opinions please on sharing a stable

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Daisy2

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I have two horses and both are well bonded, my dilemma is that I need to get them off the grass for a few hours each day, cobs/weight and lami conscious. Anyway I have a double field shelter which I could enclose them in but I was just worried that they may get in each others space and cause injury. I normally muzzle them and strip graze but the weather is so wet that strip grazing on smallish strips causes mud (dont want to upset the landowner) and the grass is too short for muzzles just just yet.

So have you ever put to horses in a double stable or if not how do you cope at this time on grass livery. Thoughts appreciated
 
I don't think I'd do this unless I could make an enclosure outside the shelter, so that there was an escape route to avoid one getting cornered. Even the best of friends can fall out, especially when they think they are being starved.
 
Last year when I got my youngster (3 year old at the time) I had him and my very ammicable boy stabled together for a couple of hours each day. The stable's quite big, 18ft by 12ft. Both boy's were about 14.3hh at the time. The youngster hadn't bee stabled before, having lived out all of his life so I wanted to gradually acclimatise him, as stress freely as possible for when he'd have to be stabed over night. Having him with a very clam, and nicely natured buddy was the easiest way to do that.

Saying that I wouldn''t do it now. The youngster now stables well, but he is the more dominant of the two, and whilst I'm sure he wouldn't be nasty, he might try to insist on playing now, and it's not fair on my older boy to have him niggling at him, when he's meant to be relaxing.
 
I have a double field shelter which my friend and I built a half height partition to make it into two stables. Does your shelter have two openings which you could put gates on?
I have seen 2 horses happily stabled together in one larger box but although my two had been together for 11 yrs I didn't want to risk it overnight. Maybe if you could supervise the first few attempts you could see how they get on. For me the partition was an easy solution.
 
I have used large sheep hurdles to divide my bigger shelter to have 2 in by setting them as a T shape.
Also have previously used electric tape - just fix permanent holders front & back & make sure that you have at least 2 lines of tape. Not advisable if either is a youngster tho.
Also, you could do a 'heath robinson' fix of pallets, and a couple of long jump poles all lashed together to make a temporary wall.

Friends can easily fall out when confined to barracks together - even tho they might happily share in hot weather but having the freedom to come and go.

Hope you work out a suitable solution :)
 
My 16.3 Clevie brother and sister used to share a single stable in a barn if the doors were left open.. They did everything together..

My biggest Clevie lad, 17.1 appy and their 15hh cob mate all squeezed into the one stable in their field one day for no apparent reason.. Their cob mate had it for a stable and the owner left the door open from what I remember..

I have no idea how they all got in, and less idea how they all got back out :o
 
Thanks for replies - I went to agri supply shop today and they advised a metal gate as divider and fixed at one end so I can swing it all the way back making a double shelter for flexibility/use when needed and two rails at the door /openings with rail holders that can be slid into place and removed when not not needed Sorted! Assuming a 12x12 stable area is enough space for a 15.2 cob!
 
If you use metal gates, put some mesh over it so no legs can get stuck through. especially when rolling or lying down.
 
Capriole said:
If you use metal gates, put some mesh over it so no legs can get stuck through. especially when rolling or lying down.
Click to expand...

Yes thanks for that, shop owner recommended the gates with mesh half way up for that reason, got to think of every scenario with horses:)
 
Your sorted now but yes, i'd put certain horses together, inc some of my own. A riding centre I went to years ago in wales had all their horses living paired up. They never had any issues.

It would need to be pairbonds, chosen carefully, and there's plenty of horses I wouldn't even consider doing it with.
 
My 2 shetland mares happily share a standard sized stable though they need supervsion at feed times as the more dominant one will push the other off her feed bowl and I do have to hang 2 haynets for the same reason.
 
My two lads will often go in one 12x12 stable together of their own choice as stables in the field. The only issue is one is 16.2 and the other 17.1!!!
The few times I used to imagine they would come out with all sort of injuries but both fine and they often go in for a standing snooze. However if they want to lie down they go into separate stables
 
We used to put horses together and they were all fab, not sure it works for all horses but we had a fab bunch who all lived in a herd together, there were two mares whom we would not put together but other than that the rest happily stabled together when needed
 
my two foresters used to share together. Good as gold, eat from the same haynet, stick both their heads in the same feed bucket. Never had any problems. Think it depends how close they are, if they argue with each other for food then I wouldnt do it, but if they are as close as my two were then dont see why not!
 
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