What is a good stall size for a horse to be in 12 hrs a day and is ridden 3 or 4 times a week and is very active and about 16 h.??

Your question is unclear what kind of stall you mean.

The 12' and 16' square and rectangular stalls are both common. ANything smaller, like 10', seems pretty small.

In older barns and around workhorses you will encounter box stalls. There is a lot of particulars that goes into making a safe box stall, but the dimensions are: 8' from front of manger to back of partition; 5' betweem partitions, partitions 5' tall at the back, 7' at the front. The hind quarters will be behind the back of the partition, and the partition goes clear to the floor.

The box stall gives the horse a sense of security with it's home, and being tied 12 hours a day teaches a lot of patience. Properly done, the horse will not cast himself. A chain is used to fasten the horse to the manger, and a bolt cutter is kept on the wall for emergencies.

I was given the above design and dimensions for 18 hand Belgian Draft horses -- by a man who claimed George Washington's stables at Mount Vernon were built to these dimensions. Talk about tradition!

Posted by caballus on December 11, 1997 at 18:03:47:

In Reply to: horse stall size posted by rocky on December 11, 1997 at 17:55:14:

Hi there ... a standard size for *horses* is 12 ft x 12 ft. For ponies, it's 10 ft. x 10 ft. The 12 x 12 allows room for the horse to lie down without getting cast. It also gives the handler room to manaever around in the stall without getting scrimped up against the wall. BTW ... the "door" into the stall should be a minimum of 4' wide. *s* Have a good evening!

--caballus--

Posted by Carolyn on December 11, 1997 at 00:20:16:

I had my 18yo gelding transported by truck to a new part of Australia and obviously chose the wrong company. He arrived yesterday (after 36 hours straight through) very dehydrated, not been fed, sore legs, cut face and lip and in a lot of distress. He still managed to winny when he saw me out of the side of the truck. I hosed his whole body to remove the sweat and manure, let him have a drink and electrolyte replacer, dressed his cuts and gave him some hay. He was stiff in his legs but didn't seem to have any serious injuries. He started eating this morning and seems much brighter, but I noticed his hocks had swolled up. On closer inspection I realised he also had scrapes on the point of his hocks. Obviously he kicked out against the side of the truck.

I think this is called capped hocks. Does anyone know if this injury is worth a trip to the vet? Or should I just rest him in the stable or alternatly let him walk around the paddock. I don't want to unpset the poor guy any more so would rather not have a vet around unless it is really necessary.

Any ideas? Except for never trusting anyone with my horse ever again.

Posted by Brad Kruse on December 11, 1997 at 09:43:48:

In Reply to: Transporting injuries posted by Carolyn on December 11, 1997 at 00:20:16:

For draft horses in the U.S., 'capped hocks' is a skin condition, where continuous irritation of the skin at the point of the hock results in accumulation of cosmetic scar tissue, and odd hair growth patterns. In draft horses, as in other horses, the condition of the hock is a critical component of usefulness (ability to work)and value. The close scrutiny of the hock leads to the distinction of the cosmetic defect which does not bother anything, from any other unusual shapes or protrusions, which usually affect the strength of the hock. Capped hocks are often the results of open pasturing, or inadequate bedding. You might get a sore in no time at all, but capped hocks take weeks to accumulate...

What it sounds like you are seeing might be skin abrasions from lying down without bedding, with stress from road vibration. Or impact injury from kicking. Try calling your vet for an opinion or advice.

Also try treating as a bruise -- cold pack for the first 24 hours (limit swelling), and warm after. Apply liniment to increase circulation, with gentle massage. And, if you have access to Linda Tellington-Jones TTeam material, she has several techniques for helping bruising, increasing circulation, and reducing pain (try various back magazine issues, maybe at the library).

Posted by Di N. on December 12, 1997 at 18:54:40:

In Reply to: Transporting injuries posted by Carolyn on December 11, 1997 at 00:20:16:

Hi..capped hocks can be drained. The hocks points have fluid in there and that is why they look swollen. Sometimes times will reduce the fluid and sometime a vet is needed. If they look really swollen ( with alot of fluid in there) I would certainly get a vet out. Good luck.

Posted by nance on December 11, 1997 at 21:46:27:

In Reply to: Transporting injuries posted by Carolyn on December 11, 1997 at 00:20:16:

well, you certainly learned a lesson, and the hard way i might add... without seeing you horse, i can only picture the problems, however, it sounds like nothing more than bone bruising.... your dogs can get something similar sleeping in their crates --either their elbows or hocks can swell... but, back to your question.. treat the injury as you would any athletic or sports injury! ice packs to the area...(if you have an equine cyro cuff) that would be ideal. wrap it around the hock and leave your animal tied while the unit is on.this cryo cuff is a circulating ice pack.. continue with ice on/off for 12 hours..then heat after that...alternate hot/cold...if the bruising causes much discomfort, you might ask your vet about injecting the hock to alleviate some of the pain/. treat the hock as you would "ocd" or lesions of the hock...stall rest for the horse ..

Posted by Shelby on December 11, 1997 at 08:48:56:

In Reply to: Transporting injuries posted by Carolyn on December 11, 1997 at 00:20:16:

for me, I'd do what you're doing and see how he was after a week.

This must have been a very hard trip for your horse and for you! I just was discussing with "Topper" the pros and cons of wrapping.

I guess this is one case where wrapping the horse from his armpits to his hooves would have been a good idea. Still, that sounds like a horrible trip.

I hope you will contact whatever goverining organizaiton there is and let them know how badly your horse was treated, and tell any and all about the company.

You might (I wouldn't) contact the company and give them a chance to respond, but it sounds like anyone who would treat a horse so badly wouldn't care what you thought.

Maybe go through small claims court for all incurred expenses or loss of use of your horse? I've used the court a couple of times to get rid of unscrupulous hay dealers (bait and switch), but then I'm sometimes very vengeful when it comes to being "ripped off."

Shelby

With grateful acknowledgents to the AcmePet Horse's Stable chat board
Brad