Advice needed for stable safety please

[JadeWisc]

I am putting a couple of stalls in my barn and The barn is made of steel.

There will be rear and side walls of the stalls that are steel barn wall so obviously I want to put wood on them to avoid a terrible injury if a horse kicked through.


here is my question...........


I have one of two options. I can either buy plywood sheets that are 3/4 of an inch thick as walls for about $85 per 12 foot wall to fully cover


or I could buy 8 ft tall by 12 inch wide boards that are an inch and a half thick and panel off the walls that way for about $150 per 12 ft wall. I also would not have to make any cuts by buying the wood this way.


Is a 3/4 inch sheet even thick enough to provide protection? My horses are not snakey or kickers. I just would rather be safe than sorry.
Horses will not be spending any great deal of time even in them. Just extreme weather etc. I suppose it only takes one minute for an accident though.

What option would you choose if you were me?

I am looking at a total expense of about $500 for the thicker wood and $250 for the thinner sheets.

 

[PeterNatt]

Buy marine quality ply or board as this will be treated and not rot as a result of getting wet. You are better boarding it and putting ply over the boarding. The boarding will give it the strength and the ply a lining to prevent dust getting in to the cracks in between.

 

[JadeWisc]

I do have an option of treated plywood for double the cost, but it will not really be getting wet anyhow so decided against it. The stalls will be getting very light use and this wood will not touch wet at all. I have also heard horror stories of treated wood having arsenic and if horses chew it they can be poisoned. I (if I am correct) think they have stopped using the ersenic though

 

[Shilasdair]

I'd agree about the marine ply as wood in stables can get damp and rot if the bed is against it (or if your horses pee like fountains).
Given your luxurious furniture habits, I'm surprised you aren't going for carved oak panels

S

 

[kerilli]

i would use stokboard (thick black rubbery-plastic stuff) with the thinner ply behind it, i think. if the partition's between two stalls, stokboard both sides of it. otherwise it's too thin and the horses' feet will go through it like cookie-cutters.

 

[JadeWisc]

well I am going with rustic decor tbh. The beds will covered in earth toned linens and I think the furniture will be upholstered in a cabin suitable pattern of dear and bears

 

[JadeWisc]

Yeah...I think you are right about the cookie cutter scenario. I would rather spend double the money than a horrific injury and large vey bill.


As far as the walls getting damp...I am really not worried about any of this wood touching wet. It is concrete floor with about 12 inches treated wood from the bottom up. I will have rubber mats down with lightly bedded shavings far from the un treated thicker boards. As I said also, they will be lightly used stalls. If my horses pee that much against the wall that they start warping the wood I may need to let them freeze

 

[Tia]

3/4 inch thick ply is fine for kick boards on the steel - you are going to board the partitions out properly though? They will need to be thicker.

 

[JadeWisc]

They will not be next to eachother to need a partition and I am using anchored( to the barn beams) connectable corral panels for the front and one side


So you think 3/4 next to the steel is thick enough then?

I think I have decided on the thicker anyhow as I really would save time and avoid making cuts. I really do not have that large of an area to cover so It should not be that costly


two 12 by 12's

 

[Tia]

5/8th is the minimum - I have boards on my stalls and they are 2 inches thick but only at the front; the sides and backs are blocks, however my field shelters are lined with 3/4 ply on top of 1 inch boards.

If it is easier to do it with the thicker wood then go for it.