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In any barn project, horse stalls are usually a major center of attention. After all, your horses will spend much of their barn-time in their horse stalls. Your horse stalls are the focal point of the barn interior – both in terms of aesthetics, but also in terms of your day-to-day experience.
We can empathize that it is often confusing even knowing where to begin with your stalls project. That's why we'd like to offer this curation of past blog posts about all things relating to Horse Stalls. In this post, you'll find many previous blog posts organized in a logical fashion to help you become an expert.
General Topics:
Hinged & Sliding Horse Stall Fronts:
Hinged Stall Gates:
Do you have an upcoming project for your dream horse barn or your equestrian facility? Our team of experts 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.
When designing horse stalls, we understand just how important it is to make sure your horse is comfortable. We believe that comfort can mean several things in a horse stall. That includes large enough horse stalls, ample airflow in a stall, easy access to water and feed, and even the ability to socialize with other horses. When it comes our Horse Stall Fronts, the addition of a yoke to a Sliding Horse Stall Door is extremely popular.
What is a "yoke?" It is the opening in a horse stall door through which a horse can hang his head outside of the horse stall. The inclusion of a yoke in your horse stall door allows your horses the ability to stick their heads into the aisle to feel a part of the barn community. While a yoke might be best for every single stall and horse, the addition can prevent boredom and boost moods.
Yokes come in all sorts of styles including v-shaped yokes, square yokes, rectangular yokes, and more. In this blog, we'd like share visuals and things to consider with the different styles in yokes.
Yoke Opening
One of the most popular design choices is a simple, open yoke design. This yoke design is a cut-out – available in many designs – that is open at all times. We can custom design and build just about any style for a yoke opening. This includes popular options such as V-Shaped Yokes, Gentle European Yokes, Straight Rectangular Yokes, and other styles.
This design allows your horse to hang their head out of their stall – while maintaining in the center of the horse stall door. The design can be lowered or raised depending on your horses' deposition.
Hinged Fold Down Yoke:
Similar to other yoke designs, our hinged fold down yokes can be made in various designs – whether it is v-shaped, straight rectangular, or anything else. These yokes feature our plunger latch and heavy-duty hinges. Our selection in welded hinges make sure that your yoke is long-lasting and operates smoothly for years to come.
The plunger latches provides you with the ability to open and close the yoke as you see fit. For example, our hinged yoke can allow you to keep the yoke open during the daytime, but closed during the night time. Another use case for this yoke style can be in a training and boarding barn. For example, there might be certain stalls where horses get along well. In these cases, you can simply drop the yoke down to allow socialization for well-behaved horses. In contrast, some horses (i.e. stallions) might get along as well – for which the closed position is preferred.
Removable Yokes:
Our Removable Yoke designs offer the best of both worlds – similar to the above hinged fold down yokes. These yokes start with an open yoke design (our first mentioned design). This is where it is a cut-out in the door. We then expertly place holes in the opening's top (in the door frame) and the yoke's bottom center. We then build an external yoke-piece that fits seamlessly into that yoke opening to close into place.
This yoke option is particularly useful for larger, busier horse barns where a client is adding yoke openings on the stall doors. Our team can prep all of the yoke openings to have the pre-drilled holes and slots to receive these removable yoke pieces. This then saves the expense of putting a hinged fold down yoke in every stall.
We hope that this article has helped give you more insight into available yoke options for your horse stall doors. Do you have any questions on this post or simply need help with your barn project? You can reach us at sales@americanstalls.com or a call at (855) 957-8255. Alternatively, you can also complete a Contact Us Form. We look forward to assisting in bringing your dream barn project to life!
It's the second week of October and we're finally seeing falling leaves and change in their beautiful colors. These changes signal the shift from Summer to Fall to Winter. Before we know it, winter will soon be knocking on our barn doors.
This time of the year (mid-to-late Fall) is the perfect time to prepare the barn for winter. After all, it's of utmost importance to ensure a safe, comfortable, and functional environment for our four-legged friends. Before the temperatures drop further and snow piles on, here are six things that will make sure your barn is ready for the Winter months.
#1 – Deep Clean Your Horse Stalls
Just like your home or your car, it's easy for our barn cleaning routine to fall behind during the colder Winter months. For this reason, we recommend to get a head start in deep cleaning your horse stalls. We recommend to remove the any bedding and manure from Fall months. This helps us do a thorough deep clean and stall disinfection. [Read our article on how to disinfect a horse stall here]. After disinfection and a deep clean, you can then use stall dry products to dry up any wet spots in your stall. As cold weather ramps up, we can add layers of clean dry straw to make for comfortable bedding.
We have a thorough guide on how to disinfect your horse stalls.
#2 – Organize Blankets
As we transition to colder weather, identify and clean your horse’s lightweight sheet. As temperatures drop through October, we recommend to be mindful about your horses’ blanketing needs. There might be some nights where your horses may require light blanketing. As we get further into November, it is important to ensure that your heavy blankets are cleaned and ready to go. This way, winter will not sneak up on you.
Lastly, one of the best ways to organize your blankets in the barn are through high-quality blanket bars. A well made blanket bar will have enough space between the horse stall and the blanket bar. This space will allow space for your lightweight blankets and heavy blankets to dry.
Lastly, make sure that each of the blankets still properly fit your horses. Athletes, new borns, seniors, and laid up horses may have gained or lost weight over the Summer and early Fall. For this reason, we recommend to check that their blankets fit snug around them.
#3 – Inspect Electrical Components and the HVAC
No matter the age of your horse barn, we recommend to schedule inspections on your wiring and electrical outlets. A thorough inspection includes the clearing of dust, debris, and cobwebs.
In the long daylight hours of summertime and early Fall, we might notice (or care) that certain indoor or outdoor lights have gone out. This all changes, of course, once the evenings grow shorter and we find ourselves changing a bulk in the evening. Make sure all your work areas will be well lit when you need them to be. Replace any blown bulbs and check wires for fraying.
We also recommend to have your HVAC system inspected if your barn has a system. Lastly, also recommend to outfit your barn with battery-powered (or solar powered) flashlights to provide safe access to your barn during power outages. Please note that all outlets or frayed wiring should be immediately repaired by a licensed professional.
#4 – Inspect & Clean Your Barn’s Feed Room & Plan Ahead
Chilly fall evenings are often a cue for rodents to look for extra food. Before you know, a horse barn’s feed room can be an ideal outlet for rodents. For this reason, we recommend to clean up your feed room to help reduce the risk of rodents and insects. Sweep up spilled feed that will attract your unwanted guest.
Inspect your storage containers to make sure the lids seal tight. We recommend metal trash cans or metal bins instead of plastic bins that can be chewed through by rodents. Lastly, if you store hay in your feed room, use pallets that allow for better air circulation.
Once you have inspected the condition of the feed room, we recommend to plan ahead your feed. Be sure to check supplements on hand and their expiration dates. It’s always also a good idea to have extra quantities of any necessities to hedge delivery difficulties caused by winter storms. We recommend a rule of thumb to buy about 10 percent more than you think you’ll need.
#5 – Inspect for Drafts & Superior Ventilation
Although it might be contrary to popular opinion, our horses don’t mind the cold the same way humans do. We speak with new horse barn builders all the time and communicate that you don’t need to close up your barn to prevent heat from escaping like a private residence. After all, ventilation is essential for a horse’s overall health and specifically lung health.
That being said, we recommend being mindful about the amount of ventilation. Too little ventilation can mean that dust can accumulate quickly within the barn. However, too much airflow can mean bone-chilling drafts which can be dangerous for temperature regulation. For older barns, we recommend that your barn structure. This means to check Barn End Doors and Barn Windows to cover any holes that let in too much air. Replace any broken Barn Doors, Barn Windows, Dutch Doors, or faulty door latches.
The above is far from a comprehensive list of steps you could take to make sure your equestrian facility is ready for the Winter. However, the above list is a great starting point to in making sure your horses are safe, healthy, comfortable through the winter season. During these months, we also understand that many clients beginning their projects for Spring and Summer. Our team is here for you every step of the way – whether it is a new barn build or simply a renovation. You can schedule a consultation by filling out our Contact Us Form – we thank you in advance!
Have you ever stood in the aisles of a barn, pondering over the perfect gift for a horse enthusiast in your life? Each holiday season, we inevitably scratch our heads and ask, "what do I even get them?" We know the feeling.
Last year, we put together a list of four gifts to consider for any equestrian in your life. You can view that list here.
To ease your holiday gift hunting, we're back with our handpicked list of practical barn essentials. These are not just gifts; they're thoughtful solutions that every equestrian will cherish.
Gift Idea 1 – The Bedding Blocker:
Picture this: A pristine barn aisle suddenly invaded by stray shavings from the horse stalls. It's a scene that is all too familiar, right? Enter our Bedding Blocker – a true barn lifesaver. Its low-profile design means it fits seamlessly into your horse stall, keeping shavings where they belong. Here's why it's a must-have:
The Bedding Blocker is a shavings guard system that is exclusively designed for both interior and exterior horse stall doors. It is installed at the base of a door opening to keeping the shavings inside your horse stall. Our Bedding Blocker is guaranteed to save you valuable time cleaning and money on wasted shavings. Some of its benefits include:
Here's what one recent client said about their Bedding Blocker: "It is so much ncier not to walk into a shavings filled barn aisle every morning! Even my 27 year old gelding quickly learned he could brush the bristles to enter and exit the stall. This product definitely works!"
Gift Ideas 2 & 3 – Blanket Bars & Bridle Hooks
The Winter months are finally here! This means that tack and other supplies magically appear in larger quantities within the barn. Whether it is an increase in blankets, bridles, and everything in-between. We've all been in barns where it seems that there the tack may not be organized properly.
As winter sets in, so does the challenge of organizing extra tack. Our Blanket Bars and Bridle Hooks are the perfect solution. They're not just hooks and blanket bars; they're the key to an organized, efficient barn space.
Our Bridle Hooks and Blanket Bars are mindfully designed to install seamlessly into your horse stalls. Each piece is built using the finest, heavy-duty materials. Our Blanket Bars are made using 1.3" or 1.9" round tubing. Our Bridle Hooks are machined in-house from the finest brass material. Our tack hardware allow the equestrian in your life to easily store and access necessary tack.
Here's why our clients love them: "These bridle hooks nad blanket bars have transformed our tack room. Everything is so accessible and organized! Not only that, they are so much sturdier and more solid than other hooks and blanket bars I've used in the past. We get so many compliments from friends!"
Gift Idea 4 – Pin Lock Latch
Although a small detail, your choice in latches can make the world of difference in your barn experience. Ask any equestrian that has been through an old barn with faulty latches. These are not only a safety risk, but they also waste your time with their inability to latch.
In contrast, our Pin Lock Latch is a state-of-the-art latching system built for sliding horse stall doors. They are machined from solid stainless steel to ensure strength in the daily rigors of a horse barn. Their stainless steel material also ensures longevity and rust protection. Most importantly though, our Pin Lock Latch is designed by horse people for horse people. This means that your latch will safely enclose your horses in their horse stalls.
Another great benefit is that you have the ability to visually confirm whether a stall is locked or not from any part of the barn. Simply stand in the aisle and determine whether the latch is angled or straight. If angled, you have visual confirmation that your horse stall door latch is secured in place.
Are you still looking for ideas on what to get that difficult-to-shop-for equestrian? Be sure to check out our Equestrian Gift Idea list from last year here. Our American Stalls team wishes you luck and wishes you a very Happy Holidays!
