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Each holiday season, we face the same question when start shopping for our loved ones. The question is usually something along the lines of, "what do I even get them?"
This question is that much tougher when you have a special equestrian in your life. To make matters worse, they might even have everything they could possibly want and need. This brings us to the same question with a tad bit more pressure. "What do we get them this holiday season?"
Our team has taken this challenge to curate a list of thoughtful gifts for that horse lover or avid equestrian rider in your life. Below is a curation of gifts ranging from arts to books to chocolates.
Our first gift idea includes beautiful art prints by Hart Equestrian. The brand, Hart Equestrian, is known to be dedicated to sourcing beautifully curated, artisan made homeware that reflects the rich history and timeless elegance of the equestrian lifestyle. The wide selection of prints is the perfect addition to any work study, powder room, living room, and other areas around the home.
These handcrafted candles are by our partners at Stable Style. This particular candle is the scent of amber, lavender and hard wood. It’s warm with a touch of sweetness – perfect for any room in your home or office. These candles will make for the perfect stocking stuffer this holiday season.
Additional Idea: You can even combine these candles with the Stable Style Book: Barn Inspiration for all Equestrians. Just imagine your favorite equestrian lighting a Dream Barn candle in the living room – all while flipping through inspirational visuals for that dream horse barn.
Our next gift idea is along the lines of beautiful artwork for the home and office. Combine beautiful equestrian photographs from Silver Oaks Farm with your tasteful interior furniture to make a cozy equestrian-inspired room. Silver Oaks Farm is the creation of the talented Erin Gouveia – an accomplished equestrian and photographer. Erin's prints and shop are dedicated to her love for beloved horses and her love for all things equestrian. This passion shows in all of her beautiful work.
Our last and fourth idea is the new American Equestrian Design by the world class equestrian architecture firm – Blackburn Architects. Gift this to that special equestrian in your life who contemplating building their dream barn one day. Flip through pages of design inspiration to get their dreams churning for that dream barn or indoor arena.
We hope that this curated list includes gifts that are unique and that are hidden gems. You can find two more lists that our team put together for more holiday-related inspiration:
With that, we wish you a very Happy Holidays and prosperous New Year ahead!
Apart from our horse stalls, we receive many curious questions regarding our horse stall mattresses. At American Stalls, we carry the best-selling StableComfort Stall Mattress for horse stalls. Below are answers to a handful of frequently asked questions regarding our horse stall mattresses.
QUESTION: What is the difference between a Stall Mattress and interlocking rubber mats for horse stalls?
ANSWER: Both stall mattresses and interlocking rubber mats are flooring options for horse stall interiors. Interlocking rubber mats are 3/4" thick mats that are laid in an interlocking grid pattern. These mats are the only component included in an interlocking stall mat kit.
In contrast, a stall mattress system includes four core components. These components include:
QUESTION: How do you clean the mattress? Is it sanitary?
ANSWER: The StableComfort mattress system is incredibly sanitary and healthy - so much so that we recommend it to facilities that particularly need are sensitive to biosecurity measures.
The StableComfort mattress system is a wall-to-wall waterproof system that includes a seamless top cover. In contrast to interlocking or straight edge rubber mats, the top cover is fixed to the stalls' side, back, and front walls. This means that it is non-draining and waterproof. It only means that you don't have to worry about any liquids or urine getting under the top cover.
When it comes time to clean, we recommend to use cleaning products such as a diluted bleach mixture or and mild cleaning detergents. You can also power wash your horse stall mattress system.
QUESTION: What happens to the urine?
Answer: The urine stays on top of the Stall Mattress's top cover. Urine, instead, is absorbed into the appropriate amount of bedding and removed from the barn. Research shows that this method delivers the lowest amount of toxic ammonia odors in a barn.
QUESTION: Does the urine attack the top cover?
Answer: No. Private testing, through an independent laboratory, has been conducted to be sure that urine does not attack the top cover.
QUESTION: I'm having a hard time visualizing the actual horse stall mattress. Can you walk me through what it actually looks in a stall?
ANSWER: As they say, a picture(s) is worth a thousands words! Below is a visual breakdown of our StableComfort stall mattresses from start to finish.
The first components are the rubber-filled mattress itself and the rubber crumb applied over the mattresses. You can see in the below two photos these two represented. The first left photo shows the mattresses laid down in the horse stall. Once the mattresses are laid flat in the stall (right), rubber crumb is then applied over to ensure that the mattress base is level.
Once the mattress and rubber crumb are applied, it is time for the top cover to be installed. The top cover is cut to be custom fit for your horse stall's size – whether it is a 12x12 stall or a 16x16 stall. Each top cover is slightly larger than the stall's base. This is to ensure that there is enough extra material to be fastened to your horse stall's wall. The below right photo shows a stretched out top cover laid over the mattress and rubber crumb.
Once the top cover is installed, it is time to fasten the top cover to the horse stall's wall. The bottom left photo shows the plastic fastener strips used to then fixate the top cover to the side and back walls. Any excess top cover is then cut off with a blade to provide an aesthetically appealing look. The end result is the bottom right photo – a safe, functional, and elegant horse stall floor.
QUESTION: What is the best type of stall flooring to install the mattress over?
ANSWER: We recommend clients to install their stall mattresses over a flat concrete base. This ensures a level base that is easy to then also fasten the plastic strips to the horse stall walls. That being said, you can also use a natural substrate like crushed. In these cases, we recommend to double confirm that those surfaces are tamped properly and leveled.
Question: All of my stalls are different sizes… Some are 12x12, some are 10x12, and some are 14x15. Can you make this work?
Answer: Yes, we sure can! We are able to outfit custom sizes of horse stalls. When speaking to your Project Manager, please just let them know your approximate stall sizes and quantities. They will accordingly provide you pricing based on each size. Pricing will vary depending on the mattress pads needed along with the top cover size.
Question: How long will this mattress last me?
Answer: The StableComfort Stall Mattress, as any product, requires proper care and maintenance. This means routinely stretching out the top cover every year or so. If maintained right, we have seen that this system stands the test of time – working well for 10-15 years without issues.
Question: What kind of warranty comes with this mattress?
Answer: Each stall mattress system comes with a 3 year warranty. This warranty covers normal, everyday use and proper installation.
Do you have any questions regarding our Stall Mattress systems? Our team is here to help guide you every step of the way to ensure you receive the horse stall flooring. Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.
In today's market, we understand that there are so many options to choose from regarding horse stall doors. Each day, we get a wide variety of questions regarding our horse stalls and our stall doors. Here is a handful of common questions answered about stall doors.
ANSWER: That above “kick plate” is what our team would refer to as a "shavings guard." When the stall door is closed, the shavings guard is enough to keep 90% of shavings inside your horse stall. However, just like any stall, a client will need to manage shavings outflow when the door is open and their horse comes in and out of the stall.
In the photo, it shows a custom sliding horse stall front with a double shavings guard. This is actually quite uncommon and it was a custom request by the client. It is much more common to do simply one shavings guard – either in a steel insert or wood insert.
ANSWER: For starters, there are two primary ways to measure bar spacing on a horse stall. The first option is "on center" (OC) or "end-to-end" (also referred to as a gap." For example, a 3" OC with 1" round bars means that there is a 2" gap.
There are many customers who may see a horse stall on Pinterest, Instagram, or somewhere on the internet. At a glance, the horse stall might look very nice – however, it is important to see the details with a closer eye. When you are looking at a horse stall, it is easy to think that a 3" (4"OC) or 4" (5" OC) is plenty safe. You might even think that there is no way a horse can get its foot in that opening. However, our team sees it time-after-time that 3" end-to-end spacing is TOO much spacing.
At American Stalls, we understand that horses can apply a tremendous amount of force upon their horse stalls. That is why we go to great lengths to space our 1" round bars on 3" centers – meaning 2" space between bars on top. Any bottom 1" bars are spaced on 2.5" centers with a 1.5" gap on the bottom. Rest assured, our bar spacing ensures that not even the smallest of hooves can get stuck in our bar spacing.
ANSWER: If possible, we always recommend our clients to consider adding a yoke to their sliding horse stall's doors. The yoke adds an extra dimension to your stall by allowing your horse to hang their head out of their stall. This allows them to socialize and feel included in the barn.
When it comes to yokes, there are three primary options:
The first option – yoke opening – is a great option for private barns where each horse gets a long with the other horses. Yoke openings work great for private barns especially because the horse owner will know their horses' personalities.
Yoke openings can also be fantastic for commercial facilities such as boarding facilities, training barns, and show barns. That being said, we do understand the concern that facility owners might have about their horses having too much access to other horses. This is especially a concern when the barn's horses might not get along. In these cases, we can manufacture a removable yoke piece (the third option) that fits into your yoke opening to fill it. This provides flexibility so you can choose to fill any number of yokes and keep some yokes open for well-behaved horses.
The last (second) option is the most costly upgrade – the hinged drop down yoke. This yoke option includes both the opening and a secondary yoke piece that operates upon a welded hinge. A client can then open and close the drop down yoke with a plunger latch. This provides all of the benefits of a removable yoke piece, but it is instead attached (welded) to the actual stall door.
Do you have any questions regarding your decisions about your sliding horse stall doors? Are you stuck with where to even start? Our team is here to help guide you every step of the way to ensure you receive the best sliding stall doors for your purposes. Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.
Our (human) children aren't the only ones who are carefully making their wishlist for the holiday season. You might not know it, but your horse secretly has their own wishlist. The holiday season only comes along once a year so here is a list of things your horse is wishing for their horse stalls:
Horse Stall Mattresses
Whether your horse spends a lot of time in their horse stall or out in the pastures, it is a great idea to add comfort to their stall flooring. Our StableComfort Stall Mattresses will give your horses the comfort that they deserve. This horse stall mattress is a seamless stall mat system that has a wall-to-wall top rubber cover which goes over a rubber crumb mattress.
The StableComfort mattress system provides characteristics of a natural pasture. This will allow your horses to walk, stand up and lay down easily without the fear of slipping. Not only with your horse's feet thank you, but it will also do wonders for your stall clean up time and maintenance.
Horse Stall Partitions with Grills
Many barns will have full wood partitions that constrict airflow and ventilation. This holiday season, upgrade your horse stall dividing walls with our grillwork that measures at least 8’ wide and all the way up to 14' wide. This addition will not only help promote airflow, but it will also help your horses see their neighbor.
Automatic Waterers
Feed and water are usually personal decisions, but an automatic waterer system is a great add to any horse stall. An automatic waterer ensures that your horse has access to clean and fresh water.
Dutch Doors or Windows
Whether you are building a new barn or renovating an existing one, barn windows and barn doors are must. Either option will be a welcome addition for your horse. Our exterior windows and doors will allow for plenty of fresh air to come in and out of the stall - not to mention ample sunlight.
Additionally, our windows and Dutch Doors will allow your horse to hang their head out of their stall. Defeat boredom in the stall and promote healthy lungs with our exterior components.
New Horse Stalls
Many times, a barn will have horse stalls that were built 15 to 20 years ago. Although there is nothing wrong with an older horse stall, these stalls will often lack many modern design features. Modern, newly built horse stalls will feature safer bar spacing, more emphasis in ventilation, and safer horse stall latches.
For this reason, treat your horses to new horse stall systems – whether that be our Sliding Horse Stalls, European Horse Stalls, or even our Stall Gates.
These "presents" are guaranteed to add comfort, safety, and happiness for your horse – all while improving your facility's value. Do you have any questions regarding year end holiday purchases? Are you stuck with where to even start? Our team is here to help guide you every step of the way. Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.
Although many of our projects consist of new barns, our team does many barn renovation projects each year. Our renovations can range widely from private 4-stall barns to large 40-stall barns. Each barn renovation requires something different – including stalls, barn doors, windows, and flooring renovations. Our team works hard to understand your existing barn's structure, the surrounding climate, your horses, and your personal style. This way, we can tailor a renovation project to your preferences and overall project.
Although renovations come in many sizes, we want to highlight three particular renovation projects that we have completed this year. These 3 renovations will give you an idea of what is possible for your own barn. Regardless of your the barn structure, we strive to deliver an end result that leads to a safer, more functional, and elegant barn.
Example 1 – Horse Barn in Ocala, Florida
Our first example is a private horse barn in Ocala, Florida. This barn – in traditional Florida fashion – is a shedrow barn for a client's private use. The client already had their stalls in-place, but wanted to upgrade the flooring around the barn. They then finalized on black 1-3/4" rubber pavers to give their outdoor aisles a new look. These rubber pavers not only transformed the look and feel, but also adds safety with our rubbers' anti-slip traction. You can see the newly installed rubber pavers below.
Example 2 – Breeding Facility in Collinsville, Texas
Our first example (above) showed a client who chose to renovate their barn with only flooring components. Our second example shows a client in Collinsville, Texas. Our client, True North Show Horses, brought our team onboard to help with both their new barn and existing barn's renovation. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the existing barn's renovation.
Our client had existing European horse stalls in their barn constructed with cinderblock. However, they wanted to transform these European horse stalls into stalls for their stallions. We then worked with our client and their barn builder to engineer custom sliding horse stalls. The sliding horse stall doors were built to match the stall doors in their new barn. You can see the transformation of their barn in this one row of stalls.
Example 3 – Private Barn in Virginia
Our first two examples both show barn renovations that chose either flooring or custom stall components. This gives our clients an understanding that their renovation can be done in phases.
Our last example shows a barn renovation that took place in Virginia. This client moved into this new property that had an existing horse barn. The couple chose to overhaul the entire barn to house their four horses.
This particular renovation included the following new additions:
The client chose rubber pavers to add a beautiful barn aisle look, but to also add safety and traction to their aisles. They then chose the particular design for their sliding stall doors based on their horses and the location of the barn. The couple decided that their horses knew each other enough that they were comfortable to allow their horses to hang their head out of their stalls at all time with the v-shaped yoke. Lastly, a mesh bottom was added to the horse stall doors to help with ventilation during hot Summers in Virginia. You can see the before and after of this stunning barn below:
Do you have any questions regarding your horse barn renovation? Are you stuck with where to even start? Our team is here to help guide you every step of the way to ensure your renovation yields the exact result you want. Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.
December is weeks away which means that many competitive riders are already getting ready for the Winter season in Florida. The 2022 Winter Season in Florida brings many of the nation's top competitors to Ocala and Wellington. When it comes to competition, we all know that the value of high performance.
In this article, we'd like to share four products that will add safety and comfort to your horse barn. These 4 products will ensure your horses are well-rested and comfortable – leading to high performance. We have divided these 4 products among
Increase Comfort & Recovery Times
Each of our recommendations revolves around the horse's comfort, safety, and happiness. Our first recommendation is our Stall Mattress System. This is a wall-to-wall waterproof stall mat system. It includes three core materials – a mattress pad, rubber crumb, and a rubber top cover for the horse stall.
While we recommend our stall mattress system for any horse, it is particularly recommended for horses that regularly show at horse shows.
The StableComfort stall mat system provides unsurpassed comfort through a resilient stall surface which simulates natural turf. While your horse stands, this stall flooring system provides a supportive, even surface. While lying down the StableComfort stall mattress decreases the timeline of injury rehabilitation and aids in loosening stiff joints.
Our stall mattress systems are in-stock and ready to ship to ensure they are ready for the Winter Season in Wellington and Ocala. Contact our team for any custom sizing requests as well.
Add Ventilation to Your Horse Barn
Whether you are in South Florida or in the Great Lakes, ventilation is crucial in any horse barn. While you prepare for the winter season, below are two products that work in tandem to ensure your barn has plentiful airflow.
Our second recommendation are our PureCOOL Stall Fans – available in 12", 18", and 24" sizes. Although there are many stall fans on the market, we always strong recommend our PureCool Fans. Proudly made in the USA, our fans feature a deep guard design that helps push an incredible amount of air – compared to a traditional disk fan or box fan.
Our fans also include fully enclosed motors to ensure utmost fire safety for your horse barn. Available in multiple sizes, these Pure Cool Stall Fans are a great way to reduce heat stress, control insects, and decrease condensation in your barn.
Our third recommendation is to add our Stall Gates to your barn. These stall gates feature either a European yoke top or a flat grilled top. They also feature mesh on the gate bottom. This mesh has multiple benefits including:
Our Stall Gates are perfect as a stand alone horse stall door – or they can also sit behind an existing sliding stall door. Alternatively, you can order a custom sliding stall door with a mesh bottom for the same benefits.
If possible, we recommend the vast majority of our clients to add both our PureCool Stall Fans and a stall gate (or a custom sliding door with mesh) to their horse stalls. This combination ensures ample airflow from the fan – while a mesh bottom that allows the passing air to flow through your barn.
Also you can read more about how to improve your Horse Stall Performance here.
Allow Your Horses to Socialize
Our last recommendation is to add stall doors or stall gates with yoke openings on the top. This yoke opening allows your horses the ability to hang their head out of their horse stall and socialize within the barn.
If you operate a busy commercial barn, you can even add a hinged drop down yoke that can be closed. Another option is a removable yoke piece that is a removable piece that can fill yoke. This way, you can achieve both an open stall door or closed stall door opening – depending on the horse and your care goals.
Do you have any additional questions? Our team is here to help ensure you have the most successful Winter Season this Winter 2022 in Wellington and Ocala. Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.
When planning your barn project, there are hundreds of micro decisions made on just about everything. This includes everything from the barn's structure to the horse stalls to the barn doors to the lighting fixtures to even security cameras.
When clients have narrowed down to their horse stall fronts, we often get multiple questions. One of the most common questions we get is, "Should I center my horse stall door or leave it off-centered?" We get this question for both our hinged horse stalls using our Stall Gates and also our Sliding Horse Stalls.
For the purposes of this article, we will focus on Sliding Horse Stall Fronts and their door placement. In this article, you will find pros, cons, and things to consider regarding your horse stalls' door placement.
Consideration 1 – Centered Stall Doors Require More Welding
Although this might be a surprise, centered stall doors are usually more expensive to build compared to off-centered stall doors. This is because our team must cut into the steel frame and weld additional 2" square tubing to frame your door's opening. Although it is not a significant cost difference, it is something to consider for your barn project's budget.
Consideration 2 – Centered Stall Doors Provide Privacy
When clients choose Sliding Horse Stalls, they often add a yoke opening or a stall gate behind the door. This is because clients want their horses to have the ability to hang their heads out into the barn aisle. If the stall doors are off-centered (at the end of a stall), a horse can interact (in some cases, annoy) his neighbor who might be eating his food. For this reason, centered stall doors allow more privacy when heads are out of yokes.
Consideration 3 – Feed & Water Placement
We all know that each horse owner has their own way to feed and provide water to their horses. Although this is a subtle design detail, but your door placement can affect your feed and water style. This is a personal preference, but a centered stall door will allow you to separate feed (and hay) from water bucks. This way, your horse is less likely to drag hay into their water buckets.
Consideration 4 – Aesthetics
Although both door placements can make for an elegant stall, centered horse stall doors tend to be dressier than their off-centered counterparts. In many of our large-scale projects, architects and builders tend to prefer centered doors as they provide a cleaner visual. This is because the doors are all placed in the same opening - as opposed to off-centered doors that can have a left door on one row and a right door on the other side.
Despite the above four considerations, we firmly believe that you can build an elegant horse stall front – whether you choose a centered door or an off-centered stall door. Our team will help you build a stall front system that is elegant, safe, and functional.
Do you have any additional questions? Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.
Guest Author: Connor Duszynski
There’s no doubt that the equestrian world is bursting at the seams; with more equestrians embracing the sport than ever before, and equestrian enthusiasts enjoying all that this unique culture has to offer, we’ve noticed the general public’s interest in all-things-equine is piquing, particularly following this past summer’s events calendar. Kicking off the 2021 summer polo season, our American Stalls team had the pleasure of sponsoring Virginia United Polo’s All-Pro Polo Match, featuring the talents of Nacho Figueras, Kareem Rosser, and countless other high-goal polo pros. In celebration of the program, we joined the League’s other generous sponsors at the Salamander Resort & Spa’s barn in the heart of Virginia’s Horse & Hunt Country.
Donning our finest, we chatted our way through the barn, catching up with our friends as we stopped to pose with the pros at various points throughout the evening. As we followed the bistro lights lining the stables, stopping only for brief photo-ops and champagne intermissions, we began to wonder why this kind of experience wasn’t more common. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we were wishing all our parties could be hosted in such gorgeous barns!
Of course, we’ve attended nonprofit fundraisers for therapeutic riding services hosted in barns before, but we wondered why more barn owners, equestrians, and their guests didn’t enjoy these kinds of intimate evenings in their own facilities more often. We’d be dressing up the stall doors, stables, and tack rooms with equestrian decor, chic stylings, and some strategically-placed bottles of refreshments. This vision, so classically-Americana to us, reminds us why we love spending our time in our barns; it’s romantic, it’s meaningful, and it makes us feel closer to the spaces we love.
All equestrians and patrons of the equestrian lifestyle know that one’s barn is one’s home away from home. When you’re not in your muck boots, cleaning out the stables or tending to your horses, your barn is a sanctuary. What better way to celebrate that connection than by making the most of your barn in showcasing its beauty to your guests at your events?
This vision of a summer’s night spent in the barn is perhaps even more tempting to us knowing that our American Stalls products make for the perfect picturesque backdrop to any event, photo-op, or dinner one could hope to host. For an event your guests won’t forget, make our stunning and personalized barn doors the focal point of the room. Whether you decide to set the dinner tables near the door, or have a live band or vocalist perform in front of it, our American Stalls barn doors are guaranteed to stand out.
Our custom European Stall Fronts and Sliding Stall Fronts are other products of ours that make for the perfect backdrop to any intimate gathering. Our Sliding Stall Fronts, dressed-up with brass accents, arches, and yokes, especially makes for a more personalized feel that you won’t find in other standard fronts. We’d love to hear how you enjoy socializing and dressing up your barns, thanks to our gorgeous products. In the meantime, we’ll be planning our next party! Won’t you join us?
Designing a safe and efficient barn starts with the aisleway. From optimizing width and storage to choosing quality flooring and lighting, learn 4 essential tips to create a barn aisle that ensures the safety and comfort of both horses and humans.
Stress in horses can lead to health issues and unhappiness. Explore practical barn improvements to reduce boredom and enhance your horse's well-being.
In today's world, there are so many options and floor plans that it can difficult to narrow down your choices. This applies to everything related to building a new horse barn.
When you are looking to build a new barn, the first step is to choose the design. To begin, we recommend to decide between the 2 most population options: center aisle barns and shed row barns.
Both of these barn structures have their own distinct aesthetic – while providing multiple benefits to equestrians. Read on below to learn about the differences and decide which barn structure is best for your purposes.
Center Aisle Barn
A center aisle horse barn is the quintessential American barn design. It is likely that you have seen this very barn structure dominating the country side. This barn features two rows of stalls on either side of an open (centered) aisle. It can be one or two stories high. When you picture a classic American horse barn, the aisle barn is probably what comes to mind.
When considering a center aisle barn, advantages include:
The above advantages do come with their share of disadvantages. Firstly, center aisle barns require more complex designs that often increase prices. Secondly, this constructions requires more careful ventilation compared to a shed row barn. This is because the center aisle barn is built up into multiple stories.
Shed Row Barn
A Shed Row Barn is a barn that includes a row of stalls that open into an open aisleway (also referred to as a "breezeway"). This means that the row of stalls are left exposed to the outside – usually protected by an overhang (also referred to as a "lean-to"). In a shed row barn, you can find just one row of horse stalls or the stalls can also be configured in a back-to-back configuration. In general, a shed row barn tends to be smaller and have a less built-up profile than a center aisle barn.
For the most part, shed-row barns are most commonly found in racing and training stables. These barns are very popular in warm climates.
When considering a shed row barn, advantages include:
While a shed row barn has many advantages, it comes with two primary disadvantages. Firstly, a shed row is open to bad weather and good weather. This means that heavy rain, snow, and wind can make their way into your horse stalls. This also means that extra dirt, dust, leaves, and insects can find their way into your horses' stalls. This can be alleviated with large overhangs, but it is still a consideration point.
Secondly, shed row barns usually include fairly basic floor plans. This leads to barns that do not include luxury amenities such as extra tack rooms, lounges, and wash bays. That being said, one can spruce up a shed row barn's layout by adding an L-layout or U-layout that builds a courtyard. This particular design is prevalent throughout warmer climates from southern United States to Latin America.
The decision between a center aisle barn and shed row barn is ultimately a decision that is particular to your horses, design goals, and project budget. Please feel free to reach out our team if you have any questions. Our team has experience in working with general contractors, builders, and architects across the nation. We can make recommendations based on your location.
Please kindly feel free to send us an email at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form.
We all know that our barn improvements require significant time, energy, and hard earned resources. This applies to anything in the barn, but especially to pricy components such as horse stalls, barn end doors, Dutch doors, and barn windows.
When you are ready for your next barn project, it will be easy to come across many options. In today's marketplace, there are countless designs and finishes. Despite these options, it is best to begin with the basics to build stabling products that are built to last.
The right materials and finishes will guarantee the very best stabling equipment (Dutch Doors pictured here).
This means that one should do the fundamentals right. In this case, what exactly is "fundamental" or the "basics?" It is the raw materials – most commonly metals and lumber. (We did a separate post for choosing the right lumber here)
In this post, we will cover the following about steel:
To begin, let's cover the basic fundamental difference between black carbon steel and galvanized steel:
Black steel and galvanized steel are the two most common kind of steel tubing. At their core, both black steel tubes and galvanized tubes are made of steel. However, galvanized tubing has a zinc coating while black pipe does not. It is this layer of zinc that makes galvanized steel have higher ability of corrosion (i.e. rust) protection. As a result, galvanized steel is more durable.
PRO TIP: When it comes to your horse stall equipment, your first (easy) decision should be to pick galvanized steel over black carbon steel.
Next up, there are two primary types of galvanized steel to consider when it comes to your horse stalls, barn doors, and barn windows. The two main options in the US market are:
Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel:
Hot dip galvanizing will provide the best protection from rust. This process creates a thick, scratch-resistant and virtually rustproof coating – even in coastal areas that receive regular salt exposure. American Stalls first completely constructs, welds, and cleans our equine equipment. Then, the entire product is submerged into a bath of molten zinc. This zinc bonds to the steel which creates several layers of zinc iron alloy. This creates the easy-identifiable crystallized pattern that covers the surface.
Portable horse stalls with hot-dip galvanized steel treatment.
The main advantage to hot-dip galvanized steel is long-term rust protection. The main disadvantages of hot-dip galvanized steel often include higher cost and the inability to powder coat the hot-dip galvanized steel. Lastly, the shiny metallic finish dulls into a chalky grey over time due to oxidization.
Pre-Galvanized Steel
Similar to hot-dip galvanized steel, pre-galvanized steel does also include a zinc protective layer. That being said, pre-galvanized steel does have a thinner layer of zinc compared to the above hot-dip galvanized steel.
Sliding Stall Doors – welded using pre-galvanized steel.
This material still provides excellent rust protection on the outside of the steel. In some cases, if there is any "surface rust" or a powder substance from weathering, you can wipe it right off with a rag or cloth. This "surface rust" is caused by the zinc coating protecting your steel. Rest assured, it will not rust like your standard black carbon steel.
PRO TIP: When it comes to deciding between hot-dip galvanized steel (HDG) and pre-galvanized steel, it will come down to 2 factors for most customers. HDG will be pricier than pre-galvanized steel. Secondly, HDG treatment is not friendly to powder coat finishes. For this reason, we recommend pre-galvanized steel to clients who want a powder coat for their horse stalls.
Once you have decided on the galvanization and steel treatment, your next decision will be about the horse stall's finish. Often times, this means the colored paint.
Paint Finishes for Horse Stalls and Barn Doors
The next step to durable, long-lasting horse stalls is your choice in paint finish. Depending on your horse stalls' manufacturer, these are the most commonly found paint finishes:
Your paint finish is a decision that will affect both your horse stall and barn doors' longevity and safety. Powder coasting is superior to all other forms of paint application when it comes to stalls – leading to the smoothest, most uniform finish. Before coating, we ensure that our steel is grind down to ensure a smooth, consistent finish. This coating forms a smooth protective “skin” over the equipment’s steel.
Powder coated horse stall doors (left and middle) and barn entry doors (right).
At American Stalls, our guarantee is that your horse stall equipment is safe, elegant, and built to last. That is why all of our barn equipment uses pre-galvanized steel. This steel treatment ensures that your investment is well protected from the rigors of any barn environment. We take pride in the consistent beautiful finishes in our products. Our team will help you choose a finish that is the most appropriate for your needs and geographical environment.
Do you have any additional questions? Please kindly feel free to contact us today at (855) 957- 8255, email us at sales@americanstalls.com to schedule a sales and design consultation or complete our inquiry form. We look forward to assisting you!
