Stall questions

[Twodogsandapony]

I have almost completed my barn build for a mini I'm being given and a loaner mini for her buddy. I'm at the exciting stage of where to place things like water bucket, feed pan, hay nets. In looking for advice on placement, heights to hang things and whatever may be different than my "big" horse.
Thank you!

 

[Dragon Hill]

For water/feeder you want to hang them at a height comfortable for them. Their necks shouldn't be any higher than about level with their backs while they eat/drink.

 

[Twodogsandapony]

For water/feeder you want to hang them at a height comfortable for them. Their necks shouldn't be any higher than about level with their backs while they eat/drink.

Should I wait for them to arrive before hanging buckets? I have only met the one loaner mini, so I know how tall she is. The other, I just have an approximate height.

 

[Kelly]

Your barn looks AWESOME!! GREAT JOB!!! ♥

For my water buckets inside the stalls, I use a medium size bucket then place a smaller bucket inside. They don’t tend to knock it over this way. I like for them to always have fresh water, so this also makes it easy to dump out and refill. (I do this in my biggies stall too. I just use a large bucket and put a medium bucket inside.) I place their feed bucket away from the water bucket so no dropping get in the water.

Depending on the mini, I use the tiniest hole hay nets I can find.

Not stall related, but come spring, I can’t stand all that hair! So you might want to get some clippers if you don’t already have some. it is soooo FUN clipping them and seeing their new summer coat!

Cant wait to see pics of your new mini!!

 

[MaryFlora]

Welcome and your barn looks move in ready! Lucky minis!

We are absolutely blessed to have electric water stations in the barn, but when I stall a mini, I have used a bucket large enough to sit inside of a tire. That has worked for my bunch. They can paw but not tip.

Have fun with your set up!

 

[Taz]

Your barn looks great! Mine make due with plywood, lol. I try to keep the buckets at least low enough for their heads to be no higher than their backs like Dragon Hill, lower is not a problem. Most of my water buckets are almost on the floor with the feed bowls about the height of the top of the water bucket. Feed bucket where you can reach over the front of the stall to feed, haynet where ever you feel like it and water bucket away enough so they don't drop food into it if possible. Again keep the hay net low, you don't want them reaching up to get at it it's hard on their necks.

 

[HersheyMint]

Hi, All great advice from everyone.
I had auto bowl waterers for my big horses and I thought I would be able to use them for my minis. I lowered them before I got them and had to lower them again once they measured up
They bumped into them, rub on scratched on them which made the bowls uneven and the float would always be overflowing. So now I use an old cast iron clawfoot tub style, with no feet, big enough they can take a bath. It's a good thing mine don't like water

 

[Dragon Hill]

Should I wait for them to arrive before hanging buckets? I have only met the one loaner mini, so I know how tall she is. The other, I just have an approximate height

.

Like HersheyMint suggests, it probably would be best to wait until they arrive.

Many years ago, I boarded at a barn that had double waterers, so horses in adjacent stalls "shared" waterers. Turns out, the horse that shared with mine decided to take a dump in the waterer. It kept the water "full", so no fresh water, and I didn't notice until my horse left her feed unfinished. If I hadn't been coming daily, I'm not sure how long she would have gone before the barn help would have noticed. Fortunately, no long term effects, but scary. And that's why I use old cast iron tubs, too, but mine don't stay in stalls much.

 

[DianaM]

I use hay pillows. Miniature Horse Hay Feeder Bag - Slow Feed with the Mini Hay Pillow® (thehaypillow.com) It seems natural to eat at ground level. I also put all water buckets on ground. They have an old decorative pond in their pen and they like to drink out of it sometimes. The goats like to poop in their water, I haven't caught horses doing it.

 

[Susan]

Your barn looks AWESOME!! GREAT JOB!!! ♥

For my water buckets inside the stalls, I use a medium size bucket then place a smaller bucket inside. They don’t tend to knock it over this way. I like for them to always have fresh water, so this also makes it easy to dump out and refill. (I do this in my biggies stall too. I just use a large bucket and put a medium bucket inside.) I place their feed bucket away from the water bucket so no dropping get in the water.

Depending on the mini, I use the tiniest hole hay nets I can find.

Not stall related, but come spring, I can’t stand all that hair! So you might want to get some clippers if you don’t already have some. it is soooo FUN clipping them and seeing their new summer coat!

Cant wait to see pics of your new mini!!

I’m trying to envision your water buckets. With ours i use a snap to fasten the bucket handle to the welded wire panel behind. So, you place the next size down bucket inside the larger one— then would you use a snap to fasten the smaller one’s handle to the welded wire too? And you fill up the smaller sized one, allowing it to overflow into the bigger one??

 

[Kelly]

I only do this in their stalls, they have water troughs out in the pastures.

Yes, I place a smaller bucket inside a larger bucket. I don’t snap anything to anything. I put the buckets in a corner of the stall, again I dont attach it to anything. Then I only fill up the smallest bucket, the one on the inside. I don’t let it overflow into the larger bucket.





in the minis stall…








In my biggie stall…





Hope that helps

 

[Susan]

Yes, Thank you! We board our 2 guys and one has taken to dumping his bucket over when left on the ground even when snapped to a wire panel. We’ve been hanging it by the handle to the wire panel in 2 places to avoid this. The idea of keeping one bucket inside the other was intriguing as a means of emptying and filling more easily. We also have automatic waterers in their stalls, but think they seem to drink from them less than the buckets. Thanks for the info and photos!