How to Build a Horse Stall
Many individuals are often unsure where to begin when building interior horse stalls. The lumber post and wall method is the most sturdy and economical. First you must decide the quantity and size of each stall. Then you must consider the lumber type, the cost per board and then arrive with some kind of board count. The final step to completing your horse stalls is purchasing stall components that will ventilate, brighten and withstand your equines, as well as time.
The quantity of stalls plays a large part in the cost of equine housing, an economical way to construct stalls that will not have to be replaced or maintain frequently is important. If your barn is already built, the quantity of stalls will depend on the size of your barn. If you have a 48 x 36 barn, you will have enough room to put four stalls on each side of a 12 center aisle-way. A standard size stall is 12 x 12, 10 x 10 or 10 x 12 while foaling or birthing stalls are 12 x 24, 10 x 20. Miniature stalls are typically 6 x 10, 8 x 10, 6 x 12 or 8 x 12. But a good stall component manufacturer should be able to accommodate any size stall requirement. Once you have decided how many stalls you can accommodate or need, decide on lumber type, count and cost.
The lumber type used in stalls is commonly 2 x 6 tongue and groove, depending on the region you live and availability, Southern Yellow Pine is a light in color, hearty lumber and commonly used. The Pines, Cyprus and Cedars are the more economical lumbers vs. Red Oaks, Cherries and Mahogonies which tend to be priced much higher.
Each stall requires a post at every corner and an additional post 4 over from one end across the front of each stall. When placing stalls in a row, see chart for post quantity below. We recommend corner post be 6 x 6 and the doorway post can be a 6 x 6, 6 x 4, or a 4 x 4. Please keep in mind when purchasing lumber, a 6 x 6 post bought at a building supply store, like Home Depot or Lowes, are usually 5.5 x 5.5 and a 4 x 4 post is 3.5 x 3.5 likewise a 6 x 4 post is actually 5.5 x 3.5
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Number of Stalls in a Row
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Number of Corner Posts
6 x 6
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
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Number of Door Posts
6 x 6, 6 x 4, 4 x 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Once you have chosen how many stalls in a row you will have, add the number of corner posts to the number of door posts and that will be the number of posts you need to purchase. Double the number of posts needed if you have a center aisle barn. For instance a barn with 8 stalls in a row will have 18 corner posts and 8 door posts for a total of 26 posts. A 16 stall barn with 8 stalls on each side will require 36 corner posts and 16 door posts.
So your post count for a 16 stall barn might look like this:
36 Corner Posts at 6 x 6 x 12
16 Door Posts at 6 x 4 x 12 (Remember door posts can also be 6x 6x12, 4x 4x12)
As of August 1, 2006:
6 x 6 x 12 Posts Pressure Treated $41.00 each, Rough Cut Cedar $130.00 each
6 x 4 x 12 Posts Pressure Treated $27.00 each, Rough Cut Cedar $74.00 each
4 x 4 x 12 Posts Pressure Treated $17.00 each, Rough Cut Cedar $44.00 each
It is recommended posts be at least 12 in length with three feet secured in concrete and 9 above your ground surface. As previously mentioned, the stall front should have a post at each end approximately 10-12 apart and an additional door post (6 x 6, 6 x 4, 4 x 4) should be placed 4 over from one end. By placing the additional post 4 over from one end, you are designating the doorway or walkthrough area.
Once you have installed your corner and door posts, you can construct the stall front wall by fastening your horizontal tongue and groove boards directly to the end post and door post. You may want to fasten the lumber directly to the posts edge, except when attaching lumber to a dividing post. When fastening to a dividing post, remember the horizontal lumber of two stalls will occupy and attach to the common post, so you will have to split the fastening area of the posts face.
Once you have completed constructing the stall front walls, you can continue similarly with the end, dividing, and back walls. Begin constructing end and back walls by fastening lumber directly to the exterior of the posts. Interior lumber mounting is also an option for end and back walls. Dividing partitions can be assembled using receiver channel. Receiver Channel is a U shaped channel that you center-mount between two dividing stall posts. Once channel is mounted lumber can be inserted to construct any height dividing wall. Receiver Channel is commonly used between stalls, when a future foaling stall is desired.
The following calculation will provide you with the accurate count of lumber to fill the stall door.
In order to get an accurate count of how many horizontal tongue and groove boards you will need, decide which stall walls will have 40 walls with 40 grilles and how many will be 80 solid walls. It is common that back and end walls are solid and dividing and front walls are prepared 40 high. A barn with 8 stalls in one row will have eight solid back walls, two solid end walls, eight half front walls and seven half partition walls. It takes approximately nine 6 boards to build a wall 4, please note you will have to rip one board to achieve a 40 stall wall and eighteen 6 boards to achieve an 80 height. Multiply the number of solid walls by eighteen [(8+2)18=180] and multiply the number of half walls by nine [(8+7)9= 135], then add the sum of numbers (180+135=) and this will give you the total number of boards (315) necessary to construct all the stall walls. Please note: If you are building 8 stalls on either side of a center aisle, you will want to double, 315, for the total number (630) of tongue and groove boards for 16 stalls.
When purchasing lumber and posts it is suggested to check all the Safety Data Sheets on the lumber before purchasing. These sheets can be provided to you at the counter of your local lumber supply company. Safety Data Sheets will tell you if the lumber you are buying is safe for animals.
Once you have considered lumber type, count and cost, it is best to find a stall manufacturer that will accommodate your stall needs. Armour Gates manufactures quality aluminum products that promote ventilation, illumination and visibility while streamlining price and installation. Armour provides the products that you want with the hardware that you need for one reasonable price. No additional fastener or hardware kits to purchase. Also, Armour manufactures grilles to custom lengths at no additional cost, ships products to your residence, assembles products before shipment and pre-drills products for installation.
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