One of the most important components of any horse stall or barn is the door or gate. Barn doors come in all shapes, sizes, materials, and designs, for the comfort and care of your horse. Swinging and sliding doors are two of the most common configurations. They can cover the full length of your doorway's opening, or be divided into two panels also called a double Dutch door. They can also cover half or three quarters of the full opening, so that there is room for the horse to see over the door, some call this a gossip top. This is particularly common in the doors which reside in the front of each stall. You should think about how much coverage you need out of your doors, which can depend on your horse's personality.
Equines that are territorial, such as stallions, may prefer full sized barn doors, for example, so that they are completely enclosed. Yet those that are more social may prefer to have a door that they can see over the top of. Both the solid and social doors can be manufactured from lumber or all aluminum and different combinations as well as different top configurations. Swing doors are one of the most popular options when it comes to stall doors. These should open into the aisle of the barn, rather than swing open into the actual stall. Some benefits to swing doors include the fact that they can be latched open using a hook and eye set, so that they don't interfere with work space, and they require less hardware to work properly.
By contrast, sliding barn doors might need to have an overhead track, a stop to prevent the door
from opening at a degree that is too wide, and a stop to keep the door from falling off the track completely. These types of doors also require guides at the level of the floor, which helps keep the lower portion of the door in place. These come in handy if the horse is leaning on, kicking, or pawing at the door. Be sure to include less than one and a half inches of clearance underneath the door, so that the horse doesn't get their hooves stuck when they are pawing or kicking in the direction of the stall door.
No matter what type of barn doors you choose, you will need to ensure that you have durable non rusting materials with heavy duty hardware. Also be sure that your stall components and doors are free from any sharp edges that the horses could injure themselves on. If you decide to purchase doors that are only half-height, there are options that can allow the horse to see over the top of the door, but will discourage the horse from jumping over this barrier.
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