I have taken care of miniature horses that lived quite comfortably in children’s playhouses and I’ve taken care of retired jumpers that lived in a palatial barn that was designed by an architect to resemble the owners’ home. Sadly as grand as that Barn was by design (a fireplace downstairs in the tack room and a woodstove and game room upstairs) the horse stalls were the same jail cell design that we see everywhere today. Mindlessly built because that is the status quo, it’s absurd. All public stabling is based on liability consciousness, especially here in New York. Having your own barn you can step away from that and just create a beautiful environment to interact with your horse. That means it doesn’t have to be a cage.

I like the idea of wooden stalls and planks. Assuming you have not come home with a fire-breathing dragon bars keeping horses away from other horses and people are not needed. Also if they are not stressed or underfed they won’t chew wood. Odd behavior and stress go hand in hand.

Horses should have their own space, as not all get fed the same, and some eat faster. I love the idea of horses being able to mutually groom while stabled. To stand head to tail next to a four-foot high divider wall and scratch each other’s backs. I also like wooden hay mangers that hold the hay about a foot or two off the ground with a corner feeder for grain. The manger should be located on the aisle so when you sit outside the stall on a bench that your toddler stands on your horse is right there facing you. All stables should have an indoor “ wash stall” with a drain and hot and cold water. Mine was located next to the tack room and had a large viewing window. If you have two light horses you’ll feed about a bale a day. I prefer to buy hay by the tractor-trailer load and store it away from the barn. Dirt stall floors please., better drainage and keeps your horse grounded.