How do you divide your field shelters?

[LittleOwl]

My ponies live out all year round and we’ve got a 36x12 field shelter which at the moment isn’t divided up in any way. I’ve got one ridden pony and one youngster at the moment so in preparation for this winter I’d like to be able to separate them at times so a) young pony can learn about being stabled, b) ridden pony can be stabled temporarily to dry before clipping/riding etc. or if c) if either of them needs box rest

I’ve seen people separate their shelters with gates/dividers etc but was wondering if anyone has done a similar exercise with an American barn internal type stable so the shelter is split into 24x12 shelter and a 12x12 stable? Is there an obvious reason why this wouldn’t work that I haven’t considered? Or has anyone divided a shelter with gates and are there any pros/cons (I worry slightly about them lying down/rolling in the shelter and getting a leg caught in a gate). I’m attempting to use what we’ve already got rather than buying an additional stable and internal stables on marketplace don’t seem too expensive in the scheme of things!

TIA!

 

[WrongLeg]

Heras fencing?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If you are thinking of leaving one or both unattended with a gate as a divider I think you would need to board both sides of a central gate and at least on side of the 'door' gate.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Is your shelter currently fully open fronted, or do you need to work around existing entrances?

 

[sport horse]

Most of the stable partitions are much heavier duty than your field shelter. They will need to be secured to the floor somehow and to the walls - concrete pads with rag bolts? Obviously then you cannot remove it when you want to open up the whole shelter. We did build a halk height wooden wall with mesh above and used a normal stable door. Might work out cheaper?

 

[cauda equina]

I used to do it with non-electrified electric tape fixed to screw in insulators
They were never shut in though, it was just so that the bully and the bullied could have half the shelter each

 

[ihatework]

I’m sure you could get a partition installed if that’s what you want?

I’m just setting one up that is 36x12 and will have 24x12 of it as an open shelter and then 12x12 sectioned off for handling/stabling - but just using internal slip rails and an external mesh gate.

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

I used to do it with non-electrified electric tape fixed to screw in insulators
They were never shut in though, it was just so that the bully and the bullied could have half the shelter each

I’ve considered doing this with mine but was wondering how to attach it - I’ll get some insulators! Thanks for the tip.

 

[Suechoccy]

We did it for same reason as you with a 20 x 10 field shelter. Put a railway sleeper across the floor, then fitted two very stout square uprights to it which connected at top end to roof frame timbers, then used metal brackets to attach a metal gate made of filled-in metal mesh (so nowhere at all for a horse to hook a hoof or leg into) to both posts.

For your doors you have two choices. Either buy or make two stable doors to fit to the front upright you've just fitted. Or fit slip rail brackets to outside of stable and just slide in one sliprail at chest height when you want to shut them in.

 

[dorsetladette]

I've got an 18x12 (free wood available from OH work) shelter with 2 openings. It has a leveled dirt floor with rubber mats. We've designed it so we can easily pop rails across the middle front to back giving 2 12x9 'stables' in an emergency. I have a smaller lean-to shelter on the side which gives an additional 9x12 shelter/stable in required. Reggie was in here with a small pen out the front when he came back from the vets last year. And Bert had the full 18x12 when he had his hock injections.

I use slip rails for the door ways.

I know 9x12 is small - but so are my ponies and it's only for emergencies. I'd like to hope that I won't need all 3 stabled at the same time.

 

[fidleyspromise]

I have slip rails for the front. In the middle I had a wooden rail made so I could swing it back to open/close it. (It was awkward as it was too long for when I wanted the shelter fully open so had to hinge a part of it).

I found it was too heavy so took the middlr parts off so it was only the top and bottom.
I then took it off (can't remember why) and used insulators and electric tape. These worked well until my youngster went underneath it to join pony in the other half. It is still what I use now.

My shelter is 11x16 feet so 11x8 is each half and I once found all 3 in one half. (x2 14.1hh and x1 15hh)

 

[Lucky Snowball]

I also used non electronic tape to ‘box rest’ a horse who wouldn’t settle in the stable. She was very happy in part of the shed even when the others were in the field.