How to Build a Small Horse Stall

A stall can be easily installed in an existing structure, such as a barn, shelter, or manufactured building.

If you have just one or two horses and an existing barn or shelter, you can easily add a horse stall without investing a lot of money. A small horse stall provides convenience for feeding; a safe environment if your horse is injured and needs confinement; and it provides a safe area for veterinary care or for tacking up and grooming. If you increase the size of the stall, you can partition it for two horses or to store riding equipment, or feed and hay. You can build your stall with posts and lumber, or use any of the pre-fabricated kits available for easy set-up.

Things You'll Need

• Poles
• Post-hole digger or auger
• Cement
• 2" boards or 3/4" plywood for sides, and boards for purlins or stringers
• Door
• Hardware
• OR - Pre-fabricated or manufactured horse stall kit

Instructions

Instructions

1. 

   A typical stall is 12-feet long by 12-feet wide.

   Level your location if necessary, and measure your dimensions. For one horse of average size, a 12-foot x 12-foot stall is adequate, with a height of eight to 12 feet. Modify this based on your horse and your desired use. For example, if you want to use the stall as a birthing stall, increase the square footage to allow for the mare to lie down and comfortably give birth; to have someone in attendance as necessary; and adequate room later for both mother and foal. Square your corners and dig your holes for the corner posts. If your existing floor is cement, you can buy hardware to bolt directly to the cement, or use equipment designed to break it. Set your poles, making sure they are level with each other. Adjust the front of your stall according to your type of door: building your own, or installing a pre-made door. Pour cement into each hole to set the poles (or bolt poles to floor). If you use pre-made stall panels, follow the manufacturer's directions to secure.

2. 

   Use wood of adequate strength and thickness to accommodate the abuse of a horse.

   Fasten your girders to the top of each pole and then down each side, then attach your desired wall material. Remember that horses do the most kicking damage in the lower 5 feet of the stall wall, so use strong material. The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension, recommends two-inch-thick rough-cut oak, or tongue-and-groove pine, spaced no more than 1-1/2 inches apart. Or, you can erect a solid wall using 3/4-inch plywood. Extend your wall to the floor so horse hooves cannot get caught, but you do not have to extend the wall to the top.

3. 

   Sliding doors should slide along the outside of the front wall.

   Finish the walls with an open panel along the top if desired, and install your door. If you decide on a pre-fabricated stall, you can select panels with bars or mesh screens for the top of each wall. Doors that swing open should swing open to the outside, and sliding doors should slide along the outside of the fixed portion of the front wall. For swinging doors, make sure there is no more than 3 inches of clearance to avoid a horse getting its hoof stuck. If you build a divided or Dutch door, attach a latch to secure the bottom panel adequately against kicking and make sure the bottom panel is high enough so the horse cannot jump out when the top is open.

4. 

   Wood shavings offer drainage and comfort.

   Install your floor. If your existing floor is cement, buy thick rubber stall mats for both comfort and to cushion feet and joints. Dirt floors are fine but need reinforcement against pawing. You can place rubber mats directly on the dirt, or add a layer of sand, level, and then add mats or other stall flooring material that allows for drainage. Add your desired bedding, such as wood shavings.

5. 

   Your horse can eat hay directly off the stall floor, if desired.

   Install your feeding fixtures. These include hay racks, waterers, and rings for buckets or tying, if desired. Make sure you separate your feed and water stations so that the horse does not get grain in its water bucket or basin. Whether you elect to use an automatic watering system or water buckets is your preference. A horse's natural position for eating hay is with its head lowered, and you can install racks for this or opt to feed hay on the stall floor.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add a dividing wall so you can store supplies in a separate area, but make sure it is resilient enough so your horse cannot break through and gorge on feed or ruin equipment.

• If you install an automatic watering system, make sure your horse knows how to use it. You may need to add a water bucket until you are sure your horse can operate the automatic system easily. There should be no protruding hooks --- or other hardware --- in your stall. Use rings that lie flat for hanging water or feed buckets.

References

• Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension - Horse Facilities: Horse Stall Design
• Triton Barn Systems: Horse Stall Kit
• Tom Tower, Owner, One Iron Horse Farm, Dripping Springs, TX

Resources

• Triton Barn Systems: Horse Stall Kit
• StallSkins