one more shelf to remove and I will be ready to go buy some lumber.

The brooms in this pic. show roughly where the wall will be.






Here is where I stopped for the day.






You can see where I drew in a door. I believe that is where hubby wants it to be. The 2x4s you see coming down to the floor will be cut at the bottom of the shelf that will be staying. We will attach a 2x4 to the rafters to hold the shelves up. The shelf that is staying is 49" high. I will still ad a board around the whole area so O So can't rear up and get into things.

It was nice today to actually be able to work in the garage and have O So in there too! He can no longer get into his treats.



It is nice to have somewhat of an organized garage!

Another nice thing that will happen once we get the stall done, is I will move O So's lolly pop apple toys into his stall. It's not really bad to have them outside but now that I have my collie in the house and that part of the yard, I go through the treats faster.










He even growls at O So for trying to come over and eat the lick too! LOL And yes, it is a collie. He had to be shaved because of to many knotts in his hair, poor guy. I just didn't keep up on his grooming and things got out of hand fast. The other two dogs didn't help matters by pulling on his hair when playing. I kind of feel sorry for the poor dog though. He can't even go out and take a poo without O So bothering him. LOL I forgot to shut O So out of the yard the dog goes into last night. I had to get out of bed and get O So, so the dog good go to the bathroom.





Now I need some advise. How tall do you guy's think I should make the walls for the stall? I was thinking 4ft with a 3ft door, that way O So can look out the door. I was also thinking of making the outside door in two pieces, 2ft each, or 3 ft for the bottom and 1 foot for the top. That way I could leave the top open to the outside and he could look out that way too. Forgot to mention, O So is only 28 inches tall.

Another thing, I need suggestions for a water bucket. It needs to be really secure, but also able to be removed for cleaning. I was thinking about an automatic filler type, but then it wouldn't be removable. I would like it to hang on the wall.

Thanks again for any suggestions.


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## Marty (Dec 30, 2010)

I really admire you for wanting everything perfect for Oso. Lots of work ahead but its a labor of love isn't it?

My walls are barely 3 feet high and my doors even lower than that. I have a real problem with the stalls if they cannot see out all around them. I love horses to have protection from the elements and Oso is going to really appreciate this in bad weather. Be sure not to lock him in without adequate hay though to keep him calm.

Check for adequate ventilation and no fumes coming from any of those items you have in there. I think you should kick your husband's stuff out of there and take over the whole thing!!!





I must admit I am very concerned with all the stuff on the shelves that I know you think he can't get into. I see lots of poisons that even a cat or rat or some varmit could accidently push down; its just not safe. I honestly would remove them completely from there. Perhaps you could get some rubbermaid containers and store them somewhere else? We learned a million years ago that you can never have enough storage sheds around and had to make one investment after another in them. Good horsekeeping seems to have no ending doesn't it? Keep up the good work!


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## wrs (Dec 30, 2010)

You've made alot of progress.










> Another thing, I need suggestions for a water bucket. It needs to be really secure, but also able to be removed for cleaning. I was thinking about an automatic filler type, but then it wouldn't be removable. I would like it to hang on the wall.


We've always had the best luck using the flat back buckets. I clean my buckets daily sometimes twice daily so I like them to be easy to remove.

These two bucket holders work well. Bucket hanger 1 , Bucket hanger 2

We prefer the second one, it holds the bucket firmly in place.

Keep up the good work. Looking forward to seeing more progress pictures.


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## MajorClementine (Dec 30, 2010)

How wonderful you are able to make him an indoor space. It's looking awesome. I too am a "pack rat" so I know how you feel when you look in your garage/barn



You've made amazing progress in such a short amount of time.

My only concern is also the things remaining on the shelves. You see, miniature horses weren't told that they are mini size... they seem to be able to reach and get into anything they put their minds to. And they are curious about everything! I think the totes are a really good idea. You cold pack a lot into each tote and move them up a shelf or so. Would hate him to get into something and get hurt.

Looking forward to more pics


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## TheCaseFamily00 (Dec 30, 2010)

What about hindged pieces of plywood or OSB for doors covering the things you want to keep?Sorry if this was already suggested,keep up the good work


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## O So (Dec 30, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions you guys!

As far as the shelf that is staying, we are going to put a board across the whole thing so nothing will fall off or he won't be able to knock it off. I may end up moving some more stuff off that shelf as I go though. I will have some space left over on the other side but I have to wait till we build the wall of the stall before I can move stuff around. Believe me, I will make it safe for him to be in the stall.

As far as fumes, there is nothing in there that is gas powered anymore! I took the rotor tiller and pressure washer to the lawn mower shed!



Only chemicals in there now are my horse sprays, tie dye stuff ( sealed) and my cake dye water bottles. ( They are used to dye my Macaws wood toys, safe for them to eat, so no harm for O So either). The tie dye stuff is clear across the garage so no chance of him or a rat knocking it off in his stall.

I should have pretty good ventilation. At least I hope. There will be the door leading outside ( which I want to leave the top part open all the time so he can look out if locked in), and both my bird aviaries have windows that are open 24/7. The doors on their cages that lead are in the garage are those metal security doors. They allow the air to circulate!

I hope to have more pics tomorrow. I am also hoping I can get hubby to build the wall and cut the outside door. Then I can at least let O So in there. For now he will most likely only be getting 2 rubber mats for one side of the stall. I priced them online only and they are around 80 bucks! I haven't priced my feed store yet. Right now I can only afford the 120 bucks or so for 2, 4x6 mats. I will hopefully be able to buy the next 2 mats a week or 2 later.


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## TheCaseFamily00 (Dec 30, 2010)

I don't know where you are but aroun here the average price is $30.00 for mats,Big R or Tractor supply.


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## O So (Dec 30, 2010)

TheCaseFamily00 said:


> I don't know where you are but aroun here the average price is $30.00 for mats,Big R or Tractor supply.


I"m in Sacramento. I am going to my feed store tomorrow to price some. I can't wait.



Yah, I like buying stuff for my spoiled little guy!


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## chandab (Dec 31, 2010)

I don't know if you have a TSC close, but here's what they have available in mats:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/equine/horse-stalls-accessories/rubber-matting/

I'd love to have some mats in my stalls, but its not in the budget, and the dirt floor is ok for now.


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## O So (Dec 31, 2010)

chandab said:


> I don't know if you have a TSC close, but here's what they have available in mats:
> 
> http://www.tractorsu...rubber-matting/
> 
> I'd love to have some mats in my stalls, but its not in the budget, and the dirt floor is ok for now.


The closest one to me is the Woodland one. It is about 30 miles give or take. If my local feed store is more then 40 bucks a piece for the 4x6 mats, I may have to take a drive! LOL

Thanks for the link!!


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## chandab (Dec 31, 2010)

O So said:


> The closest one to me is the Woodland one. It is about 30 miles give or take. If my local feed store is more then 40 bucks a piece for the 4x6 mats, I may have to take a drive! LOL
> 
> Thanks for the link!!


If its not some place you get to regularly, I'd call first to see if they have them in stock, so you don't waste a trip.


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## O So (Dec 31, 2010)

We are getting there!!




I'm hoping to have it ready for O So tomorrow. Well, all except the rubber mats. I will have to wait till after the 1st. I think the feed store is closed that day.

Here are some pics of our progress today.

The start of the first wall. Hubby is doing it different then what I planned, but as long as it comes out safe and sturdy, I am ok with it!






Hubby cutting the hole for the door.






Here you can see the door with some plywood pieces on it. We attached the plywood to the existing outside boards of the garage. Tomorrow we will cut around the plywood and then cut the door in half. That way I can leave the top open for O So to look outside if I want. Also, when the door is closed, it will look pretty much like there is no door from the outside.






This is where we left off for the night. Tomorrow we will hopefully finish it. We have to cut the door out and hinge it, then put the other sides wall up. After the walls are all up all we need to do is hang the plywood that will line the whole stall. Oh, and we need to make the inside door. That shouldn't take long though.

I probably won't hang is feeder in there till after the 1st. I don't want to move it to far away from his water and I still need to go get a water container and hook or something for the stall. So he will basically be able to just go in and out of his new room all he wants the first day or maybe 2.

I will update again once we make more progress!


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## LindaL (Dec 31, 2010)

Just a quick question...what happens when you get O So a buddy?? lol


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## O So (Dec 31, 2010)

LindaL said:


> Just a quick question...what happens when you get O So a buddy?? lol


Guess I would have to get less picky on what I keep and clean the other side of the garage! LOL


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## O So (Jan 1, 2011)

We are hard at work on O So's stall again, but had to take a break, hubby had to go on a tow. I figured I would come in and do a fast update while he is gone.





I'm kind of excited, we got the door done for the outside!!!





Here is a pic from the outside. It's not all the way closed here but you can see what it will look like when it is! I still need to ad the trim though. I figured I would trim it with white boards later.






Here it is with half of it open. Oh, and we still need to replace the broken board at the bottom of the door. It was just to rotten. It's an old garage!











Unfinished view from the inside. Kind of blurry. I guess I should go get my normal camera instead of my phone.






O So checking it out and doing his first nibble job on the door.






We were in the process of cutting and placing the plywood on the walls when hubby had to leave for the tow. So it looks like we might just get it finished today and O So just might be able to go inside tonight!

I do have to rethink my food and water placement. I wanted them on the wall of the bird cage, but I didn't think about the bird nesting box right above them. The birds knock out a lot of wood shavings, which in turn would fall into O So's food and water. So now I am thinking of putting the water just to the right of the outside doorway. The hay would be on the new wall we are building. Either that or I could possibly put a piece of plywood on the bottom of the next box to catch the shavings. Then I could just go sweep them off when I clean O So's stall. I will have to figure out something soon! LOL

Will update later tonight!


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## weerunner (Jan 1, 2011)

I'm really enjoying watching your progress. You must be very excited to have a nice warm inside place for O So. I know I just love the new stalls my hubby and I built this year when we got full to the brim in my barn. New stalls are so much fun and filling them is fun too.



Keep us updated, I'm waiting patiently.


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## O So (Jan 1, 2011)

Well, O So gets to spend his first night in his new stall!



That is if he wants to. LOL It not completely finished yet, but it is open for him to go into.

Here are some more pics. Putting in the plywood.






Plywood up on 3 walls.






4th wall built and inside door put on.






Inside the stall. Still need to hang Hay/grain feeder and get a water container. Dad suggested the automatic kind. He sent me a link to one and I liked it so we are going to go look for one tomorrow.






O So coming inside for the first time.











Continued next post. Went over pic limit......


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## O So (Jan 1, 2011)

Wet horse!






The door is a bit taller then I wanted, but I can always cut more off later!






O So licking his lolly pop!





Finally a pic of all his tack hung up!






So, what is left to do is: Install hay feeder, water dish, salt blocks. I need to go to the feed store tomorrow to price and hopefully buy the rubber mats. Then once they are in I can spread the shavings out and he will be all set! I am hoping I will have final pics tomorrow.

I have another question. I currently have red heat lamps in my macaw cages ( O So won't get any warmth from them or much light either). I was wondering if I should put a red lamp in the main part of the garage, to give O So some light. Not so much heat, but mainly for some light. Do you guy's have lights in your barns that stay on at night?


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## targetsmom (Jan 1, 2011)

OK, I joined this late and did not read every post, so I could very well be wrong... But I would be concerned if you are storing O So's grain in those garbage cans right outside the stall. If so, that (to me) is a disaster waiting to happen, as he would only need to open the stall door - or have someone not shut it properly and he could get into the grain and overeat. Forgive me if I am wrong about the grain being stored there but there are too many forum posts about "my minis got loose and into the grain...". I would store the grain somewhere where he cannot possibly get to it if he gets loose and/or you forget to lock something.

I am happy to see that he goes in there - I have had horses who were used to run-ins that refused to go in a stall no matter how bad the weather was! I also admire your initiative and energy!


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## Little Hooves (Jan 1, 2011)

This is so amazing! Very admirable and I like all the hard work you put into it for your little guy.



It looks so GREAT that I couldn't believe you started out from the first photo.



I would have been overwhelmed, but you kept chugging along. Excellent! Good job! O So must be "oh, so" happy


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## O So (Jan 1, 2011)

targetsmom said:


> OK, I joined this late and did not read every post, so I could very well be wrong... But I would be concerned if you are storing O So's grain in those garbage cans right outside the stall. If so, that (to me) is a disaster waiting to happen, as he would only need to open the stall door - or have someone not shut it properly and he could get into the grain and overeat. Forgive me if I am wrong about the grain being stored there but there are too many forum posts about "my minis got loose and into the grain...". I would store the grain somewhere where he cannot possibly get to it if he gets loose and/or you forget to lock something.
> 
> I am happy to see that he goes in there - I have had horses who were used to run-ins that refused to go in a stall no matter how bad the weather was! I also admire your initiative and energy!


Thanks for the concern, but there isn't much I can do with his feed or the chickens feed. Bout the only thing I could do is store them under the carport but I think that would be to damp for the food. As far as forgetting to latch to door, there isn't much concern on that. Only time I will need to unlatch it is to deep clean the stall. I climb over the door right now. That and you won't need to open it to feed him because the feeder will be close enough to just toss the hay and grain in from the outside of the stall.

I guess the only thing I could do is get all metal cans and try to do a latch system on them. I only have the one garage on that side of the property and the lawn mower shed is just to far to go for food every day. I also don't have the room to put another shed up. If I did, I would have put a nice little shed up for O So's stall, instead of using my garage!


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## chandab (Jan 1, 2011)

O So said:


> The door is a bit taller then I wanted, but I can always cut more off later!


You could also cut a "V" in the center to lower part of the door low enough for him to look out easier.


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## O So (Jan 1, 2011)

chandab said:


> You could also cut a "V" in the center to lower part of the door low enough for him to look out easier.


That is a good idea! That way he can't reach his food buckets on the side of the door.


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## O So (Jan 1, 2011)

Little Hooves said:


> This is so amazing! Very admirable and I like all the hard work you put into it for your little guy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks. I am really happy I kept going. And only in about a weeks time! I didn't think I was going to get that much 'junk' out of the garage that fast.




I was also happy that hubby was willing to take time off of his project that he just started last weekend, to help me this weekend. I only need him to help me hang the water and food dishes now and then he can go back to his project! LOL Thing is, his project is another one for me too. We bought a 29 Ford pick up for me about 3 years ago. He tore it apart to rebuild it, but then stopped. He just started on it again last weekend. I'm kind of excited about it too. It will be my truck to go get my hay in.



I will share a pic of it too, once I get my phone handy again! LOL


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## sdust (Jan 2, 2011)

As for the storing of your feed, PetsMart has dog food containers that are air tight with a screw on lid, that hold 50 pounds. They cost a bit more but your food is safe, other than from bears! Yes, I have had one container draged off by a black bear and destroyed because I was lazy, filled up the container with dog food and left it out side my door for the night! These are tough containers and I never thought it would be an issue.


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## AnnaC (Jan 2, 2011)

I just want to add my congratulations - what you have done with your garage for O So is brilliant - he's one very lucky little boy!

Anna


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## wcr (Jan 2, 2011)

As far as the grain cans, you could bungee from handle to handle on the sides through the top handle and they would be secure. I am sure you will keep an eye on O So at first to see what he gets into. I find it amazing what horses can and will get into even with the best of care.


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## O So (Jan 2, 2011)

Today we finally have it finished! We made it to the feed store and I bought 2 5x7 3/4 inch mats. Also made it to Harbor Freight to buy the waterer my Dad suggested to me! I say it is done, but I don't think any of my projects are ever done. LOL I will always be trying to find ways to make it better or more convenient. For now though it is done as far as O So being able to live in it.

Here are the final pics.

2 5x7 mats pretty much took up the whole stall. Only about 6 inches not covered.











Got the feeder installed. As you can see it is close to the door so there is no reason to have to open it. I can toss the hay and grain in from the outside of the stall.






Moved the salt blocks in. I will probably buy a block holder later down the line. For now I have another rubber mat so it will help protect the expensive mats. LOL






I forgot to buy more shavings when I was at the feed store so I only had enough to fill the corner of the stall.






Finally, we have the water installed. It is a bit higher then I wanted it, but O So can still drink with no problem. I showed hubby where I wanted it, he put it where I didn't. lol






Tonight will be the first night that I will lock O So in. I am going to leave the top door to the outside open for now. Least he can look out. I put some toys in the stall to hopefully help on boredom throughout the night.

Right now I'm not sure how much I will actually lock him in. I am thinking I will lock him in when it is raining, but only at night. If it is a dry night, I will let him have his freedom. I may lock him up when it gets below freezing too. That doesn't happen to much here, so I won't be locking him up to much for that.


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## wrs (Jan 2, 2011)

You did a great job.


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## LindaL (Jan 3, 2011)

Wow! That turned out awesome! You and hubby did a great job! Things that I had concerns with as I looked at pics, others said something about and you either corrected or said why it is done that way. I think O So will be very happy in there.






I thought it was "cute" that you put another mat down for the salt block to "save" your expensive mats...Hate to break it to ya, but your horse is going to poop and pee on those expensive mats!! LOL!!


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## LindaL (Jan 3, 2011)

Oh...forgot to mention about the latches to the outside door. I noticed they are on the inside of the stall. If O So is a Huidini (a lot of horses are very good at unlatching things), he may open his door. If it just to the outide and it is his pasture, then I guess its not an issue, but I thought I would mention it anyway.

Also, I would put some sort of a hook on the outside to latch to the wall, so if you want the doors to stay open and not swing shut, the latch will keep it from doing that.


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## O So (Jan 3, 2011)

Thanks for the compliments you guys!

As far as using the other rubber mat to protect the expensive one's, I was figuring the salt would do more damage then his peeing or pooing.





Yah, the latches are just on the inside. I plan on putting a clip or something of the sort ( to act as a lock) if he does discover how to make it unlatch. I haven't even put a latch on the top door yet. Kind of forgot about that one. lol The stall leads out to his out side run area, so if he did escape before I get a clip on it, he is only out in his normal running area anyway. I basically wanted a stall to keep him out of the bad weather, since he doesn't want to stand under the 3 shelters I built for him.



The reason for the latches being on the inside was to make it to where I can latch it from inside the garage. So if it is pouring down outside, I don't have to walk around to latch them.

Thanks for the tip on putting a latch on the doors for when they are open. Didn't even think of that. I should be able to just ad a U shape piece of metal to the wall and use the existing latches that are in the doors.

So I guess the only adjustments i need to make so far are....

Put a latch on top door going outside.

Put U shape metal on wall to latch doors while open.

Cut U shape into inside door to make it easier for O So to look over.


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Jan 3, 2011)

Well done



I had a little chuckle looking at O So's tack all hung up there.



Are those really ALL barn halters for just one little horse? MY hubby needs to see that



He thinks I have alot of halters for my 11 LOL. Again, nice job, O So is a lucky little man to have someone who cares so much.


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## O So (Jan 3, 2011)

Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> Well done
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOL, yep, all barn halters just for little ol' O So!



Well, ok one is a nice leather halter could be used for show and one is a nylon halter that was bought but way to small for O So. I didn't want to send it back because it had already cost me almost 30 bucks to do exchanges.



It will be become a donation to something later down the road. The rest are all one's that fit O So. I love buying stuff for him!!


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## ohmt (Jan 4, 2011)

I love it, you did a really awesome job!


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## LittleRibbie (Jan 4, 2011)

Kim, Ive enjoyed watching O Sos little stall being built. You guys did a terrific job and listened to all the good suggestions from everyone.






He is one lucky little guy!

P.S. did you ever tell us how you came up with his name....was it because he is O So Cute?


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## O So (Jan 4, 2011)

LittleRibbie said:


> Kim, Ive enjoyed watching O Sos little stall being built. You guys did a terrific job and listened to all the good suggestions from everyone.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks, yah he is spoiled!





The name kind of has a funny story to it!

It starts off before I even got O So. My husbands kid ( 35 yrs old) came over one day and was telling us about a job he did an how the owners dog did something real stupid and the guy told the dog, Oso stupid. He went on to tell us that the guy named the dog Oso. ( He told the story a lot better, lol.) I thought it was a neat name and figured I would eventually name one of my dogs that. Well time went on and I ended up with a blue and gold macaw. I was trying to figure out a name, then I remembered the story of Oso and thought what a perfect name for a bird that could eventually talk. He would be able to say "Oso good, or Oso funny, so on and so on. So my birds name is Oso.

Flash forward a couple years to a vacation hubby and I took. We were yard saleing as we went on a trip to Florence Or. We stopped at a place off the side of the freeway between Eugene and Florence. The lady that owned the place had miniature horses. We ( the owner and I) got to talking about her horses. I told her that I was thinking about getting another mini (had some years ago) . I was commenting on how small her minis were. She said you haven't seen nothing yet. Then she told her son to go show me O So!



I had to chuckle and tell here about my bird being named Oso. Anyway, I saw O So and how small he was and fell in love. He was perfect for me. No bigger then a dog. I knew he would work for the space I have at home. Next thing I know I am going back the next weekend to pick up O So the horse.

His full name is Lay's I'm O So Big

The funny thing now is, my bird talks and say's his name all the time. So when he is out in his outdoor cage, he is always saying how good Oso is. So the horse thinks he is a good boy all the time!





So to sum it all up, the step kid gave me the idea for my bird, but the horse was already named that before I got him!



I guess I could have changed what I called the horse but I figured it worked well the way it is. I can now tell both animals what good boys they are with only one praise! LOL That and the bird can talk to O So with out knowing he is!


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## LittleRibbie (Jan 4, 2011)

Great Story...thanks


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## LindaL (Jan 5, 2011)

O So said:


> Flash forward a couple years to a vacation hubby and I took. We were yard saleing as we went on a trip to Florence Or. We stopped at a place off the side of the freeway between Eugene and Florence. The lady that owned the place had miniature horses. We ( the owner and I) got to talking about her horses. I told her that I was thinking about getting another mini (had some years ago) . I was commenting on how small her minis were. She said you haven't seen nothing yet. Then she told her son to go show me O So!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I didn't realize you lived in Oregon. What part? (I lived in the Beaverton/ Portland area for almost my whole life til i moved to Florida 4 months ago)


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## O So (Jan 5, 2011)

LindaL said:


> I didn't realize you lived in Oregon. What part? (I lived in the Beaverton/ Portland area for almost my whole life til i moved to Florida 4 months ago)


Oops, actually we live in California. We wanted to go to Florence to have a hamburger at a restaurant we saw there during a different vacation. Hubby just decided to yard sale the whole way so we went to Eugene, spent the night, then went to Florence, then down the coast back to CA. We did a huge circle! LOL

This year we are trying to go to the mini horse show in Vegas. Hubby is planning on doing the same thing but just going south instead of north this time!



Maybe I will come home with another mini? That is what happened last time! LOL Anyone going to have a 24-28 inch mini for sale, cheap, at Vegas? LOL






That was a joke, not really looking to buy! Just thought I'd better clarify that!


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