Horse Stall Size, Flooring and Bedding: How to Set Up and Clean a Healthy Stall

By Gayle Woods Editors Updated 5 min read

Many horses spend part of their day in a stall, whether overnight, in bad weather or on stall rest after an injury. A stall that's the right size, with good footing, good bedding and fresh air, keeps a horse comfortable and healthy. A cramped, damp or dusty one causes problems from thrush to coughing.

How big should a horse stall be?

Size the stall so the horse can turn around easily, lie down and get up without getting cast against a wall.

Horse Recommended stall size
Pony or small horse 10 × 10 to 10 × 12 ft
Average horse (1,000–1,200 lb) 12 × 12 ft
Large horse or warmblood 12 × 14 to 14 × 14 ft
Draft horse 14 × 14 ft or larger
Foaling or mare and foal 14 × 14 to 16 × 16 ft

Bigger is better within reason, especially for horses that spend many hours inside.

Other dimensions:

  • Ceiling height: at least 10 feet, ideally 12, so a horse that rears or throws its head won't hit anything.
  • Stall walls: 7 1/2 to 8 feet high, often solid at the bottom with a grill or bars on top so horses can see neighbors.
  • Doors: at least 4 feet wide and 8 feet tall. Sliding doors save aisle space.
  • Aisles: 10 to 12 feet wide, so you can turn and lead a horse safely.

Stall flooring

The floor underneath the bedding matters as much as the bedding.

  • Packed clay or dirt: easy on legs and inexpensive, but gets holes and wet spots and needs regular leveling.
  • Concrete: easy to clean and durable, but hard and cold. Always cover it with mats and bedding.
  • Rubber mats over a level, well-drained base of compacted gravel or stone dust are the most popular choice. They cushion legs, cut down on bedding, and make cleaning easier. Interlocking mats and seamless systems keep urine from seeping underneath, where it smells.
  • Drainage matters most of all. Urine needs to drain away or be absorbed by bedding, or the stall will be wet and smell of ammonia.

Choosing bedding

Bedding Pros Cons
Pine shavings Absorbent, soft, widely available, easy to clean Can be dusty; quality varies
Wood pellets Very absorbent, low dust once broken down, less volume to store Must be wetted to expand; firmer underfoot
Straw Warm, soft, good for foaling, often cheap in grain areas Less absorbent, heavy to muck, some horses eat it
Sawdust Absorbent, cheap Dusty; can pack into hooves
Paper or cardboard Low dust, good for horses with allergies Can get soggy; less available
Hemp or peat Very absorbent, compostable More expensive, less available

Never use black walnut shavings. Even a small amount mixed into pine can cause laminitis. Buy from a reliable source, and watch for dark wood in a new load.

How much? Over rubber mats, 3 to 4 inches of bedding is often enough. Without mats, or for horses on stall rest or that lie down a lot, use 4 to 6 inches or more. Bank more bedding around the walls, which gives the horse a cushion and helps prevent it from getting cast.

Mucking out efficiently

A daily routine keeps stalls clean without taking all day.

  1. Remove manure piles with a manure fork. Shake the fork so clean bedding falls through.
  2. Find and remove wet spots. Most horses urinate in the same areas. Dig out the wet bedding down to the mat.
  3. Toss clean bedding from the banks back into the middle.
  4. Add fresh bedding where needed.
  5. Sprinkle a stall freshener on wet areas if you like. Products made for barns absorb moisture and reduce ammonia.

A good wheelbarrow or cart makes the job much faster. Most people need 10 to 20 minutes a stall once they find a rhythm.

Strip the stall completely every few weeks, or more often for horses that are messy or on stall rest. Let the floor and mats dry before re-bedding.

See manure management and composting for what to do with it all.

Fresh air and ammonia

Horses' lungs are sensitive to dust and ammonia. Stalled horses breathe whatever is in the barn air.

  • Ventilate. Keep windows, vents and doors open as much as weather allows, even in winter. A barn should feel only slightly warmer than outside.
  • The ammonia test: if you can smell ammonia standing up, it's worse at the level of a horse lying down.
  • Use fans in summer. A stall fan rated for barn use keeps air moving and flies away.
  • Feed hay at ground level or in a low feeder so horses don't breathe in dust falling from above.
  • Store hay and bedding away from stalls where possible.

Stall safety

  • No sharp edges, protruding nails, broken boards or exposed bolts.
  • Secure buckets and feeders at a safe height, with no gaps a hoof could slip into. Corner feeders and well-hung feed buckets work well.
  • Horse-proof latches on doors.
  • Electrical cords and lights out of reach, with protected fixtures.
  • Fire safety: no smoking, fire extinguishers at each end of the aisle, clear exits, and a plan to get horses out. Store hay away from the stalls if you can.
  • Stall guards let horses look out while keeping them in.

Stall time versus turnout

Stalls are useful, but horses are built to move and graze for most of the day. Long hours in a stall are linked to stomach ulcers, colic, stiffness and stable vices like cribbing and weaving. See cribbing and stable vices.

Give as much turnout as you can. When a horse must be stalled for long periods:

  • Keep hay in front of it most of the time, with a slow feeder.
  • Let it see and touch other horses.
  • Offer stall toys or enrichment.
  • Hand-walk or hand-graze if the vet allows.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions