These Seven Details Can Help You Evaluate the Quality of Horse Stalls Before You Buy
Quality Steel
A horse stall’s strength and durability begin with the quality of steel that’s used in its construction. Lower-cost stalls tend to use lightweight steel that’s simply not designed to last in a horse barn environment.
At American Stalls, we carefully pick the best materials to build your horse stalls and other barn components. That means we’re working with heavy-duty, pre-galvanized American steel, 304 Stainless Steel, or brass. By choosing these quality materials, we’re building stalls that are designed to last.
Sturdy and Safe Design
Consider the overall design of any horse stalls that you’re thinking about buying. Stall design not only affects the stall’s durability, but can also help keep your horses safe. Pay attention to factors like how partitions secure to the stall fronts and the walls, whether any unnecessary gaps are present, and whether the stall front and stall door height are sufficient for your horses.
Be sure to also ask for details on the materials used to construct the stall door hinges or door tracks on Sliding Stall Fronts, since these high-wear components are often the first ones to fail on a stall. Ensure these details are well-constructed and designed for long-term use. For example, we use heavy-duty 304 stainless steel rod-end hinges on our hinged European Horse Stall Fronts. Those hinges are adjustable, ensuring the perfect fit.
Strength of the Gate Latches
Many stalls feature gate latches made of thinner, cheaper materials, poorly designed and weak, prone to breaking or bending. Consider the type of latch that a horse stall features, as well as its overall construction and strength.
When you buy your horse stalls from American Stalls, you can choose from several different latch types. Our Sliding Horse Stalls are available with either a flip latch or a pin-lock latch. Both latches are robust, and they’re designed for smooth and easy operation while keeping your horse securely contained.
Our European Horse Stalls feature a plunger latch that’s easy to use yet supremely strong and durable. The latch is recessed into the door to help prevent hangups or potential injuries. It’s crafted from 304 stainless steel for durability, and the spring-loaded design allows for easy operation.
Grill Spacing
Less durable horse stalls tend to have a wider grill spacing, and in some cases, that spacing can be so wide that a horse could get a hoof hung up in between the bars. Some stalls also feature smaller-diameter grill bars that could be easily bent or damaged.
We carefully construct our stall grills to be both highly durable and safe. We use 1-inch round steel bars that are strong and difficult to bend. On the upper grills, the bars are spaced at 3-inch centers, leaving just 2 inches of clearance to prevent hooves from becoming caught. On the lower grill sections, we reduce the spacing further; we place the bars at 2.5-inch centers, leaving just 1.5 inches of clearance to prevent even the smallest hooves from fitting through.
Quality of the Welds
If you’re able to view a stall up close, pay careful attention to the quality of the welds, since they’ll affect the stall’s strength and durability. A good weld should have a smooth, overall appearance. The whole weld’s width should be consistent, and you shouldn’t see any holes.
Bad welds often have a rougher and uneven appearance. The width may vary, and in some cases, you might see cracks or holes. A poor weld may not fully fuse a joint, and a stall could crack under stress.
Finishes to Protect the Metal
A stall also requires a high-quality finish to protect the metal from rust and wear. We use TGIC polyester powder-coat finish on our stall components and can match most custom colors. We also offer a zinc-rich powder primer for additional rust protection; the primer is ideal for barns in coastal areas.
Durable Wood Fill Options
The wood fill you choose for your horse stalls plays a significant role in their durability. At American Stalls, we carry a selection of domestic lumber, exotic hardwoods, and HDPE lumber fill, so you can choose the lumber that best works for your barn.
Our Southern Yellow Pine lumber is known for its exceptional strength and durability, plus you can choose a stain to customize its appearance. 
Brazilian Hardwood is another favorite for its unmatched strength, insect resistance, and high fire rating. 
HDPE lumber boards are easy to handle and highly durable. They’re a popular choice in breeding and training barns.
Learn More About the Durability of American Stalls Products
We’re dedicated to custom-building top-quality horse stalls and barn components, and we back our stalls with a five-year guarantee so that you can buy confidently. We put that same emphasis on quality and durability into our other products, too, so whether you need custom Horse Barn Windows or are ready to upgrade to new Horse Barn Doors, you’ll be buying products that are designed to last.
Contact us today at (855) 957-8255 or email us at sales@americanstalls.com to schedule a sales and design consultation or with any questions.
