Would this be acceptable to you?

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Zipzop

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I am going to have a look at a yard with the track/paddock paradise system.
This would be perfect for my horse except that the lady told me it has two stables which open onto the track.
Of course the horses need shelter, but i think stables with only one exit being the door is downright dangerous and will lend itself to horses getting cornered and the s**t getting kicked out of one of them.

Opinions please thank you.
 
How many horses would be turned out on the track, and have access to the stables?

FWIW I never allow more than one horse access to an open stable, for the reasons you state above that concern you. My field shelters both have double entrances, so nothing can get trapped inside.
 
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Personally I do feel that would be dangerous, but it's her yard and she can run it as she likes so looks like you will have to look elsewhere.
 
Tiddlypom said:
How many horses would be turned out on the track, and have access to the stables?

FWIW I never allow more than one horse access to an open stable, for the reasons you state above that concern you. My field shelters both have double entrances, so nothing can get trapped inside.
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3 including my mine but I'm sure the number will grow.
 
we have 2, and 2 stables. we have the option to allow access to the yard and the stables during the day and Mum's mare has been on her own for 3 years with this set up.
However even though they were established pairing of 8 odd years allowing access through the gate to yard and into stables only ever generated arguments, mostly indicated by the amount of water and buckets around the stable!
 
In the old days our horses, there were 5 or 6 then had free access into our 2 stables from our field. We never had any stable related accidents. It depends on the relationship between the horses. I pen two of ours in a small paddock in the summer months to get off the grass, they're fine together, both nice boys. I wouldn't put either of them in with my sisters horse though as he's just too grumpy and it's not fair if they can't escape.

So it depends if it would bother me or not.
 
My minions would never be stupid enough to get themselves in a trap situation like that with a bully. For instance right now the two bosses are (illegally!) grazing my daughter's play area after busting through the gate earlier today. Her little pony would like to be in there too but she is far too clever to get herself stuck in there with them.

I think it will depend on the horses and if they are al shod or not. I am lucky that mine are all mine and none are shod. Still I think I would give it a go unless you have a particularly thick or accident prone horse!

I would say tho it would be better to have no stables than 2 if there's more than 2 horses anyway. What's the point of having two stables and many more horses. They aren't going to share or timeshare them! Different if it's all one group but when it's liveries it will be less likely to work I think.
 
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I use to have three boys with access to two loose boxes. They would all get in the same one-they were fine, stable group and unshod. It was my place though, I'd not want to do it with other people's horses.
 
I love it when our 5 all go in our 24 x12 field shelter with 16 ft entrance, and something spooks them and they all skedaddle! That's rare though, normally my sisters horse will stand across the entrance so no one else can use it.
 
It's the kind of thing I would probably do with my own, well-known horses, but not with unknown horses or liveries.
(then again my gelding regularly escaped and invited himself into stables that he opens up from the outside ... joining the other horses already in there if possible. Horses like him are the reason kick bolts were invented - now on every door of course! - )
 
Used to have 2 horses with access to 2 stables. Both went in one stable together. They got on great so no issues.....until one day they got spooked and both shot out the door at the same time taking half a stable with them. Would never do that again!
 
I have two horses with access to either two or three stables (depending if I am storing anything in the third) We almost always find them sharing the same stable. Never had any issues but they are same sex, similar height and age.
 
Essentially I think it is doable if you have an established herd that are settled and you know all of the characters involved. I don't understand how you can manage that in a livery situation.
 
It wouldn't concern me unduly - horses will sort out their own hierarchy, it might just mean bottom of pecking order doesn't use the shelter. So it would depend on horse personality and access to water and natural shelter
 
MotherOfChickens said:
I use to have three boys with access to two loose boxes. They would all get in the same one-they were fine, stable group and unshod. It was my place though, I'd not want to do it with other people's horses.
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This. My horses do it and this winter 3 my big retired horse and his tiny pony friends will all have access to a one door large shed. I'm not at all worried about it, they will be fine. But... I'd not let daughters horse join them in this situation. He go's out with them but I wouldn't risk leaving the shelter door open so I'd definitely think twice about it.
 
_HP_ said:
It has nothing to do with how stupid a horse may be! It's an accident waiting to happen ...even the most settled herd will have scuffles from time to time
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Of course it does. A clever horse won't keep putting its self in a situation where it gets its head kicked in!

Dogs are the same, some have self preservation skills, some are just stupid (or insert any word you prefer!). I had one dog who continually mounted another male dog. The other male dog wasn't a fighter but would not stand for this and would have the first dog upside down on his back within 2 seconds flat screaming his head off. Yet he still did it regularly as if he expected a different outcome. Call it what you want but an intelligent dog or horse learns from its mistakes in my opinion!
 
ihatework said:
It wouldn't concern me unduly - horses will sort out their own hierarchy, it might just mean bottom of pecking order doesn't use the shelter. So it would depend on horse personality and access to water and natural shelter
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I think the issue comes if they decide to sort out the hierarchy while both in a 12x12 box with a narrow doorway.

Fwiw something getting booted is not the issue with our two, there is no question over hierarchy, the boy is in charge and has been since day 1 never observed either try and kick the other after day 1, I don't think there has ever been any booting when we tried to let them have access to the stables and almost it is the fact that the hierarchy is so established that is the issue. Mum's mare would use her stable and either F wouldn't let her out and she would get distressed, or he'd march in too and she couldn't get out of his way quick enough (because she would move immediately if he told her too) without knocking the water over, and dashing through the door space and bashing herself etc. I wouldn't worry about either of them getting a beating in a restricted space but it is everything else, a bit like the two that shared a stable above and both tried to come out at the same time. So for us it just isn't worth it risk wise.
 
ester said:
I think the issue comes if they decide to sort out the hierarchy while both in a 12x12 box with a narrow doorway.

Fwiw something getting booted is not the issue with our two, there is no question over hierarchy, the boy is in charge and has been since day 1 never observed either try and kick the other after day 1, I don't think there has ever been any booting when we tried to let them have access to the stables and almost it is the fact that the hierarchy is so established that is the issue. Mum's mare would use her stable and either F wouldn't let her out and she would get distressed, or he'd march in too and she couldn't get out of his way quick enough (because she would move immediately if he told her too) without knocking the water over, and dashing through the door space and bashing herself etc. I wouldn't worry about either of them getting a beating in a restricted space but it is everything else, a bit like the two that shared a stable above and both tried to come out at the same time. So for us it just isn't worth it risk wise.
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This sums up my feelings as well. I've had horses on an enclosed yard with access to a stable for each, and this is what happened. Millie is not a particularly stupid horse, but she found herself in this situation - boxed into her stable with the other horse dominating her hay and water at the doorway. She tried to rush out when she saw a window - fortunately I was there at the time and was able to prevent an accident. Never again, and certainly not in a livery environment for me :) My 2 would knock 10 bells out of each other anyway.
 
Frank can't even get to the hay or water at the doorway, he is just mean and stands there because he can. She does need bossing about though, she was terribly wired when she had to be in charge with her previous companion.

(like the new sig ;) )
 
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When my friend first bought her horse (now my share horse) we had a similar set up. Two stables with the partition wall taken out. There were two doors but both at the front in the middle - with a narrow panel in between. All was well for about 6 months with my old boy Eb (then 23) in charge of his little herd. I arrived one day to find poor old Eb stuck in the corner of the field shelter with M kicking the proverbial out of him.

I genuinely think though that the setup didn't make any difference. Eb couldn't have got to ANY exit the way M had him pinned right in the corner. While having one narrower door is obviously going to make it more difficult to escape, any field shelter with a corner means it's possible.
 
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