miss_c
Well-Known Member
That's really quite worrying... This is Genie in her old stable which had bars... Haven't heard of anything like that over here but I guess it probably happens...
Bars to Divide Stables Are they common in England Now?
- Thread starter Chavhorse
- Start date
Chavhorse
Well-Known Member
Fihint....Yep thats just like the stable Vardi was in.
Sorry everyone I was not wanting to start a major panic just very interested to see if stables like this were common in the UK as I had never encountered them before apart from in the old standing stall set ups when ponies at the riding school were only tied there during the day.
This has been brought home this week as I say by the poor girl whose horse was injured on Boxing Day in exactly the same way as mine and then to see 40 + people posting "oh yes that happened to my horse as well and he is now permenantly lame/retired from competition/made a full recovery but it took months and cost a fortuen/pts etc etc etc"
I have never seen anyone posting about it on here so am a bit shocked at some of the responses.
I just wish I had knowledge of how dangerous these things could be before Vardi's accident as I would have been a pain in the arse owner and asked if I could have brought my own timber to cover them up with. And if this helps anyone else become aware so they can avoid this happening then great.
As I have said before my horse was in training Livery and she had had no problems in 5 years whatso ever. Then Vardi got injured and you start talking to people and vets and all you hear is "oh yes happens a lot" Scary!
Sorry everyone I was not wanting to start a major panic just very interested to see if stables like this were common in the UK as I had never encountered them before apart from in the old standing stall set ups when ponies at the riding school were only tied there during the day.
This has been brought home this week as I say by the poor girl whose horse was injured on Boxing Day in exactly the same way as mine and then to see 40 + people posting "oh yes that happened to my horse as well and he is now permenantly lame/retired from competition/made a full recovery but it took months and cost a fortuen/pts etc etc etc"
I have never seen anyone posting about it on here so am a bit shocked at some of the responses.
I just wish I had knowledge of how dangerous these things could be before Vardi's accident as I would have been a pain in the arse owner and asked if I could have brought my own timber to cover them up with. And if this helps anyone else become aware so they can avoid this happening then great.
As I have said before my horse was in training Livery and she had had no problems in 5 years whatso ever. Then Vardi got injured and you start talking to people and vets and all you hear is "oh yes happens a lot" Scary!
Clodagh
Well-Known Member
My old mare got her hoof through an old hay rack, luckily the wall was rotten and it fell off the wall. She was OK, thankfully.
I was thinking that when I have to wean my foal (fingers crossed as not born yet) I would put weld mesh over the bars between the stables so he/she can see the horse next door but not get a foot though.
I was thinking that when I have to wean my foal (fingers crossed as not born yet) I would put weld mesh over the bars between the stables so he/she can see the horse next door but not get a foot though.
Chavhorse
Well-Known Member
Maybe we ought to offer them our padded cells
quirky
Well-Known Member
Bars are probably becoming more popular due to cost.
If you were to have Monarch stables installed into a barn, it's cheaper to have them with bars than to be fully boarded.
My horse fractured his skull in a barred stable. I'm guessing it would been the same outcome had he been in a fully bricked/boarded stable but, he was very territorial and I doubt the initial incident would have occured iyswim. He was pts 5 years later due to ongoing problems caused by that incident.
I moved yards after as he never could settle in barred stables after his accident and he fretted his weight off.
I would not put a horse in barred stables agaian, I learnt my lesson
.
If you were to have Monarch stables installed into a barn, it's cheaper to have them with bars than to be fully boarded.
My horse fractured his skull in a barred stable. I'm guessing it would been the same outcome had he been in a fully bricked/boarded stable but, he was very territorial and I doubt the initial incident would have occured iyswim. He was pts 5 years later due to ongoing problems caused by that incident.
I moved yards after as he never could settle in barred stables after his accident and he fretted his weight off.
I would not put a horse in barred stables agaian, I learnt my lesson
saddlesore
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
You can kind of make it out what ours look like .... The bars are at a height were a horse could not get their legs caught, Or at least I hope .
The stable I use ...... The door is even higher and the bars are even higher so I would think virtually impossible for any harm to come to her
[/ QUOTE ]
This is what the stables looked like at a yard i used to be at - my horse used to get very stressed at feeding time and run side to side kicking the walls. He frequently hit the bars and it used to scare the $h!t out of me that he would get his foot through the bar. I definitely think its very possible
You can kind of make it out what ours look like .... The bars are at a height were a horse could not get their legs caught, Or at least I hope .
The stable I use ...... The door is even higher and the bars are even higher so I would think virtually impossible for any harm to come to her
[/ QUOTE ]
This is what the stables looked like at a yard i used to be at - my horse used to get very stressed at feeding time and run side to side kicking the walls. He frequently hit the bars and it used to scare the $h!t out of me that he would get his foot through the bar. I definitely think its very possible
Scheherezade
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I do agree with mainpower - then hay bars should be equally dangerous?
We do have bars at my current yard, and we also have bars in our stables at home. I do like them; our horses can only be turned out individually so the bars are their only chance ever to actually smell / touch other equines.
Rauti adores them and I think he'd be upset if he were to go back to full walls, unable to smell or touch his neighbours
[/ QUOTE ]
Can I just ask why your horses go out individually (genuine question)? At my yard, all the horses are out together, apart from two new liveries who insisted on their horses being in seperate fields (individually). All ...30? (quick head count!) of our field horses have never had a problem, bar the odd nip which has never broken their skin. However their horses all seem to have injred themselves turning themselves inside out if another horse is walk/led past their field by running up and down, stressing and fretting.
My horse was on his own when we first got there (isolation period) and he just kept jumping into the next field. To see him running up and down the fence getting so upset was horrible
Of course, everyone has their own management programmes, and I fully respect that.
I do agree with mainpower - then hay bars should be equally dangerous?
We do have bars at my current yard, and we also have bars in our stables at home. I do like them; our horses can only be turned out individually so the bars are their only chance ever to actually smell / touch other equines.
Rauti adores them and I think he'd be upset if he were to go back to full walls, unable to smell or touch his neighbours
[/ QUOTE ]
Can I just ask why your horses go out individually (genuine question)? At my yard, all the horses are out together, apart from two new liveries who insisted on their horses being in seperate fields (individually). All ...30? (quick head count!) of our field horses have never had a problem, bar the odd nip which has never broken their skin. However their horses all seem to have injred themselves turning themselves inside out if another horse is walk/led past their field by running up and down, stressing and fretting.
My horse was on his own when we first got there (isolation period) and he just kept jumping into the next field. To see him running up and down the fence getting so upset was horrible
Of course, everyone has their own management programmes, and I fully respect that.
welshiecob
Member
Anything is possible with horses. I know one (17.1) who reared up and got his front leg through the bars. Don't know exactly how high it was but he couldn't reach the floor with his other leg!
Also know a 16.2 who managed to get his front leg out of the window in a herringbone style horsebox, having managed to climb up onto the tack locker!!
Also know a 16.2 who managed to get his front leg out of the window in a herringbone style horsebox, having managed to climb up onto the tack locker!!
MrsElle
Well-Known Member
I do like the barred stables in the barn, but accept they aren't safe for some horses.
If I were designing them from scratch I would put a mesh there rather than bars.
I have just moved 2 year old Blue away from another livery as they didn't like each other and the kick marks on the ply at the bottom were getting higher and higher - a couple of inches higher from either of them and they would have got a foot through.
Blue is only 14hh but when he is trying to double barrel the neighbouring horse he gets his legs high.
Blue is now in a corner stable with his friend next to him and Ellie is in Blues old stable. So far they are all ok there, hopefully they will contine to be so.
If I were designing them from scratch I would put a mesh there rather than bars.
I have just moved 2 year old Blue away from another livery as they didn't like each other and the kick marks on the ply at the bottom were getting higher and higher - a couple of inches higher from either of them and they would have got a foot through.
Blue is only 14hh but when he is trying to double barrel the neighbouring horse he gets his legs high.
Blue is now in a corner stable with his friend next to him and Ellie is in Blues old stable. So far they are all ok there, hopefully they will contine to be so.
Lill
Well-Known Member
Two of our stables have bars at the front, but they are iron bars i cannot imagine them bending at all!
Also they are not totally fixed, they are slotted in wood at the top and bottom and have been known to fall out before now when bashed!
Also they are not totally fixed, they are slotted in wood at the top and bottom and have been known to fall out before now when bashed!
mahorse
Well-Known Member
Was thinking about having bars in mine that we are now designing but now this is definitely a warning I will take notice of.
Very Scary.....
Very Scary.....
mainpower
Well-Known Member
Another thing has just occured to me, the possibility of the same thing happening with door/weaver grilles.
FrodoBeutlin
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Can I just ask why your horses go out individually (genuine question)? At my yard, all the horses are out together, apart from two new liveries who insisted on their horses being in seperate fields (individually)....
Of course, everyone has their own management programmes, and I fully respect that.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, a number of reasons - this is not my own yard (I wish!), it's my trainer's place, although we are lucky in that she really believes in turnout and we can use the paddocks throughout the year (even her top horses go out every day! Even in the rain! Shock and horror
).
Plus all of the horses here are shod behind and to be honest it's just not worth it, the risk of a kick is very real.
The foals and the yearlings do go out in two herds (about 6 each) but on the other side of the farm and in larger paddocks.
I am aware that in an ideal world Rauti would have a field companion etc, but in reality this is just not possible (I have yet to find a high-performance yard where the competition horses go out in pairs or groups; in fact, most of them do not go out at all! And most of those who do have access to paddocks can only be turned out in perfect conditions, which rules out winter altogether
).
Can I just ask why your horses go out individually (genuine question)? At my yard, all the horses are out together, apart from two new liveries who insisted on their horses being in seperate fields (individually)....
Of course, everyone has their own management programmes, and I fully respect that.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, a number of reasons - this is not my own yard (I wish!), it's my trainer's place, although we are lucky in that she really believes in turnout and we can use the paddocks throughout the year (even her top horses go out every day! Even in the rain! Shock and horror
Plus all of the horses here are shod behind and to be honest it's just not worth it, the risk of a kick is very real.
The foals and the yearlings do go out in two herds (about 6 each) but on the other side of the farm and in larger paddocks.
I am aware that in an ideal world Rauti would have a field companion etc, but in reality this is just not possible (I have yet to find a high-performance yard where the competition horses go out in pairs or groups; in fact, most of them do not go out at all! And most of those who do have access to paddocks can only be turned out in perfect conditions, which rules out winter altogether
Penniless
Well-Known Member
A definite no to the grids from us. Had an awful accident here in summer when our oldest horse decided to buck in her stable (never been known to before but she was excited when she saw the foals) and got her leg stuck. Cut a long story short, the vet and fire brigade had to be called to cut the galvanised bars to allow her to free herself.
The grid was a standard size and the mare who got stuck has big feet (Cleveland Bay) so somehow or other her foot and leg went through but she couldn't pull it back. Luckily my sister was in the barn at the time and screamed at me to help. We tried smashing the stable to bits with crowbars and hammers but couldn't get the grid off.
Fire brigade came and used their "jaws of life" to cut through the metal and released her.
During the time she was caught - she was literally hanging in the air - front feet on the ground with one back leg up high in the grid, and the other swinging in mid air. Whilst waiting for emergency services, she half collapsed onto her front with her leg still stuck. We were sure she had broken her leg, looking at the angle of it, but thankfully she got away amazingly light, with just cuts and scraped skin. Our vet was amazed.
That afternoon, having put this mare into our main stable yard, we then nailed up rails over all the grids and then nailed boards on top to cover all the grids totally.
Our stables weren't small either - they are/were 15' square so plenty of room to move about in.
Having now lost and sold a number of horses this year, we now have all our horses in the main yard (individual stables and no grids) and are now in the process of demolishing the stables in the barn. Two reasons: (1) would never put another horse of ours in a stable which had a grid, and (2) having no spare stables means we can't go and buy or get any more free horses.
It was also ironic that in the same week our mare got caught up, two race horses in Newmarket (in two seperate yards) also had the same thing happened - one a youngster and one an older horse.
When we decide to move again, we will definitely make sure we don't have grids in any stables. We got away lightly but it could have been tragic.
The grid was a standard size and the mare who got stuck has big feet (Cleveland Bay) so somehow or other her foot and leg went through but she couldn't pull it back. Luckily my sister was in the barn at the time and screamed at me to help. We tried smashing the stable to bits with crowbars and hammers but couldn't get the grid off.
Fire brigade came and used their "jaws of life" to cut through the metal and released her.
During the time she was caught - she was literally hanging in the air - front feet on the ground with one back leg up high in the grid, and the other swinging in mid air. Whilst waiting for emergency services, she half collapsed onto her front with her leg still stuck. We were sure she had broken her leg, looking at the angle of it, but thankfully she got away amazingly light, with just cuts and scraped skin. Our vet was amazed.
That afternoon, having put this mare into our main stable yard, we then nailed up rails over all the grids and then nailed boards on top to cover all the grids totally.
Our stables weren't small either - they are/were 15' square so plenty of room to move about in.
Having now lost and sold a number of horses this year, we now have all our horses in the main yard (individual stables and no grids) and are now in the process of demolishing the stables in the barn. Two reasons: (1) would never put another horse of ours in a stable which had a grid, and (2) having no spare stables means we can't go and buy or get any more free horses.
It was also ironic that in the same week our mare got caught up, two race horses in Newmarket (in two seperate yards) also had the same thing happened - one a youngster and one an older horse.
When we decide to move again, we will definitely make sure we don't have grids in any stables. We got away lightly but it could have been tragic.
Paint it Lucky
Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting this Chavhorse. I had always liked bars because they allow horses to socialise, but now I will definately be avoiding them! I did once keep my two horses at a yard where there was a half wall about 4-5ft high dividing their two stables, which had proper walls on the other sides. It was nice as they could be near eachother when they wanted but also had room to move away from eachother if they got sick of eachother. Only downside was if i was grooming one in his stall my other one would reach other the dividing wall and try to get my attention because he was jealous! Had the brilliant advantage though that if I wanted to go quickly from one stable into the other I could just vault over the dividing wall rather than having to open the doors and walk round (which obviously would be far too much hassle!).
So thanks to everyone for making me aware of this as I have never heard of it before but clearly it is worryingly common.
So thanks to everyone for making me aware of this as I have never heard of it before but clearly it is worryingly common.
keekee
Well-Known Member
well it was my horse that moneypit was talking about getting her bottom jaw stuck between the bars so frightening she was actually sharpening her teeth up and down on the bars when.....slip and her bottom teeth slid through i was trying to twist her head to get them out but in the end she panicked so much and just pulled bak breaking 2 teeth out so scary she is fine now but i also no of a case where a horse rolled and got caugt and the fire brigade were called to cut bars off luckily a trusting horse which stopped thrashing when his owener came or it could of been a whole lot worse xx