How small is too small for a stable...?

horse_lover

horse_lover

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I have been looking for a new yard for my boys for almost a year now and never found anything suitable that had the two spaces available. A yard has now come up and is everything I need, perfect school, hacking straight onto bridleways and plenty of grass, but the stables are only 10x10. My horses are 16hh and 16.1/2 and both take a 6ft6 rug, they will live out all summer and get turned out at 7am in the winter and come in around 6-6.30pm. Do you think it would be unfair on them to be in stables that size? The other horses up there are a similar size and I wouldnt say they look cramped, they just cant walk around loads, thanks
 
I would say too small.
I moved onto a yard with slightly bigger stables witha 16.2. It wasn't until he was in it that I realised it was much too small. Luckily it was summer, so I ad chance to look for an alternative and move on.
 
I would saw thats too small, it sounds more like a pony size stable to me to be honest personally Id be looking for 12x12 or bigger if available. Are all the stables the same size or could you swop with someone who has a smaller horse/pony maybe worth asking before hand.
 
Unfortunately all the boxes are the same size :( Their current stables are 10x14 so it would mean losing 4ft along one side. I currently travel 80 miles a day to do my horses (there and back twice, plus work), it costs me a fortune in diesel (£70 every 5days), but unfortunately yards never seem to come up in my price range or have everything I need. I only need a rideable school all year round, good hacking (not straight onto a busy main road) and some grass, but it seems impossible to come by :(
 
When I moved my mare home we didn't get planning through in time to get the yard built, so we ended up putting them in our old pony stables. My 16h mare lived in a 10x10 stable for a winter. She managed fine, lying down etc, but was never able to roll. I would say it would depend on the horse - my mare knew it was too small to roll. My husband's gelding would probably get stuck!

I would say that it may be ok for a 16h sensible horse (but not at all ideal but not for a 16.2. I'd keep looking.
 
Sounds very small to me; I'd be worried about casting, but I worry endlessley anyway though I've never seen a hors cast itself. If you have to go the small stable route, my suggestion would be to bank up the corners with bedding very generously. Others may have better advice though. Good luck.
 
My 16.3 is in a 11 x 11 stable ATM. It's kitted out in stable mats and she's just fine. Lays down every night and never had a problem. Obviously if I had a horse prone to getting cast I wouldn't recommend it. That said, I had a 14.2 yearling that would get cast in its 16 x 16 stable. He'd simply choose to lay down too close to the wall and dispite the high banks around the walls would always manage to get himself stuck. Even when I was in the stable with him :rolleyes:
 
my stables are 10 x 12 and I would say that 16.2, tb or similar slight build of horse would be the biggest I would put in them, ideally they should be 12 x 12 for that size horse or larger for heavier builds. I do however know lots of people who do put larger horses in small stables, it really depends on the horse.
 
Spyda said:
My 16.3 is in a 11 x 11 stable ATM. It's kitted out in stable mats and she's just fine. Lays down every night and never had a problem. Obviously if I had a horse prone to getting cast I wouldn't recommend it. That said, I had a 14.2 yearling that would get cast in its 16 x 16 stable. He'd simply choose to lay down too close to the wall and dispite the high banks around the walls would always manage to get himself stuck. Even when I was in the stable with him :rolleyes:
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Thats true! When I built the yard and took my mare out of the 10x10 box she went into a 18x12 box and got cast the first day in there! The only time she has in the 7 years I've owned her!!
 
I think stable size is relative to how much time they are going to be in there. If they are stabled 24/7 all winter then that's way to small. My mare, although only 15hh takes 6'6" - 6'9" rugs, and our 10x12 stables were ok, but she does go out all day every day no matter what. She's now moved into the double stable (so 12x20) and she's much happier.

It does depend a lot on the horse as well - some will just get on with it and cope, others just hate being in a small house ;)
 
I think you have to think of yourself as well as your horses. You are travelling 80 miles a day!!! The horses providing they do not thrash around a lot should be fine. Yes they are smaller than ideal but then we do not live in an ideal world. If that is the only con and you have a checklist of pro's - then I'd be considering moving. They will only be in their boxes for the night in winter and they'll be doing all of their rolling in the paddocks. My youngster is in a 14x14 box and she's always rolling by the door and gets stuck. I am sure she does it for attention! She's 15.2 at a push.... The other thing as well, if you bed them down literally to the door it will give a bigger feeling to the stable as well.
 
I should think that your horses will adapt, after all horses used to be kept in stalls and managed just fine. Our stables are 10 X 12; I do have small horses - 14.2h, 15h, 15.1h, but I have kept a 16.3h in there too with no problems.
 
If they are out more than in and do plenty of work they should be fine in a smaller than ideal box. Cost of bedding could be an issue though because they won't have the room to rest in one corner and muck in another that is assuming the horses are fairly clean and tidy in the first place. A mucky horse will be a nightmare in a small box it will soon be a cesspit.

horses used to be kept in stalls, but they were hard working horses with plenty to keep them occupied and tired.

My horses are kept in big barns, they can buck, kick and even raise a canter but it still doesn't stop one of them getting cast and needing her legs roping to be pulled back over ! She used to be kept in a 10x10 and never got stuck, thats horses for us !
 
All temporary stabling is 10 x 10. Most professional SJ horses will 'live' in these all summer and they are an awful lot bigger than yours. If you go to any agri show eg Royal Highland you will see Clydesdales in them too. Don't get me wrong, I've just built a 24 x 15 box for foaling as fed up with mares getting stuck in a corner but I've also just put my 16.3 in livery in a 10 x 10. There is no turn out, its only for a month though.
 
Cuffey is 16hh but 6ft3in rug, he is in 10x12 stable
In his comp days he was often in small stables where bigger horses often stood diagonally for comfort with net hanging just outside the door

So prob too small at 10x10 but if horses are sensible they will cope with plenty of turnout.
Very risky in bad weather being so far from current stables
 
Thanks everyone. There have not been any restrictions on winter turnout in the last 7 years and they have loads of grass 35 acres for only 7 horses so mine will be out everyday without fail. Both are TB's so not particularly chunky and both are pretty chilled out in their boxes. When my bigger boy lays down he only tends to lay one end of his current stable anyway. I may chance it, I think my boys will be happy, they will have lots of grass and won't be knee deep in mud. It would save me approx £200 and lots of driving so I can spend more time with them :)
 
I think the benefits far outweigh the downside of the smaller boxes. As someone above mentioned, most portable/temporary stabling is this size. I'd move to this new yard if I were you :)
 
Thank you, it is a really lovely yard and the people all seem very nice. I have a list as long as my arm of all the pro's, just unfortunately the one con, stable size. The shortest anyone has been there is 3yrs, longest 7 so must be pretty good :) I think I am going to bite the bullet and do it, if my horses are really not happy I will look again (least we are coming up to the summer so they can live out) and in the meantime I will be saving myself over £200 a month
 
10x10 is a pony box in my opinion.

The BHS state that 10x10 is for ponies and ideally 10x12 for large ponies, and up to 10x14 for horses.

To be honest i wouldnt want my 14.2hh in anything smaller than 10x12 myself.

I certainly wouldnt put anything bigger than 14.2hh in a 10x10.
 
jenz87 said:
10x10 is a pony box in my opinion.

The BHS state that 10x10 is for ponies and ideally 10x12 for large ponies, and up to 10x14 for horses.

To be honest i wouldnt want my 14.2hh in anything smaller than 10x12 myself.

I certainly wouldnt put anything bigger than 14.2hh in a 10x10.
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You'd be surprised! I didn't realise how small my stable at the yard was until I measured it for matting. I was amazed it was as small as it was but since I'd been using it for the past 12 months and all the boxes in my barn are the same dimension I stayed put. Honestly, my 16.3 WBxTB really doesn't suffer at all. She has plenty of room to lay down comfortably, move about and eat her hay and hard feed. What would providing another 2ft really provide her with that she doesn't have now? She doesn't trot trot around her box :D
That said, if it were an enclosed traditional stable, she and I might find it a little more claustrophobic. As it is, it's one of those 'open' stables inside a large, well lit, airy barn; 3 walls are 5ft high all round and she's right beside the main entrance to the barn which means she can look out over the side wall across the outside yard. When she's in and not eating or laying down, she spends all of her time beaking out over the stable wall watching what's going on in the main yard. She's very happy. I'd rather have the stable I've got than swap for a traditional enclosed loose box of larger dimensions - that's for sure. And I know my horse would agree :)
 
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