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Summers in Virginia mean uncomfortable amounts of heat and humidity. The average summer temperatures in Northern Virginia reach the upper 80’s.

Regardless of your region, Summer naturally brings hotter temperatures that require proactive planning.

Summer weather can bring a variety of health hazards if you own a horse. These health hazards can include everything from dehydration to pesky bug problems to heatstrokes.

Horses are usually able to cope well with heat and humidity, but extra care in management can go a long way. Here are a few ways you can keep your horse healthy and cool this Summer:

BARN MANAGEMENT:

1. Adjust your turnout schedule.
   Plan your turnout schedule around the cooler times of day during early mornings and late evening. These are the best times for turnout as it allows for minimal sunlight and maximum shade.
   
2. Plan around bugs.
   Mosquitos and flies are nuisances that can further stress horses during the summer season. Don’t let Summer’s bugs stress your horse out even more.
   
   To keep mosquitos from breeding, get rid of any standing, stagnant water in your horse’s stall or water trough. We also recommend that you regularly remove manure from the pasture and barn.
   
3. Airflow inside your barn.
   Midday is often the most comfortable time of day to stable your horses as the sun is at its maximum exposure. Be sure to install fans in your barn aisle and your stalls to maximize ventilation.

HYDRATION:

1. Easy access to water.
   Your horse’s hydration is vital in high temperatures. This is why it is crucial to plan for easy access to water at all times. Keep several water sources available and refill water bucks with fresh, clean water every day.
   
2. Electrolytes.
   If you suspect dehydration, you may be able to help your horse by providing electrolyte supplements. It’s best to check with your vet to understand which specific supplements work best for your horse.
   
   In the meantime, you can be proactive by feeding an electrolyte powder inn your horse’s morning feed. Another option is to dissolve the powder in the water trough – and offering a salt or mineral lick to encourage drinking. Please note that you should immediately call your vet if you ever suspect severe dehydration.
   
3. Cold water.
   Another handy tip is to freeze gallon jugs of water. We then place them in our horse’s water troughs like ice cubes.
   
   The cold water allows for hydration – while simultaneously regulating your horse’s temperature from the inside out.

IF YOU’RE RIDING:

1. Use lightweight tack.
   This simple hack is one of the easiest way to ease the load on your horse’s body. This might mean switching from your heavy western saddle to a lighter weight English saddle or bareback pad.
   
2. Lighter workloads.
   Your horse will appreciate a lighter and shorter ride. If you usually work in a sunny ring, perhaps opt to take a trail ride in the shade instead. Regardless of your regime, be sure to include a proper cool down at the end of your horse.
   
3. Cool down after riding.
   Before you finish with your horse, be sure to give him a cold shower to lower his body temperatures. The most important areas to spray are his neck, chest, and and between his legs.

Clients all over North America request American Stalls for specific reasons.

Many request our company because we maintain the highest standards in horse stall industry because of our commitment to safety, durability, and aesthetics.

Sure, you can find a cheaper product in your local neighborhood. However, you will only find one company that holds a true commitment to building premium horse stall equipment – whether it's custom European horse stalls or portable, expo horse stalls.

Our stall equipment blends fashionable aesthetics, true functionality, and safe product design all in one package at a fair price.

Fifteen years later, our team has amassed invaluable experience. Below are a few things to look for when working with a reputable horse stall equipment manufacturer.

1.HEAVY-GAUGE STEEL PARTS
At a minimum, a reputable horse stall manufacturer will use 14GA galvanized steel for the stall's frame. They will then use either 16GA galvanized steel for the portable stall's interior bars and 14GA galvanized steel for permanent horse stall interior bars.

2. NO EXPOSED SHARP EDGES
Our manufacturing process includes multiple stages in which all steel components are carefully welded, grounded, and polished to get rid of any potential sharp edges.

3. SMOOTHLY GROUNDED AND THOROUGHLY WELDED JOINTS
Similar to criteria #2, our craftsman ensure all joints are smoothly grounded to allow for seamless welds.

Beware of companies that engage in "pinch welding" instead of seamless MIG welding. Learn more in our American Stalls vs. Competition guide below.

4. SMOOTH, CONSISTENT FINISHES
All of our stall equipment – horse stalls, roofing, stall gates – utilizes pre-galvanized steel tubing from our trusted partners. At customer request, our team then finishes the treated pre-galvanized steel with a smooth, consistent finish.

5. PROFESSIONAL LAYOUT AND STALL DESIGN
Our team has over twelve years of experience in working with the finest equestrian facilities throughout North America. Our design team will work with you to provide:

• Complimentary CAD drawings as per your requirements
• Complimentary 3D renderings prior to manufacturing
• Complimentary design consultation
• Complimentary stalls layouts – during usage and storage

6. KNOWLEDGEABLE DESIGN STAFF
In addition to the above, our design team has worked with a wide variety of equestrian facilities across different geographies, breeds, disciplines, you name it.

We are here to help you build horse stall equipment that fits any and all of your requirements

7. REFERRALS & PAST PROJECTS
We have had the privilege to work with world-class customers and facilities across North America. Our team would to share our wide breadth of past projects – as well provide referrals for your reference.

To learn, please click the button below to download our Horse Stalls 101 Guide. Are you a commercial equine facility planning a 50+ stall project? If so, please also find a download button for our Project Planning Guide.

Do you run a small or medium-sized equestrian business (including training facility, breeding facility, polo club, etc)?

Do you operate a large horse show, rodeo, stock show, horse expo, or fairgrounds?

Do you have an upcoming barn remodeling project?

OR are you simply adding new stalls to your existing facilities?

Every stalls project has its share of complexities whether it's for 20 stalls or 2,000 stalls. It is crucial to fully understand the complexities since horse stalls are often a significant capital investment for equestrian facilities.

This combines with the fact that horse stalls are often the first thing your customers will see and use on your facility's premises.

That is why it is crucial to purchase stall equipment that will:

1. Safely house your horses and your clients' horses.
2. Reflect your facility's standards of quality and safety.
3. Last your facility for 15+ years.

Based on more than a decade of experience, here is a guide that walks business owners through crucial questions in planning for horse stalls.

A clean barn environment is crucial to a horse’s overall health. This is pertinent to the horse stalls, feed rooms, tack rooms, wash bay areas, and just about any other area in the barn. Yet, as horse people, we understand that it is challenging to maintain the barn's cleanliness from time to time.

It’s impossible to make barn surfaces 100% sterile (free of all bacteria and viruses), but meticulous disinfection can go a long way toward reducing harmful bacteria and viruses.

To begin, it is important to disinfect a horse’s stall anytime you have an ill horse on your property. This means that you must disinfect the horse stall after the horse recovers and before the stall is used to house another horse.

Here are some helpful tips on how to properly disinfect a horse stall:

1. Timing the Cleaning & Removing Horses: If at all possible, choose a cleaning period when you can expect to have sunny, warm days with breeze to help ventilate the cleaning. In the meantime, take any other horses out of the barn and to an area away from the contaminated horse stall.
2. Remove all bedding: Remove all bedding, manure, and strip the horse stall bare. Don’t put any contaminated bedding in the manure pile or the spreader because these piles can be breeding grounds for other bacteria.
3. Remove removable objects: Remove all removable objects such as stall mats, buckets, hay nets, and other equipment from the stall. Clean these removal objects with a mixture of hot water and dish detergent – scrubbing the buckets with a stiff-bristled brush. Rinse thoroughly and then continue to scrub the items again with a 10% solution of bleach. Allow the buckets to then air-dry without rinsing. We then recommend to scrub a third time with hot water and dish detergent (and any other disinfects). Rinse thoroughly after this last scrub to remove any detergent or bleach residue. We highly recommend that stall mats are cleaned in a similar fashion – then hanging them up somewhere off the barn floor to dry out.
4. Disinfecting the actual horse stall: Clean the horse stall with a similar method as above. Spray the stall with a 10% solution of bleach before applying a disinfectant. This helps remove biofilms that can protect bacteria from disinfectants. Allow the horse stall to completely dry before spraying a disinfectant. We then recommend that you completely wash the stall walls and other solid surfaces with a pressure washer or garden horse, a stiff scrub brush, and dishwashing detergent. TIP: Pump sprayers from your local hardware stores work well to apply bleach and disinfectants.
5. Choosing a Disinfectant: We recommend that you ask your veterinarian for a recommendation on the best disinfectant to use. Phenolic disinfectants are often the best choice, but the exact disinfectant can widely depend on the pathogen that you wish to control. After using the disinfectant, please allow the horse stall to fully dry.

Purchasing Process

I don’t live in the state of Virginia. Can I still purchase stall equipment from American Stalls?

We are located just outside Washington D.C., but our customers are all over North America. Our stall equipment serves personal and commercial facilities all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Our expert logistics team can coordinate the best transportation to help your stall equipment reach your barn via the quickest, most efficient method.

What gauge of steel will my stalls be? What does that mean?

The gauge of steel describes the thickness of the wall of steel tubing or sheet steel. A lower gauge signifies a thicker steel. American Stalls uses heavy (low) gauge steel when constructing our products.

For example, our portable horse stalls feature 14-gauge steel while our permanent horse stalls feature 12-gauge steel.

Helpful tip: Lower golf scores = better score. Steel gauges work the same way. The lower the gauge, the thicker the steel.

Installation & Handling

How difficult are these stalls or gates to install?

We pride ourselves in building equine equipment that is simple to use.

At the time of delivery, our team provides an installation guide. This document will help you and/or your local builder install your new equipment with ease.

We prep all of our equipment with pre-drilled holes and include connector pins to ensure easy installation. Lastly, American Stalls is always on-hand to answer any installation questions that you or your builder may have.

Shipping & Delivery

How will my order be delivered?

Our logistics team helps our clients once paperwork and payment is complete.

We coordinate delivery using the quickest, most efficient methods using

Transit begins once the stall equipment is picked up by a third-party freight carrier from our facility. The client is then contacted for delivery by the third-party driver.

Please note that all delivery and shipping times are estimated – not guaranteed. American Stalls cannot coordinate exact delivery times and windows. However, the client can coordinate with the third-party freight carrier once contacted by the driver.

Will I need any equipment to unload my equipment during delivery?

We strongly recommend that customers arrange forklifts prior to delivery. We recommend two forklifts with long forks (not fork extensions) – rated with a capacity of at least 6,000 lbs.

We provide additional delivery recommendations to clients once an order is processed.

Can I pick up my order from American Stalls?

Yes, our clients can pick up their American Stalls stall equipment from our facility in Baltimore, Maryland.

Stalls Finish & Care

What is the best way to care for my horse stall finish?
A working horse barn’s environment is subject to several variables – including everyday wear-and-tear, weather conditions, and more.

We often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of barn life, but you can preserve your stalls’ finish in a few easy steps!

Keep an eye on items that hang from your stalls including halters, feed bags, blanket bars, bridle hooks, and more. Over time, the constant wearing can mar or scratch the finish. I’s crucial to address scratches and scrapes as soon as they occur.

Contact American Stalls for assistance in finding touch-up paint to fix those small blemishes before they become bigger issues.

Can I return my American Stalls equine equipment?

American Stalls does not accept returns or offer refunds. However, if a return is accepted, then the return will be subject to a restocking fee. Additionally, the client will be responsible for arranging and payment of return shipping. Any returned stall equipment must be in new condition with original packaging in sellable condition. More information can be found in our Sales Terms and Conditions.

We are the industry leader in portable horse stalls because we routinely challenge industry norms.

The modern equestrian is busier than ever.

We accordingly design our equine equipment to fit the modern equestrian's lifestyle. Our Show Series portable horse stalls sport a synthetic vinyl that replaces traditional tongue and groove lumber. This change allows for a lightweight, yet highly durable horse that is easy to move and disinfect. Our vinyl comes is available in more than a dozen colors – allowing you to add personality to your barn. Our commitment to bold design makes for a simple, safe, and stunning horse stall.

Our equine equipment is designed by horse people, for horse people. That means we design our equipment with a focus on seamless maintenance and day-to-day use.

Each horse stall includes four (4) horse stall panels and minimal installation hardware. Our simple design allows for an easy installation and disassembly. Our simple installation design gives you the flexibility to move your Show Series portable horse stalls as you see fit.

Our Stall Gates feature a smooth gentle roll yoke and double frame bar. This simple designs pairs aesthetics with functionality. The stall gates' design allows for quick installation, increased socialization, and reduced bowing.

Your horse's safety is our utmost priority.

We design our equine equipment with our own horses in mind.

Our Stall Gates and Elite Show Series feature a gentle roll yoke door that allows your horse peek their head out. This allows your horse to feel part of day-to-day barn shenanigans. We purposely chose vinyl as our Show Series stalls' filler material. Our vinyl discourages kicking, eliminates splinters, and decreases potential injuries. This material is also easily wiped down, washed, and disinfected.

Our mission is to make your horse feel at home when they are in an American Stalls horse stall. Our equipment is built to give you peace of mind.

Horse stalls have been around as long as we can remember.

There is everything from the simple backyard pleasure stall to the fancy show barn that features European stall fronts.

Despite the design, at its core, the horse stall is the basic functional unit of any horse barn or shelter. That's why it's so crucial to understand everything that goes into building the right horse stall.

Below is the order of elements that go into designing a horse stall (descending in importance)

1. Safety for horses and handlers
2. Comfort for the horse
3. Convenience for the handler in performing chores associated with great horse care.
4. The horse stalls' aesthetics

The basics of a safe, functional horse stall are the same regardless of your management style and needs. In this post, we will provide an overview of some basic horse stall features for the typical 1,000-pound horse. The dimensions can be adjusted accordingly for larger breeds.

The Horse Stall | General Basics

Your horse's size and the amount of the time the horse spends in the horse stall help determine the stall’s size.

Larger horses require more square footage than smaller breeds such as ponies and miniature horses. This larger space is necessary to allow your horse to turn around, lie down, and get up comfortable.

A 12’x’12’ horse stal is the standard recommendation for most horses. However, many facilities are successful with portable horse stalls that are slighter smaller at a 10’x10’ size.

A larger horse stall size is justified if the horse spends significant time in the stall or is more active. American Stalls designs stalls of sizes, but the most common sizes include 10’x10’ and 12’x’12’ for portable horse stalls.

We recommend that barn owners be mindful because more space tends to correlate with higher expenses. More space requires more maintenance, more bedding, and a larger surface area to clean.

Hence, larger horse stalls can add significantly to the cost of building a barn by:

1. Adding to the overall length and/or width of a barn.
2. Increasing the span of the framing lumber.
3. Requiring roof framing to be increased from 2x10’s to 2x12’s – or even greater.

The two components that go into a stall are the front horse stall panels and horse stall side panels.

SIDE PANELS & BACK PANELS | PORTABLE HORSE STALLS

Horse stall partitions between stalls must be at least 7’ high to prevent horses from getting their legs over the wall. Aside from the dimensions, one has many options in regards to the partitions’ designs.

These include:

• Half Filler (Vinyl, HDPE, tongue and groove lumber) and half bars/or mesh.
  • Barred or mesh portions on top are great for added ventilation. This allows horses to see their companions while giving the owner visibility of their horses.
    • However, this option’s downside is that the increased ventilation between stalls can increase the risk of airborne bacterial infections between horses.
• That is why so many horse shows and large expo centers choose solid partitions from top to bottom.

FRONT DOOR PANELS | PORTABLE HORSE STALLS

Horse stall fronts will match the stall partitions’ height, but the length can vary according to your barn’s length. We design our horse stall front panels to include doors with a seven feet height opening and 48" width. These are the dimensions of the actual open area that the horse can pass through. These doorway openings are essential for overall horse and handler safety. Stay tuned for series 2.0 which will go more in-depth regarding stall front doors.

Aside from dimensions, most horse stall fronts feature a steel bars on the top half of the stall panel. Both options allow an owner to look down the aisle or into the stall as they walk down the aisle.

There's much more details one needs to account for when designing horse stalls. Stay tuned for next week's continued discussion!

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team if you have any particular questions. We are always here to help our fellow equestrians!

Ponies.

Warmbloods.

Thoroughbreds.

Shetlands.

Miniatures.

The list goes on.

Many of our customers don’t have just one breed or type of horse – whether it’s an individual owner or a commercial training business. Because of this, our customers usually ask, “what is the best size horse stall for our particular situation?”

In the world of horse stalls, there is is truly no “one-size fits all” option. A stall’s size depends on your horse's size, temperament, and individual tendencies.

Whether you are building a new barn or adding more stalls, it is crucial that a barn owner makes it a priority to first figuring out the size of stalls to ensure a safe, comfortable home for their horses.

Here are some things to consider during your next horse stall project:

1. A horse should be able to comfortably enter the stall, move, turn around and lie down in his/her stall.
2. An average-sized horse (about 14-16 hands) can fit comfortably in a 12’ x 12’ stall. That being said, one can consider a smaller stall such as 10’x12′ – depending on personal preferences and stall usage.
3. Ponies, Welsh or Shetland breeds typically will do well in a 10’ x 10’ stall.
4. Warmblood, thoroughbred and draft breeds (breeds that are usually 16 to 18 hands tall) need 12’ x 12’ and larger stalls
5. Mares approaching their foaling date or mares with foals are best housed in an extra large stall – 20’ x 20’ stall at a minimum, you could look here.

Have an upcoming stalls project?

Our design team is here to share our ten years of experience in working with everyone from individual barn owners to horse shows carrying 1,000 stalls. We’re always here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation on your upcoming stalls project!