# Is 9' x 9' ok for a stall size?



## fireweed farm (Dec 31, 2010)

I'm planning the layout of my barn- I'm not actually a horse owner but figure it's the largest animal that would end up in my barn and I do want 2 stalls in there (for me in case I get a horse or future owners). 
Is that big enough for an 'average' horse?

Thanks for any tips!


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Hmmmm. I have seen 8x10 sort-of work for smaller-style quarterhorses (under 14.2 hands) because they can lay down lengthwise along the 10' wall, but really 10x10 is the smallest I'd ever go. Horses can cast themselves in cramped quarters and the side effects of a bad cast can range from muscle soreness to pneumonia and sometimes worse. (casting is when a horse lays down to roll and ends up on their back with their legs straight up and leaning against a wall in such a way that they cannot right themselves....).


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

FYI, a 12x12 stall is considered the "right size" for ANY horse except a draft.... though 10x10 is still common in older barns.


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## fireweed farm (Dec 31, 2010)

Thank you! I will shoot for a 12!!


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

I would say definitely not. 
I agree with Jill...12 X 12 for regular horses.
10 X 10 will work for ponies.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

Personally I wouldn't go with less than 10x10 and if you aren't sure you'll go with smaller horse breeds or they won't be turned out to pasture majority of the day I would do 12' on at least one side. Even my 14-15h quarter horses sometimes seem cramped in 12x12' and we actually keep a 12x24' stall for times we have to confine a horse most or all of the day. If you are doing 2 stalls I'd seriously consider a removable partition or gate. Originally all our stalls were 12x12'. They have metal frames with 2x4's along the bottom so when we realized we needed a double stall we just slid all the 2x4's back out and dragged the metal frame in the middle across to the other side with storage to make our double stall and use an easier to move gate to temporarily divide it when every single horse needs to go up for a hail storm or something.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

9x9 is pretty small for anything but a pony. I built my stalls 12x14 and really love the extra room for the horses.


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## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

I love stalls that are flexible with the partition 

i'm with everybody else- as close to 12x12 as you can get will stand you in good stead down the road


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

My grandma's barn was just a hodgepodge of removal partitions. My grandpa put hinges _everywhere_. We had 10' stalls, 12' stalls, 20' stalls, 24' stalls, triangle shaped stalls, L shaped stalls.... It all depended which gates you decided to hang and close where.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

you can make a 12 x 24 stall with "u" track angle-iron vertical strips at the 12' mark. Slide 12' 2x10's down the tracks for a solid wall, but then you can slide them back up and out if you need the stall back to 12 x 24.


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

My Shire used to LOVE his 9 x 10 stall. It was so small, but he does much better in small stalls, he is miserable in his 14x14. He now much prefers his tie stall, it is 6" wide. He stands up lays down and is generally much happier in a small space? But in the same breath..... he will not get into a horse trailer????? LOL 

Stall size differs horse to horse, some times horses just do not like being stalled. 

When my guy was in the small stall he never had any problems, he would sleep laying down. But when in the larger stall, he would try to roll and cast him self. I am sticking with small stalls after dealing with a cast draft horse!


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I've noticed the draft breeds actually don't care about being in small stalls for fairly long periods of time. A lot of draft barns here only have tie stalls and maybe a foaling stall or 2 if they do their own breeding.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Guess I was raised different, not to stall a critter that was made to run. I've never stalled/penned any species of critters. They all roam free on the acreage. It's always worked well for them and me.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

If a box stall (not talking about tie stalls here) isn't big enough, a horse is more likely to get cast in the stall after he lies down.


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## mountainwmn (Sep 11, 2009)

I've seen people use 10x10 for all their horses, from the ponies to the jumpers to the drafts. Even for foaling stalls, though I think that is ridiculous. If I were building stalls I would want 12x12, but my guy is in a 9x10 and he is just fine. He's 14.2 or 14.3hh, but he is short from front to back.


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