Welcome back. In this lesson, we'll discuss stalls, pens, and pasture as appropriate choices for housing a horse. The basis of the quality of the equine home begins with the stall in many cases. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to assess the proper stall size for horse of any size or breed, and you'll be able to assess the quality and safety of pasture. Let's start with the basic equine stall. The size of the stall or pen varies with breed, age, disposition, and exercise options. The stall should, however, provide for the horse to be able to move freely, turn around, self-groom, and lay down. The rule of thumb for stall size is that the stall floor dimensions should be at least twice the height of the horse at the withers. Ceiling height should allow for at least one foot higher than the tips of the ears. This generally means eight to 10 feet high, which will also allow for proper ventilation. Box stalls are often 10 by 10, for smaller horses and ponies, or 12 by 12 feet for large horse breeds. Pregnant mares and draft breeds will need larger dimensions as much as 12 by 16 feet. Tie standing stalls were popular in the days of farm horses. They may still be found in some older barns. Standing stalls are also known as tie stalls. A feed trough area creates the front of the stall where the horse's head is tied. There are walls on either side of horse creating a narrow space to limit the horse's side to side movement. The back of the stall opens into the aisle of the barn, and there's often a gully to collect manure and urine. Sometimes stalls do not have water troughs, so the horses must be led to a water source several times a day. This system is not desirable for extended periods of housing, as they require the animal to be tied and usually remain standing. An intermediate option between a closed stall and a free pasture is a stall or three-sided roof structure with an individual pen space to allow for greater freedom of movement than a closed stall. These individual pens are often side by side with common fencing to allow for visibility and social contact of adjacent buddies without full physical contact. These are usually long gated areas with average dimensions of approximately 16 feet wide by 25 feet long. If facility size allows, these stall pens can be enlarged to house several horses, in one pen, who share a large stall or who have access to individual stalls which open up to the group mingling space. This situation allows for full physical contact and communal eating, so the caretaker must make sure the horses grouped together get along, and respect each other's eating habits. Pasture as living space is quite acceptable and may be preferred by some horses and in some regions, provided that the basic needs we talked about earlier are addressed. Pasture fences should be made of visible, durable materials of suitable height to keep horses inside the perimeter. Fences should not be solid walls ideally, the horse's line of vision of his environment should be preserved if possible. Fencing and the grounds of pastured horses should be inspected frequently for broken fence lines and hazardous foreign objects. Manure may need to be spread or herald to avoid buildup of waste material and control parasite load. Some climates and geography may provide natural protection from the elements. For example, a stand of large trees. It is not recommended to have horses continuously pastured without a solid overhead structure or three-sided structure in environmental conditions of driving rain or significant cold. It is very difficult for a horse to maintain its body temperature without some protection from driving rain or wind. Outdoor buildings should provide overhead protection and shade, and be designed for separate individuals or be large enough to accommodate space for each individual in a group. Avoid overcrowding and pay attention to social hierarchy such that one horse is not being continually bullied or cornered by another. Horses housed in pasture should also have adequate feeding and watering spaces so that each horse can eat and drink in a peaceful manner, and get up out of the mud for at least two hours twice a day. Feeding water containers should be kept clean and cleaned on a regular basis at least once weekly. Building materials should be durable and heavyweight to withstand the test of weather in time, and of course, a thousand pound horse leaning against it. They should be designed and maintained to minimize the chance of a sharp edge or protrusion or the loss of nails. It is best to avoid using nails as they can come loose over time, and can present a puncture hazard for horses and for people. If sheet metal is used for roofing, you should take great care to secure it well each year, as sheet metal is easily ripped free by wind and can create a lethal weapon to a horse. Stables that exist in extreme climates will often need insulation or fence to regulate internal temperature. Something to keep in mind, some horses have an inclination for chewing wood, for cribbing, and for sucking air, especially, if they are bored or not getting enough fiber. The edge of the stall wall, door or paddock feds are common places for them to crib. These horses housing choices require special attention. Some horses are deterred from this destructive behavior by exercise, feeding a greater amount of forage, installing metal flashing to cover the wood, or installing a low voltage electrical wire to prevent contact. Now that we've looked at the basic housing needs of the horse, next we'll look at how we keep those places safe and comfortable with flooring and bedding. See you soon.
