# miniature horses tie stalls?



## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

Do people use straight/standing/tie stalls for miniature horses? I mean for over night? What size would you build them? Maybe 3x5?


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## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

I know they use standing stalls for draft horses but I have never seen one for a mini. I would think that building a stall would be easier for them then having them stand or have enough area to lay down at night. While I have seen standing stalls, I understand them, know how they function and why....my drafts have their own stalls. That is my own personal thoughts as they need that space....


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

minister man said:


> Do people use straight/standing/tie stalls for miniature horses? I mean for over night? What size would you build them? Maybe 3x5?


Straight stalls are fine for overnight but I'd go a bit wider than 3' maybe 3 1/2 because you have to walk up to unclip but the 5' long would be OK. 

Is space a problem?


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

no space really isn't a problem. It's just that I was thinking that it would be easier to individually feed them. If someone was a little thin, they could have some grain. Maybe that isn't an issue with minis. I only have one right now, and I give him a handful of grain night and morning. He is a little over weight but not bad.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I thought minis that need grain were like dragons- everyone has heard of them but they don't really exist. :drum:

If they need grain separate stalls would be the way to go.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Irish Pixie said:


> I thought minis that need grain were like dragons- everyone has heard of them but they don't really exist. :drum:
> 
> If they need grain separate stalls would be the way to go.


 I feed my mini a ration balancer - she gets about 2 Tablespoons, twice a day. It is mainly a way to bring her in because she's a semi-feral rescue. I doubt she **needs** it, but if I can bring her in I can give her a look-over to make sure she's ok, and that's an important thing to do. 

But I think, where possible, every farm should have a place for each horse to go in the event of bad weather, illness or injury. I am guilty that I have 5 equines and only 4 stalls...so I need to make a shed into a "stall" just in case. Minis are so small you could make small "box stalls" for each...maybe 6x8? If you have room, that would be my recommendation in the event you ever need to put one on stall rest.


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## cedarcreekranch (Nov 24, 2010)

I don't see why you couldn't use tie stalls for minis same as any other horse. The 3 1/2 x 5 seems like a plenty big enough space for that. As for minis needing grain, depends on the horse. I have an older Falabella stallion who needs grain to stay in good condition, even on pasture. Most of the others though, do just fine on grass or hay. Mine are all on pasture or in lots - the ones in lots have run in sheds while the ones on pasture have trees and they all are in good shape.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

How large are your lots and run in sheds? I am not sure that would work for me though, because of the winter snow. I was thinking one turn out pen because I could keep the snow plowed out so they could go out together each day.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

We have tie stalls for the horses and use them daily. Not sure what good proportions would be for minis, but the wider one would let YOU get in there easier to untie the mini, clean the stall, bring in food.

I like tie stalls because they take up less footage, use less bedding, take less time to clean on a daily basis. Our horses are in half the day, out half the day.

Benefits of tie stalls are horse being tied and standing QUIETLY for longer periods of time. Training the horse to tie WELL, is needed before deciding to use the tie stall. Animal learns to move over to LET IN the food! With daily walking in to tie or untie the animal, he gets used to people or things coming to him from the rear, is not kicky. He gets less sensitive about surprise touches on his sides, less reactive, so he is easier to handle. Just a lot of benefits, passive training that doesn't take extra time to happen!

I am not a box stall person, we tore out 2 nice box stalls, to put in 4 tie stalls instead. With less room to circle or pace, horse doesn't learn some of the bad habits, keep their stall in constant turmoil of messy bedding. Our horses go outside every day except when sleet or iced ground happens in the winter. So they have as much exercise as they want to do. I don't consider tied horses to be cruel, they can lay down comfortably and do. Never had one get cast in a tie stall, like happens in box stalls. Our horses can touch a friend over the stall wall, IF THEY WANT TO. Otherwise they can stand where others can't reach them, have solid head dividers between so there is no food fighting, or face threatening with the ears.

Here are some photos of our tie stalls, though they are for full sized horses, not minis. Our horses are mostly about 17H, with the little horse in the pictures about 16H.

http://s1355.photobucket.com/user/goodhors1/library/Horses/Horse%20Tie%20Stalls?sort=3&page=1

Our stalls are 12ft long, 5 1/2ft wide, with 5ft walls between, for proportions to the tall horses. They are leggy, full-bodied, but not really that bulky bodied. These are galloping horses, not for moving big loads.

For Draft sized animals, these stalls are not wide enough, I would want at least 6ft wide for a Draft horse, but 6 1/2 ft wide would be better.


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