Tie Stall vs Box Stall

[OldKat]

This is thread is another great example of the value of this site; some really good stuff here. I guess Jennifer hit the nail on the head for me when she said: “My advice, Ed, if you are building a barn from scratch…think about what makes life easier for you and is most natural for the herd. Turns out many things that are natural for the horse, also make your life easier as well“. I guess that is just her experience coming out. Either that or that good old fashion common sense that New Englanders are so famous for is showing through! Anyway, she is thinking along the same lines that I do.

My setup is growing and evolving. We started our current operation with one saddle horse for my daughter, so the shelter was pretty basic; a single 14′ x 24′ open shed with a section partioned off for hay and feed storage. Tack stayed at home, for security reasons.

When the fillies joined us the shed became three tie stalls, but really nothing changed. I still used it as run in shed. For the last year or so I have tied all three while they are eating, otherwise they use the shed as they desire.

I built a 26′ x 48′ “pole barn” several years ago, but it has mainly been used for equipment storage. This year, while my wife is on Spring Break (she teaches 1st grade) we are going to work on adding (3) 12′ x 12′ box stalls. (How is that for a way to spend Spring Break? Romantic sort, ain’t I?)

For those of you from more Northern locales, a pole barn is open sided (usually) in our area. It consists of telephone poles and trusses, with a corrugated metal roof. Mine sits on a slight rise on the property and is shaded most of the day by two large Post Oak trees, so it almost always one of the coolest spots on the property. My objective is not to protect the horses from the cold, but rather to make them comfy in the heat. Also, I want to see if I can keep their coats from bleaching out in the Summer months by putting them in stalls during the day & turning them out at night.

Each box stall will have a 12′ x 24′ turnout attached, hopefully they will do most of their “business” out there! The forth 12′ bay will be built out for feed storage. The shed will become hay storage for square bales, with a small tack area for my harness and there will still be one tie stall for harnessing up. I’ll just have to risk keeping my harness there, as this hauling it back and forth from the house has gotten old.

Anyway it is something of an odd setup, but is what I have decided is the best way to use what I have available while I am still living where we now live.

[Jean]

I had 3 box stalls that were open to the pasture. This worked great when I had 2 horses that got along well. They were always in the same stall together. Then I brought Bess the percheron mare home and all heck broke loose. She does not want to share anything with anyone and she just about killed Zeke, the older light horse, by getting him trapped in the stall and kicking the snot out of him. I ended up having to shut all the doors, which meant they did not have any way to get out of the heat, away from the bugs, or in from the rain. I then figure out I could take the wall out between two of the stalls, and they would have 2 ways out. I keep the other stall door shut and put Zeke in at night. If I need to work with both Bess and Kruiser I can tie them in the big stall and harness or brush them.

I guess the moral of this story is to know that your horses will get along if there is anyway that one can block the only exit and kick at the same time.

Jean

[manesntails]

When I was a kid my Uncle had a 38 stall converted cow barn. We had 18 straigh stalls and 20 box stalls. Horses were rotated so they did not spend more than 24 hrs at a time in a straight stall.

I think this subject is actually a No-brainer. All you need it do is put yourself in the horse’s skin and see how uncomfortable it would be.

A horse tied for short periods, part of a day for work is a very good situation because it is easy to work with him, and the mess is all behind in one place and hay all contained infront. No problem for the horse on the short term

Take a horse housed 18 hrs a day or more like this and just sit there and look.
Horse cannot itch himself. He does not get to move around and promote his circulation. Horses are made to move almost all the time and housing a horse in a straight stall is the quickest road to stalking up. Horse cannot lay down and take a good snooze. Most people tie horse so they can’t get their nose to the ground, again, bad for the horse. Horses need their noses down, as nature intended for proper sinus drainage.

Perfect world to me, turn out 24/7 when not working. Box stalls for at least overnight in weather where they cannot go out (extreme snow and/or ice, or injury), and a tie arrangement for working time during the day.

[jen judkins]

Grass is good bedding too…

[Robert MoonShadow]

Jen, That’s a nice bunch of horses.

[Plowboy]

We have tie stalls for our horses. I think that it does help with manners having them in straight stalls. They learn to get over and back out as well as have their halters taken on and off. Our horses are out most of the time but in the coldest part of winter they are in nights. Tie stalls are nice when you have alot of horses and want to catch a team to work. You open the door and in they come. You tie up the ones you want and turn the rest out. If I had to keep a horse in a stall for very long I would definately want a large box stall but for our purposes tie stalls are good. I’m planning on building a new barn at my farm in the next few years and will probably add a couple box stalls just in case the need arises. If I don’t need them they can be used for hay or other storage. They each have their place.

[sanhestar]

Plowboy,

I don’t agree that a tie stall helps with manners or easier handling.

Training helps with manners, dito with handling. And what I as human expect them to be able to do.

We had up to 10 horses, all on pasture (summer) or barn with paddock (winter) and they all where well mannered, could be caught easily and seperately worked, harnessed, saddled (in the barn or on pasture, with the other horses around).

[Ed Thayer]

Thanks for the thoughts. Most of us have probably inherited some sort of arangement that we have tried to make the best of.

I am currently looking for another draft but will have to make room in the barn for him. If I construct a box stall, it will not have access to the pasture/paddock like my other stalls. So if I do bring the horses in for bad weather it will require haltering and leading him in. Not a big deal but something I have to think about.

Maybe it would be better to construct another three wall and set it up for one horse on those reare occasions when I want to close them in.

What I find amazing is how the two horses we have now have found that perfect spot to stand when the wind is blowing. Both rumps are upwind and the smaller horse will stand downwind of the other to take advantage of the windbreak. I can bet money that they will stand in exactly the same spot in windy conditions. Creatures of habit I guess, as well as thier ability to make the best of a situation given what they have.

[Plowboy]

Sanhestar,
Training and handling are part of the daily routine here. They are all let in the barn have their halters put on,looked over, given some grain, Have their halters taken off and let out. If we take them out to harness them we walk in the stall with them and they get over to allow you in and are backed out with their halter. All of our horses are easily caught on pasture but try to get a team out a gate without some of the other six trying to get out too. We had loose housing years ago and the horses weren’t used to getting over to let you through like when they are in a stock trailer. Since we have had these straight stalls all the horses will get over easily. You are right training and handling helps with manners and that is what we are doing every day when they are handled in the barn. Some days just for a few minutes but that routine is part of their training. I’ve had plenty of positive comments on how well mannered and trained our horses are so I don’t think that is the issue. I think that for the small amount of time our horses are in stalls the tie stalls work good and help with training and handling.

[bdcasto]

@Jen Judkins 5821 wrote:

If you want to read a good book about simulating a natural environment for horses (and it is cheap to do) read Jaime Jackson’s book ‘Paddock Paradise’. Once you set it up, there is very little maintainence and the horses just do their own thing.

I know this is an old thread but we have very good experience with the “paddock paradise” idea as well. It basically turns out to be a much more usefull sacrifice area than the typical small paddock of mud. Our track does get muddy at times and other times it’s rock hard. Some of horses are able to extend the time between hoof trimmings because of this track. We ride in the middle of the track which the horses also graze. Just a thought that’s a little outside the box that I’m glad I came across in the book Jen mentioned. Heres a google maps link to our track:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=39.930675,-84.049018&spn=0.001914,0.002403&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6

BD Casto
New Carlisle, OH

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