Lining stable doors

[Doug71]

I'm going to be making some stable doors, proper ones for horses.

It's going to be a decent quality job, doors will be sapele and the bottom doors want lining inside.

Some people recommend ply and some say OSB, I'm thinking 12mm whichever. I would initially think go for ply but people say ply splinters and if it gets a hole kicked in it its a big hole where OSB just leaves a small hole.

Anybody got any thoughts or experience of such things?

Thanks in advance, Doug

 

[HappyHacker]

I have lined stable doors with 18mm ply because that was what I had, and I also have left some unlined and have others with OSB. None caused a problem as the horses generally, emphasis on the word generally, did not kick the door. I have seen a 17 hand shire horse ( about 3/4 ton) kick a 18mm ply partition and it just left a dent. I have also seen the same shire rub her bum on a stable wall (wooden construction 4X2 frame) and it must have been moving out by about 2 inches, fortunately it was well fixed down.

I have a damaged bit of T&G on the outside of one door where a horse messed around while tied up outside and just gave a little kick.

The key think is to ensure no sharp things they can cut themselves on as it tends to work out expensive. Some horse like to chew the tops of stable doors (cribbing) so a metal cover is quite common.

 

[Farm Labourer]

I built mine out of 25mm solid keruing - just so I wouldn't have to line them. As good today as they were when installed 20 years ago.

 

[Max Power]

The key think is to ensure no sharp things they can cut themselves on as it tends to work out expensive. Some horse like to chew the tops of stable doors (cribbing) so a metal cover is quite common.

Lots of horses will bite wooden surfaces when bored. Cribbing is far more serious, where the horse holds onto the surface with its teeth while swallowing air.

 

[AJB Temple]

Having had stables and event horses......just use whatever you want as long as it is as thick as you can afford. Big horses are strong beyond belief. I had an 18 hand event horse crash through big wrought iron gates after an adverse drug reaction from a vet. We found him 3 miles away. Usually they just rub and shove.

I took the view that by and large I would rather the stable be damaged than the horse.