Internal stabling with hay racks

[kerry1]

Sorry - I seem to always be picking everyones brains - Im in the process of getting indoor stabling and was just wondering what your opinion is regarding the hay racks which fit into the corner and consist of bars to the top of the stable (sorry havnt described it very well but hopefully you'll know what I mean!). Just someone told me that it has been know that a horse has got a leg caught in them? I know the minimum amount of fittings are best and would not go for an eye height rack but thought these were ideal as are easy to fill and allow a natural eating height.
Thanks in advance

 

[Enfys]

This kind of thing? (Munch station, from Derby House site)

Based not so loosely on the feeders that horses and cattle had in stalls years ago when hay was commonly kept in lofts above and thrown down.

I imagine that much research has gone into bar spacing and unless you have a horse with tiny hooves it would be fine.

I think there are horror stories to be heard about absolutely everything, stable grills, hay bars, hay nets, hanging water buckets, standing water buckets, gates, wooden fences, stock wire, electric fencing etc, etc, etc.

 

[kerilli]

if you mean the high ones, not great imho. the munch station looks v good to me. i have haybars in my internal stables, really like them too.

 

[kerry1]

Thanks Kerilli and Enfys. Yes Enfys thats the type but the bars go all the way up the corner and the ones on the outside are missing so you can put the hay in from outside.
I was wondering about the haybars Kerilli and have seen the homemade ones on this forum.
As you say there are horror stories about everything, if theres a nail in a 20 acre field I seem to have a horse who finds it!

 

[sportsmansB]

Hi Bubbles

We have the ones you are talking about and they are great. The bars go all the way to the ceiling on the horses side but they are open from above waist height on the outside to put the hay in. We have 24 stables and we can just wheel our enormous wheelbarrow full of hay down the line and stuff it into each one as we go. Never any probs with horses getting anything stuck.
Only thing I would say it is hard to clean out the bottom of them which gets filled up with the little dusty bits of hay so ideally one would have some sort of way of getting in there to empty it out (much like the grate of a fire!!!!!)
Keeps stables much tidier than nets or anything as any of the hay which comes out is only in that area which is on the door side so has no bedding anyway. Only the really messy ones seem to pull it all out and through their beds!!!!

 

[Enfys]

I have never heard of those sportsman, I like the sound of those racks, and I love anything that makes life easy (hence I leave them out) If I have anything in the hay just goes over the wall from the aisle.

What you need for cleaning is a little slidey,lift up hatch thing at floor level. (Think old fashioned concrete coal bunkers!) Slide it up, rootle about in the dust and spiders and Bob's your Uncle, job done!