The wood has been placed into the stall fronts, feeders attached (I LOVE them!!), and the hay doors installed.
The main stall doors have a top portion that swings down, which is nice if you like to pet your horses and interact with them, like I do. They are tall enough that I don't think a horse would try to jump out, but I still wouldn't leave them open at night with Epona or Tweed (especially Little Miss Jumping Jack Flash Epona.)
The hay doors are convenient. I swing them all open at the same time, feed, then shut them at the same time.
Yesterday was the first day they were allowed into them.
Tumbleweed did NOT trust the new floors, but I eventually went into the stall and encouraged him little by little until he felt secure on them.
When I went out to clean them today, I could tell who felt the most comfortable by the amount of manure in the stalls, and Epona won that contest by a lot! She made sure to poop in every corner, and every nook and cranny.
I will say, cleaning the stalls was MUCH easier, and I think wood shavings will last a lot longer.
I said I love the feeders, and I am not kidding. They are built to last and have two small pockets for supplements on the sides of the larger bin for hay. The stalls seem much bigger with them in it, and I don't need grain buckets.
Here are some photos of the Stall Grazers, and it gives you a perspective of how roomy the stalls still feel.
1st stall
2nd stall
We're shifting our sights to the tack room now. We need two doors, one to the room from the outside, and the other to the breezeway. We're also installing a window to look out on the breezeway.
That's the loveseat and table I purchased at Farm Chicks two months ago. We like to sit in there and imagine it's already done.
The measurement for the room is 12' X 18', which isn't huge, basically like a stall and half, but it will be cozy. We split the difference with the existing stall so that it could be used for foaling or for a horse that needs more room.
We went to our local door and window store, and started to get ideas about what we might want so that we can start to sketch out a plan.
That looks like a high end stable! I love those corner feeders.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa. He only charged us $250 for those feeders, and I couldn’t say yes fast enough when he told us about them. That was a bargain. The young man who made the stall fronts owns Custom Barns here in Spokane and he is also a horseman. He’s a roper and was on his way out to a competition as he finished our barn. I think he needs to charge more for his work. I really would have paid more for everything he did. We gave him a bonus because we truly felt that he had underbid it. The feeders looked huge when he delivered them, but they don’t have a large footprint in the stall and they’re very safe for their legs, should they bang them getting up and down.
DeleteThose feeders are da bomb! Love them!
ReplyDeleteThe stain colour looks great too. Well done.
I love me a window with a transom above, adds a touch of class.
We had originally wanted a yoke style, but the only ones who made them were far away, and with shipping our quote came to 26K. That did not include the extra stall piece he made for our 8’ section, feeders, or installation. Though that would have been beautiful, I do like the option of them being open or closed.
DeleteI didn’t realize how much I would love these feeders. They can’t push out their hay onto the ground, so it cuts down on waste and spoilage.
Your barn looks SO awesome & fancy!! Funny Epona. Making the new digs her own. Have fun finishing off your tack room!
ReplyDeleteIt’s like a new car, it feels new until they start to poop in it, and then it feels like any other barn! 🤣 But the new design is making life easier for all. The horses seem to like it now.
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