Barn stable or outside stable?

[holeymoley]

Bit of a strange post but interested to hear what everyone and their horse prefers. I have the opportunity to move stable within the same yard and currently weighing up the pros and cons of each and thought I'd ask incase there's anything I hadn't considered, and because i have some spare time

So do you prefer being in an enclosed barn with metal stables with others opposite each other ? Or traditional outside wooden built stable?

My gelding was in a converted byre as a youngster which only has stables at one side so seemed to get rather 'cheeky' as there wasn't much to look at when he was in, so we moved him to an 'open' stable over looking the yard and he was much more settled. Over the years he's been in various set ups but never an American type barn before. The only thing that's swaying my decision is that my outdoor wooden stable doesn't have an over hang so it can get pretty wet. Now that he's older I think he may appreciate being indoors a bit more.

So pros and cons or just personal opinions please , mine are (so far)-
Outdoor stable-
-Made of wood so gets very warm in summer but cosy in winter,
-horse's head gets wet when it rains and he looks out ,
-inside can get wet if rain comes down a certain way,
-can't see any other horses but there is 1 next door
- auto drinker
- in corner so no one walking by

Indoor stable in barn -
- metal and wood , has metal bars around the tops of the walls
- cooler in summer and winter
-can see horses in front and at each side (currently only 1 at one side just now)
-undercover with small storage area outside
-busier , 3 other owners but up at different times

 

[SusieT]

Has it a window he can put his head out to the outside?

 

[holeymoley]

In the barn one? No but his door is just a half door , it doesn't have a grill or anything. His current one outside has half a door too which is the only bit he can hang his head over.

 

[Shooting Star]

Normally I'd go for outside every time but given that the outside option has no friends in sight and gets very hot in the summer I'd choose the barn. I wouldn't ever worry about rain coming in for an outside stable though - horses don't melt in the rain

 

[AdorableAlice]

Which ever has the best air quality and ventilation.

 

[holeymoley]

Normally I'd go for outside every time but given that the outside option has no friends in sight and gets very hot in the summer I'd choose the barn. I wouldn't ever worry about rain coming in for an outside stable though - horses don't melt in the rain

That is true. My bedding is getting sodden on the occasions (such as this weekend) where the rain has decided to come down in the opposite direction

I suppose the current one being all wooden is rather enclosed so doesn't have much circulation of air whereas the barn being more open allows air to flow through . Food for thought.

 

[PapaverFollis]

On balance I would always choose an outdoor stable I think. I prefer inside stables to stay dry and for kit storage but all the various horses on all the various yards have been more settled outdoors on the whole.

 

[spacefaer]

We have a wooden stable, which is very stuffy in the summer and condensation gathers on the underside of the roof in the winter, so there are constant drips. There is only interaction with other horses from looking over the door - no way to touch noses for instance.

We also have a new build barn, with four internal stables - they have metal top halves and recycled plastic lower halves (look like wood). The horses can interact with each other through the grills and across the passageway. They have constant company when they are in - it never works out that there is one left in by itself. The barn has a full length gap between the roof and the top of the wall, front and back, so there is constant airflow through the building, even if the outside doors are shut in truly foul weather.

Having had both types of buildings over the years, I would pick the barn every time now!

 

[FinkleyAlex]

I like a combination of the two - a barn with internal stables and an aisle in the middle so that stable chores can be done in the dry, but with a window on the outside. This way they stay well ventilated and horse can choose whether to look inside or outside. My gelding definitely prefers outdoor stables, but likes to be able to see other stables opposite him.

 

[SusieT]

If there is no window in his stable I would stick with the current one.
Indoor stables without windows are very poorly ventilated and not great for horses - if there was a windowI'd be happy.

 

[GirlFriday]

Worth considering what bedding types are (allowed to be) in-use on the yard too. If anyone in the barn can either deep litter or use straw I'd definitely tend towards the outside one.

 

[holeymoley]

Worth considering what bedding types are (allowed to be) in-use on the yard too. If anyone in the barn can either deep litter or use straw I'd definitely tend towards the outside one.

We're not allowed to deep litter or use straw, it's shavings only. The barn is also about double the height of the stables too so there's a lot of air space above them if that makes sense? Not sure if that makes any difference. I should add it's only 3
On each side so not massive.

 

[meleeka]

For me it would depend on how sociable your horse is. My mare would hate the barn setup but my gelding would prefer it.

 

[Pinkvboots]

We're not allowed to deep litter or use straw, it's shavings only. The barn is also about double the height of the stables too so there's a lot of air space above them if that makes sense? Not sure if that makes any difference. I should add it's only 3
On each side so not massive.

I kept my horse at a yard with large indoor barn stables they each had a window at the back so the horse could look out, my horse at the time was 3 and when the vet listed to his heart and breathing for an annual jab, she said his breathing was quite bad for a 3 year old, the woman that ran the yard would keep everything on deep litter shavings never taking the wet out, vet seemed to think this may be causing my horses breathing problems I moved him outside and he was back to normal in no time.

I actually think deep littering in a barn is not ideal but as this won't be the case I would consider it in your situation.

 

[BlackRider]

I'm not a fan of indoor / american barn stabling, the ventilation is rarely as good as an outside stable.

 

[Goldenstar]

I won't have barn stables without outside windows .

 

[Dubsie]

IS the barn open at the ends or side? In which case the ventilation will be vastly different to one where the doors are shut.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Bit of a strange post but interested to hear what everyone and their horse prefers. I have the opportunity to move stable within the same yard and currently weighing up the pros and cons of each and thought I'd ask incase there's anything I hadn't considered, and because i have some spare time

So do you prefer being in an enclosed barn with metal stables with others opposite each other ? Or traditional outside wooden built stable?

My gelding was in a converted byre as a youngster which only has stables at one side so seemed to get rather 'cheeky' as there wasn't much to look at when he was in, so we moved him to an 'open' stable over looking the yard and he was much more settled. Over the years he's been in various set ups but never an American type barn before. The only thing that's swaying my decision is that my outdoor wooden stable doesn't have an over hang so it can get pretty wet. Now that he's older I think he may appreciate being indoors a bit more.

So pros and cons or just personal opinions please , mine are (so far)-
Outdoor stable-
-Made of wood so gets very warm in summer but cosy in winter,
-horse's head gets wet when it rains and he looks out ,
-inside can get wet if rain comes down a certain way,
-can't see any other horses but there is 1 next door
- auto drinker
- in corner so no one walking by

Indoor stable in barn -
- metal and wood , has metal bars around the tops of the walls
- cooler in summer and winter
-can see horses in front and at each side (currently only 1 at one side just now)
-undercover with small storage area outside
-busier , 3 other owners but up at different times

To add

Outdoor:


If the horse does not mind being alone better ventilation for him
Better views for him
Quieter
Nicer for you as you can be left alone grooming and general stable duties
Maybe more room for you to store things outside
Less likely people borrow your things
Tie up outside without fear of others walking by
No more disturbance at night from other horses/owners


Indoor:

If there is a bug going round, there is more chance of your horse catching it
may limit the space outside when other owners up if walking by
Better for shoeing
out of the wind and rain
horse cannot relax till last owner gone and lights out
squabbling through the bars

 

[holeymoley]

Gelding's a sociable wee guy with a lot of character. There's doors at one end that are never closed .

ILCp- very thoughtful points I hadn't considered. I would 90% of the time be the last one up and he's used to being later fed than others so doesn't really get wound up if someone else has their feed. Just now I can't keep anything outside as it would get wet, we keep all our things together in our own spaces in one barn and we're all quite respectful of each other's things(who'd have thought on a Livery yard!). I suppose the pint to consider is that just now I can tie up outside without anyone being too close , so not sure how that would go up top, there is ample width in the passageway though.

 

[Annagain]

Can you try the indoor one for a couple of weeks and see how you get on or is that not an option? If your boy doesn't settle in there, the other points are irrelevant.