horse stalls friends by valentin.d at flickr

Horse barns of all sorts exist. From bank barns, to pole buildings, shed rows, to steel buildings. All have a place in the horse world. When making plans for a new building, horse stall widths and aisle widths, and overhead clearances are the primary considerations. The aisle of the barn is the open channel that runs from one end of the barn to the other. Most horse stables have an open construction with one door at each end. This helps with air flow and also ease of access for horses and equipment. A shed row barn is the only style that does not feature an aisle.

Stall widths should be ideally twelve feet clearance on the inside of the stalls. The aisle should be a minimum of sixteen feet up to twenty feet across. This gives adequate room for driving a tractor down, and also provides for easy of passage with one horse to another. A wide aisle can also provide a place for a young horse to begin it’s under saddle training. I have ridden many youngsters down the aisle at a walk. Minimum height of the inside of the barn should be twelve feet. This may sound really tall, but when considering how high a horse can reach when they jump forward or rear, the 12′ clearance might save you some vet bills in the future. Play it safe and custom design your barn to meet your needs and your horses. Horse stall design is a wise way to keep your horse investment safeguarded.