Issues with stables opening onto shared turnout areas

paddi22

paddi22

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We are in the process of building 3 stables. Horses are used to being out 24/7 and have mild arthritis issues, so don't like the idea of restrticting them to stables when they come in from turnout and overnight. Idea was to do a 50ft by 50ft all-weather turnout area where they can place and munch hay. The stable doors can be left open and they can wander in and out at will.

I always imagine the worst and now I have visions of them deciding to jam into one stable during the dayand kick the heads off eachother!

Has anyone got a similar setup and does it work? Any positives, negatives or tips!?
 
yes, I have similar and I'd say it depends on how your herd works. I have 3 with access to similar but I can't let them all out at once so we can't use it like that overnight. The gelding is dominant and will push the 2 mares around, and the cob is at the bottom of the pile so would be permanently bullied.
Instead I keep cob on a patch adjacent to the hardstanding and the other 2 go out together on wet days. They have hay at opposite ends of the area so the dominant one can't guard both piles. It's not what I'd choose but it's better than being stuck in the stables.

We have to shut the stables otherwise my mare gets pinned in her box by the gelding if she goes in for a pee. They have a patch of sand by the school entrance where they can have a pee instead - neither mare will wee on the hardcore, they wait to be let into their boxes instead!

If they were all a bit more equal on the pecking order, I'd stick them all out together and let them get on with it, but someone would get hurt as it is.
 
I do this with my youngsters (3 colts) without issue. I guess it just depends on how brave you are - they do sometimes all go in together but usually not.

ETA - to be honest they rarely actually go inside at all and one will even lie on the concrete floor than go inside...
 
To add, i have seen this work well with other horses. A friend had her horses on a small yard with access to their stables. They had a mare and her 2 sons, plus an old pony. They had grown up with that arrangement so didn't have a issue. So, as i said, it will depend on your herd.
 
Not a similar set up but I once had three horses and a fourth head in my 10 x 10 stable. It was summer and the paddock they use has a single stable in it. The first went in and turned to face out through the front window, the second went in across the back and the third went straight in with just the fourth trying to get her head in. This was in the height of summer last year and they wanted away from the flies, they all seemed quite happy and the third backed out after a while and the other two walked around to get out. But these four live together all year and are all mares. The three in the stable have been together for a long time and it is only actually the fourth that causes any trouble.
 
cool, great to get people stories. Guess it's a wait and see scenario. I've on bossy one who seems to inflict random rules on the others, so I can imagine there might be issues. They are all out together 24/7 now, so hopefully they will have an ok dynamic
 
If you are building the stables so the stalls are separated inside with slip rails so the building could be used as either separate stables or a large shelter. Having the three entrances would mean plenty of escape routes from potential bullies.
 
We stopped it - stables open to field as Frank would go in cally's stable then not let her in, and there would be water and buckets strewn about the place... ;) We decided it was better to just not let them have access to enclosed spaces.
 
My setup

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ETA - it is only in the absolute worst weather I use this as turnout (ie 3 foot of snow and blizzards) but it does OK
 
Not the same setup, but we have a 12x12 field shelter in the field and all 3 (two horses and pony) are often found having a doze inside together. They all seem to have their preferred positions when they go in the shelter and the little pony (who's bottom of the pecking order) tends to choose to stand nearer the front for a quick getaway if needed.

They all get on very well in general though and, as there are only three of them, they seem to have quite a stable pecking order in place so there aren't many cross words. I think it does really depend on your herd.
 
i would want more than one exit. my horses used to be out in a herd of 10+ and they had 2 fields shelters, each with 2 doors. each could fit 3-4 in. some horses tended to dominate, but if chased there were 2 exits so no one get trapped.
my horses come into a barn with 3-4 of them. my mare can be a bit mean to the younger ones- just threts with ears back! but they have space to move out of her way!

my boy was on loan once with 1 other horse. they had 2 stables and often they were just open as shelter and more often then not the loaner would find them both in one as they loved each other! but stables with one exit could be dangerous. my friend horses used to share 2 stables and wood chip but one day one kicked the other while in the stable and he gone a fracture (all ok now thankfully). he could not get out of the way.
 
We used to rent a place where the field entrance was on the yard. The yard was securely fenced so we thought we'd try leaving the gate opened to give them access to their stables if they wanted it - they had plenty of shade and water in the field but were always lurking at the gate and churning the ground up.

We had a dominant mare, her 4yo daughter, a 3yo welsh D and an old gelding who could be a pain but without fail we'd get up of an evening and they would all be in their own stables - nothing got trashed and they never seemed to go in together.

On the hottest summer days they would stay in all day and go out in the evening when it was cooler.
 
Mine are on a track system, 3 of them with access to 2 stables. They don't really fight but the one who gets picked on from time to time is a clever wee sole - if it's been a little rough then he let's the other two pick their stable and he then goes in the other one.

I often find them all in one stable when things are going smoothly.
 
I used to do it with my three geldings (who were 3, 18 and 10 at the time). They had two normal stables and an area of about a normal school size. They all got on really well and none of them that big (two ponies ans one 15.2h). They mostly used the stable to get out of the flies tbh, there were never any issues. I'd only do it with horses I knew very well (for example, the two ponies often shared a stable-still do on occasion).
 
I have two ponies that do not get on so there area is split by electric fencing down the middle, they have a shelter each. One pony has a mini in with him. The mini also has a small area and shelter he can access and the bigger pony cannot.
 
I have two horses and three stables, a yard & field that they have free access too. I mostly find them sharing the same stable if they're in, but they are best friends.
 
I have this set up. Mare 16hh and Gelding 16.2
Two wooden loose boxes with the dividing partition removed. They have a deep shavings bed and go in to sleep. If I go and see them in the early hours (usually because I can't sleep) they are often both down snoozing.
Water trough is outside and I don't feed hay in the stable(s). It suits us.
 
ester said:
We stopped it - stables open to field as Frank would go in cally's stable then not let her in, and there would be water and buckets strewn about the place... ;) We decided it was better to just not let them have access to enclosed spaces.
Click to expand...

I found this, everything ended up in a mess and I was getting through tonnes of bedding so I let my two out and shut the stable doors, if they want shelter they can stand under the over hang
 
We have a retirement lot at our barn (2 actually but 2 different setups) that has 4 stables, 2 on each side facing each other with a roof over them all and a big dry lot. This opens onto a big field for the summer but is closed in for the winter to let the field rest. There are normally 4-5 horses in it. I've never known them to do any damage or fight over or in a stable.
 
We used to have two stables which opened directly to field. We used to leave doors open in the day and often the two horses, who got on really well, would go in together. One night was going to put them to bed and they were both in one stable. Something must have spooked them and they both came flying out together and pulled the front of the stable down. Stopped doing it after that.
 
My mare was in this setup when she stayed with a friend. His horse was a large gelding, and the pair got on fine. My two mares are happy to share a standard size stable for hours at a time, one is the boss, but as they share feed out of the same bucket, I think you could say they are close!
 
If I was doing this, a set up which I very much like by the way, I would put a wide (8-10') overhang along the building so that they could still get shelter but not get into the stables and cause mayhem.
 
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