Filed under: May 2020 | Tags: Draft horse tie stall design, manure curb, small barn design, Suffolk Punch horses, tie stalls for drafts
May 18, 2020
It was time to remodel our old tie stalls. The double ones (for two horses) were showing the wear and tear of many years of use. The recent change of breeds and the addition of a stallion, led to my decision to rebuild. My Percheron horses were large even for their breed. They were 18 hands (6 feet tall at their withers) and weighed in at nearly a ton.
We now have switched to the Suffolk Punch breed. These horses are shorter 16 hands (5 feet 3 inches tall) The Suffolk horses are also “shorter coupled” too. This short coupled means their body length is on the short side. This makes them a sturdy, chunky, powerful horse. This also mean that they were short enough that they pooped on the back of their stalls. The manure didn’t fall over the curb, making a mess underneath the horses.
As part of the rebuild, I made the mangers wider, pushing the horses back in their stalls so manure will fall into the curbed area. This makes for a clean bed and easy clean up.
I also decided to go back to single stalls with a dividing wall. The stalls measure 5 feet wide, 6 feet deep from manger to curb. The mangers are 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The height of the manger is 32 inches from the floor to the top. The dividers keep horses kicking at each other to a minimum. The mares seem to squeal and pick at each other more than my geldings ever did :o)
The stall design for our stallion is a bit more robust with higher sides.
The posts have a metal socket with a 4 inch pin welded to a plate on the bottom. I drilled a hole in the concrete to receive the pin. The socket also has a “U” channel running up from the floor to receive the stall planks. Lots of screws and well placed cleats make the structure strong and serviceable. All the corners and edges are made smooth without anything to injure the horses.
The steel and welding for both stalls cost me one hundred dollars.
The stall walls are strong, smooth and easily replaced if ever needed.
This project took two full days to complete. Shout out to my wonderful wife for her help. She worked like a master craftsman, lending a hand wherever she could. It would have taken much longer to finish without her help, conversation and insight.
I believe that we will add stall guards on top of the dividing walls to complete our separation efforts. New guards for the windows will be added as well. The guards will provide function, a little style and a neat appearance too.
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