Prefer outdoor or indoor stables?

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TBminx

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Mar 22, 2013
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I have only stabled indoor just cos of the yards been at and this has been the case which of course I have got used to. I never thought about it until someone came to our last yard and said she preferred outdoor stables for them to see out more and have more fresh air??

In our first yard it was a barn style row of stables on either side and sliding doors at the top and bottom. The stables were well lit with bars between each and open front with bars on either side of the door. The roof was sealed and no rain came but the doors were left open except at night in the winter or stormy weather.

At the next yard it was similar but with more room in the centre on a square type barn design but not as well lit as not clear slats in the ceiling and often the doors were closed over when didnt need to be and annoyed us a bit. The roof wasnt overlapped so rain didnt come in a little but it helped with ventilation I suppose. The stables had walls between which I preferred for my mares hormones lol.

I prefer our new yard as while the corridor is quite narrow there is only our row of stables on one side. Bars between the stables but on one side it is our gelding and other is annie so there is no chopping and changing setting her seasons off with new hunks net door and annie being young means she isnt snappy and marish towards her but quite sweet.

I prefer it cos it is indoors yet well lit and ventilated with stable doors along the corridor wall opposite the stables and these are opened in summer and the top of the doors most of the year unless stormy and there are windows above these too that slide open upwards. The view is a fountain grassed courtyard area.

So after all that detail no one prob wanted to read haha :redface: ....which would you prefer??
 
We have out door and indoor. Mine are in the out door ones but the outside has a covered walk way about 12' wide all rubber matted, so I guess I get the best of both worlds, fresh air but shelter from the weather.
 
don't really have a stable but when I did I always went for outdoor for ventilation etc. there's some nice airy indoor ones but also stuffy ones with tiny aisles etc. not for me.
 
Have had both in the past....currently have two outdoor stables overlooking the paddocks (we are on a slight hill) so have a lovely view of the village lol....anyway, if I'm honest I like the American barn set up at the one yard, you don't get wet when mooching between stables, but it had its drawbacks, if u needed to tie up outside the stable it was a pain (although walkway massive it was tight when horses tied up), and the yard didn't really have many tie up rings elsewhere....also you never really got proper privacy as everyone could hear everything and everyone could see everything....so thinking about it I actually prefer outdoor stables!
 
From a selfish point of view I always preferred indoor blocks ( as long as not horrible narrow ones!) as it was great to chatter to people and be able to keep all your stuff to hand without it being rained on, and was nice to be out of extreme weather conditions in Winter. I did find them stuffy in summer regardless of ventalition, however they were generally out in summer so not so much an issue.

From a horses point of view I am guessing an outdoor stable is alot better for breathing/fresh air etc
 
Generally people prefer the American barn system with indoor walkway. Because it can be kept dry!

When Ziggy was in horsepital at Liphook, though, I spoke to the vets and nurses about this. The Intensive Care block is American barn but all the other stables for patients are outdoor. I asked about it and they said that for Intensive Care they have to be able to keep the horses in very controlled conditions and the American Barn is best, but that all their patients much prefer outdoor stables where they can smell the wind and watch what is going on. One of the vets referred to American barn arrangements as "prisons for horses that are convenient for people".

I found that quite convincing! So my ideal stable would be like the one that Ziggy finished up in - a 5m square (that's huge) American barn stable, with a massive stable door-type window on the outside wall so that Ziggy could look out and watch the goings on.

I don't mean to say that horses will be miserable if kept in indoor stables. They are tolerant adaptable creatures and come to like comfort if they are used to it. But if they have to be stabled I would rather they were stabled where they can see out.
 
The stable I have is perfect really.there are two stables next to eachother both around 13x11 ft.it was an old open front garage has a very high roof and the front is just door height right the way along,the middle wall is only high enough to stop horses touching and seeing eachother,there is a walkway in front which I have a box infront of my door,it's double stable doors too which was invaluable when I first got malaika as she didn't like narrow spaces.the front of the garage has been left open so it is really airy and light but still sheltered and dry,the horses can see the fields and what's going on,perfect really for me.Neala is on on her own during the day as malaika used to be and they never bothered most horses that have been down there are settled on their own I think as its very open,spaces and they can still see alot.
 
In an ideal world, it would be out door ones so the horses could have a good view. But here, any kind of open door lets the wind in and make the roof easier to lift. So all our stalls are inside.
 
we had an indoor barn at our last house as it was on a hill and very exposed.

we now have an e shaped block here so external stables, but with a 3 metre overhang and I think that is the perfect arrangement as you don't get wet mucking out, and the horses don't have rain blowing onto their faces but they can see out, smell stuff, have a view.

my gang are definitely much happier in this setup than they were in the barn though it was very warm and sheltered.
 
I prefer outdoor - especially for nosy horses! Having said that ours are indoor but for preference would like outdoor.
 
I have had a mixure of both over the years but the last two have been american barns and I love it. At the last yard our tack room was in through the stable out the back it was amazing having everything to hand. It also had doors at both ends so ventalation was good.

There are 4 american barns were we are now with large walk ways there are 12 stables in ours but only 5 owners which is great. the open end looks out on to the school.

The boys are out from 6 til 6 from Nov to Feb so dark when they come in and all the other horses are in so they see more in then out the doors only get closed when it snows in the summer they are out 24/7 so I don't worry about ventilation in the summer.

I perfer a barn so they stay dry when changing rugs, grooming, tackijng up and clipping.
 
Ben has an indoor stable, but there is plenty of ventilation and the doors are never shut. He also has a window straight infront of him so he can see out onto the yard so we get the best of both worlds.

It doesn't matter so much for us because he comes in his stable to lie down and sleep for a max of 6 hours during the daytime and then goes out again overnight. I do like the fact that I can hang things outside my stable and nothing ever gets wet though.
 
I think on the whole I prefer outdoor ones. Have been on two yards which had both. Once we were in a nice row of brick built ones with a lovely wide spacious yard with horse opposite, we loved this sheltered set up. When we moved to another yard we got offered a barn type arrangement. Although the stables were roomy and nice it was not good for Storm being so close to a much younger mare, the mare kicked and kicked at the wooden partition which wound Storm up, we were glad to leave in the end! Plus we had a fellow livery that shut the barn doors during the day which I found unnecessary, as I think they need plenty of air specially in winter. She would have been better putting a stable rug on her horse instead of shrouding the barn up!!!
Our set up here at home is an outdoor block. They are wood with brick layer at the bottom and onduline roof. I covet brick built stables tho - they would have been smashing but sadly our local council would not allow us to have them. Apparently around these parts folk have a history of turning them into dwellings at some point..."
 
Mine is outdoor but the design means there is a tiny overhang between the two doors. The horses can look directly at each other or out at the herd. Plus its half wall and bars so they see each other all the time and touch noses.
Is been designed for them not us.
 
Yes I personally like indoor in the bad weather which we get alot of in the Uk lets face it :poop:

I dont like the narrow aisles which we have but only horses on one side so not an issue and the other side is opening stable doors and windows onto a lovely which I love and seems to keep mine settled when not getting out.

If I want to tie up outside their stable i cant as no room which I missed at the start but I can tie her further up if I like outside the tack room if need be.

Yes if I built my own I would have either a covered walkway and overhangs of the stables to keep them dry and sheltered but could see out or a spacious barn with options for seeing out and ventilation (dream on :giggle:)
 
I don't think I'd like outdoor stables unless they were in a very sheltered place! The weather is too :poop: for outdoor ones! I like the small barn I'm in just now, it is quiet, sheltered but very airy and is still cool even on warm summer days.
 
Rubic said:
I don't think I'd like outdoor stables unless they were in a very sheltered place! The weather is too :poop: for outdoor ones! I like the small barn I'm in just now, it is quiet, sheltered but very airy and is still cool even on warm summer days.
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Im the same to be honest and I like to stand outside and watch my horses sometimes or sit down and watch them which couldnt do in stormy weather plus I am there so much in the dark nights after work it would be horrible and quite creepy outdoors on my ownieo :cold:
 
When we built ours I was very pro outdoor so built two courtyards of outdoors with ovehangs. If I was starting again I would do barns!

My favourite yard is at CKs trainer where horses have enormous spaces rather than small stables. All under one roof but every horse has an opening to the outside.

In my dream world I would have indoor stables with openings to the outside, access to a small surfaced area in the centre for awful weather and ability to muck out/feed without going outside.

When CK trained in Samaur she found stables with doors at the rear for mucking out onto conveyors that took the muck to the muckheaps...if I won the lottery!!!!!!
 
Wow to muck conveyor belt!

At a friends yard they have an American barn but with windows (like top stable doors so can be open or shut) to the outside at back of each stable. I think that's a good mix.
 
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