Stable Sizes

livvyc_ria

livvyc_ria

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Ive always believed the bigger the better!

However im in a bit of a pickle.

I have a 3 stable block at home. The building was meant to be a bungalow i believe, but when we moved in to the house they left the buliding as a shell with just walls in side and put stable doors on the fron as they ran out of time.

Now the smallest stable is 10x10 with a little 12hh in it.

The biggest is 17x12 with a very active 16hh who wanders round,likes to dance about, lies stretched flat out, and generally "plays" in there.

The middle one is 12x11 (its nearly 12x12 but not quite) Now this stable is very bright inside and has the main entrance, and a huge window cut out of the breeze blocks to the corridor of the tack room which is in between the 17x12 stable and 12x11 stable. So there is loads of room for gawping at each other and outside.

Would anyone be against putting 16.3hh very quiet lad in there?

Id move the 16hh mare into it and put the biggest in the biggest stable but she would do her nut! She hates not being able to wander around and mess about, she's always been that way. She sounds like she's unsettled im sure, but i can promise you this is just her character, she's a bit of a nonce.

What does everyone think?
 
As a teacher of mine used to say (this is the only thing I remember from his classes:o) "Suck it and see"

Stable sizing very much depends on the nature of the horse itself.
I have a 15h mare that canters around her 20 x 11 stall bucking, she goes nuts in a smaller one, a 16.3h QH cross in the same stall just stood in one corner. He now happily lives in a 11x10.

Opinions will vary, but if the horse is happy then that's all there is to it, never mind what anyone else thinks. The only reason we know is because you told us all;)
 
I was shocked when I was laying mats at my present yard last year. My stable measures less than 12 x 12 (as the mats had to be cut down to fit.) I've a 16.2 WBxTB 3 yr old who's happy in hers dispite the discrepancy in size. She lays down nightly and doesn't seem uncomfortable or bothered in any way.

Of course, I'd much rather she had a larger box but since this is the only size available at the present yard it'll have to suffice until we move on next year. That said, the yard offers 24/7/365 turnout so none of the horses have to be couped up too much unless they are unwell.

Must say, I was surprised the boxes were so small, though. I'd guessed it they were probably a standard 12x12, but not smaller. I'd guess mine is about 11.5 x 11 ft and is presently fine for my horse.
 
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Spyda, 12' x 12' is often described as large and airy where I live:)

Normal size stalls are often a lot smaller.
 
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Thankyou!

Everyone has put my mind at ease.

I get so worried about things like this, and become a right mard with them.
Im going to try it, at the very worst we have a huge shed type structure, thats fully insulated, roofed and all the rest of it that we store hay in.
But we can always put the big lad in there with the hay in the stable.

Id just prefer horses in stables and hay in hay sheds.!! :)
 
I believe in the biger the better but to be honest, round here you'd be hard pushed to find a 12x12 box... I was in one that was suposed to be 12 by 12 but like another poster above, when it came to laying my mats I was a good 6 inches short one way... I'd say you'll be fine.

I must say I do love my very rustic looking 20 x 15 bull pen and dont know how i'd cope in a 'normal' sized stable...
 
Our stables were late being built, and the weather got bad sooner, so my 16h mare lived in a 10.5x10.5 for a month! No problems at all, but she is a sensible horse - knew she could lie down but not roll... As soon as she moved to her 12x18 penthouse she rolled for Britain. If you'd just moved onto the yard as a livery you wouldn't even know the size, and would happily put your horse in without batting an eye I bet!
 
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