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Although it is an expensive service, the selection of an equine architect is just as crucial as choosing the right contractor.
An architects’ benefits are immeasurable as the thoughtful planning will save you time, resources, and headache in the long run.
An experienced equine architect will help with your barns's aesthetics, but will simultaneously help ensure that your barn is functional. Reputable equine architects will help you think about your barn site’s location, the surrounding topography, climate, and other details. All of these factors will add up to make a significant difference in your barn’s day-to-day ease of operations.
Once you speak to an architect, do make sure to communicate your vision, your requirements, and your budget. As is the case with anything, the more honest you are upfront, the easier the process will be at the end. It is easy for yourself or the architect to get carried away without having proper discussions of your barn’s vision, your budget, your horses’ breeds, and how you see the barn’s function.
While we do recommend clients to work with an architect if their budget allows – there are times when an architect is not required. For example, your project’s simplicity may not require an architect’s involvement. Another example is if your project’s overall budget doesn't fit the architect's fees. A third example is when a client will have a discussion with an architect and realize that they want a simple, pre-fabricated barn. In this case, you simply don’t need an architect.
An architect involvement is truly dependent on your barn’s purpose and estimated budget. No two barn projects are the same. For example, we can work with a client who wants to build a 18-stall barn with an indoor arena, office, laundry room, wash bay area, tack room, and a client lounge. For their stabling, they’d like European stall fronts, Dutch Doors, shutter windows, and rubber pavers as flooring. The conversation will inevitably lead to a quotation when a client asks, “what will something like this cost?”
Horse barns – without the involvement of an equine architect – can still be beautiful and extremely functional.
The true answer is that such a project could cost anywhere from $150,000 to $3,000,000. The first amount could be a more utilitarian barn. The latter (or somewhere in-between) is where the project's budget is well spent with a preliminary conceptual drawing. For a project with a latter project, an architect can come into provide a farm site masterplan, structural conceptual drawings, and help you truly sculpt your vision into a reality.
If you do choose to hire a reputable equine architect, it will entail a project where you are surrounded by the right team. This entire process will help you look at the project’s reality along with your ultimate vision. This means that it puts you in touch with people to approach project’s lead time, budget, and scale with a real view of your facility’s vision.
At American Stalls, we have experience in working alongside and serving some of the nation's leading equine architects.
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. One of our Project Managers would also be more than happy to help answer any questions and further explain the process.
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.
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.
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.
Discover the essentials of steel finishes for your horse stall equipment. From galvanized steel types to the best paint finishes, this guide helps you make informed decisions that ensure safety, beauty, and durability in your barn.
Designing a horse barn is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that requires careful planning. From barn layout to stall styles, climate considerations, and materials, every detail matters. At American Stalls, our experienced team is here to guide you through the process, ensuring a safe, functional, and beautiful barn for your horses.
Ventilation is key to your horse's health and comfort. In this article, we share three effective ways to improve airflow in your barn—from stall fans and mesh doors to barn windows—so you can reduce odors, prevent heat stress, and ensure fresh air for your horses all year long.
