We own three shetland ponies, we have a very small man built stable that they can go in and out of during the night, along with alot of natural shelter. We really would like a proper stable so just wondering how big do you think it should be?
Sorry I should say, I’m not on about putting the three ponies in the stable, we are getting two stables and they are there if any of them need it etc.
Sorry I should say, I’m not on about putting the three ponies in the stable, we are getting two stables and they are there if any of them need it etc.
Thanks, I’m thinking of going with the 12 x 12
Thanks, I’m thinking of going with the 12 x 12
10 Answers
Where I live there are regulations that dictate this kind of stuff. =)
Ponies under 1,07 (10,5 hands) need to have a minimum of 4 square metres (43 ?! square feet – using conversion calculator) and the shortest side may not be shorter than 1,60 cm (5,248 feet). I’m guessing Shetlands are less than a metre in height – but there’s no height standard for the breed so they might be bigger or smaller.
In any case, I choose to side with a lot of other people here advising you to build larger stalls. They’re more work to clean out of, but if you do decide to get bigger horses someday, you’ll be able to accomodate them. A normal stall here is 3 x 3 metres, which is around 10 x 10 feet – law dictates that for horses taller than 149 cm (14.6 hands) the shortest side may not be shorter than 2,35 metres (7.78 feet). As someone else said, they’ll enjoy the space, being outdoors ponies!
If its a large Shetland pony, it might be ok to ride. Shetlands are a very strong breed for their size, they can pull twice their own weight and carry up to 130 pounds. My son’s first horse was a Shetland POA. It was extremely smart and could be stubborn. The little gelding had a great personality. When he out grew his pony my son supervised the sale and vetted the buyer. He checked out their facilities and volunteered his to teach the new owners how to ride and care for the horse. The new owners used the gelding to pull a cart. Your saddle and tack will be pony sized. You will need a salt or salt/mineral block, a water tank, feed buckets and something in which to store your open feed. We use large rubber garbage cans with lids. A few farrier tools, hoof pick, rasp, hoof knife and nipper will come in handy. I’m assuming you’ll have the phone number of a good farrier and also a Veterinarian but emergencies happen, usually on the weekend. We usually keep Banamine Injectable with Syringes and Needles, Bute Phenylzone paste and Penicillin Injectable on hand for emergencies. We use a proud flesh powder called Wonder Dust. For wounds we use Underwood Horse medicine.
i’d recommended just going horse sized, because then if you ever get a full size horse or sell the stable or something, its more versatile. if you figure a horse is 8ish feet long, and a 12×12 stall is the general minimum, then your stall should be at least 1.5 times the length of your shetland. as usual, go bigger if you can, but here is way to get a number at least.
Stable Sizes
If you only ever plan to have Shetlands in there, a 12×12 would be pointless. An 8×8 would be a great size for a Shetland, or any pony 13h and under for that matter.
But if you ever plan to put a horse or large pony in there, 12x12s would be good.
I would go w/a 12×12 minimum- I prefer 12×14 but 12×12 is a good size. That way if you ever decide to get a larger pony or horse, you’ll already have stalls that are big enough for a horse or pony you may have in the future.
In general, horses stay healthier if they can move around more. Their minds are better, their bodies are better, their feet are much better.
Depending on your climate, some shelter is needed to get out of the sun or wind. Horses can take cold or wet, but not both without some shelter. In the wild, they can move around and select where they want to be for their comfort and should have similar choice with you. Sometimes one or two horses will not share their shelter with other horses, so it is nice to have another place where the horses lower in the herd can shelter.
Stalls are nice to have if you need to confine one for treatment, separate at feeding time, foaling, etc., but putting them up at night is almost never necessary and not particularly good for them. 12×12 is a good minimum.
It really sounds like you have what you need already.
The stalls need to be large enough for the horse to turn around in and lay down without getting cast. Also, make sure to have plenty of ventilation. Since shetland’s are “shorter”, you might want to consider custom sized stalls like these: http://www.woodstarproducts.com/index.php?main_pag… so there is plenty of room and the stalls are low enough for the horses to see out. You can put stalls into any basic metal or pole building for a very low cost.
Regular sized stalls. Because they would enjoy the extra space and if you ever decide to get big horses than you can keep them in there and not have to board or built a new stable.
It could just be a simple three or four stall barn. Regular sized stalls about 12×12. They would enjoy the room.