# Custom Horse Stalls: 8 Barn Decisions to Settle Before Your Project Is Priced

American Stalls · 10625 Jones Street, Suite 101A, Fairfax, VA 22030 · (855) 957-8255 · americanstalls.com

Custom horse stalls are easiest to get right on paper. American Stalls, a Fairfax, Virginia builder of custom horse stall equipment since 2005, walks every client through the same eight decisions before a barn builder prices the job, when a change costs an eraser instead of a change order. This summary follows the company’s November 2026 planning guide.

# 1. Sliding or hinged stall fronts

Sliding fronts roll along an overhead track, take no aisle space and cannot swing open on a handler; hinged European fronts swing into the aisle and leave nothing overhead for a more open look. American Stalls suggests sliding for barns with children, busy handlers or tight aisles.

# 2. Yoke style, and whether you can close it

A low European front sits about 60 in at its lowest point; a deep arched yoke drops to roughly 50 in and is hard to fill later. A French yoke, available on rectangular yokes, opens like shutters so nothing heavy drops, and is the company’s pick when children are around.

# 3. Centered or off-center doors

A sliding door overlaps its opening by about 2 in per side, so a 48 in clear opening takes a 52 in door. On a 12 ft post-to-post stall, a centered door cannot slide fully open; American Stalls says you need roughly 12 ft 4 in to 12 ft 6 in between posts, or a slightly off-center door. Send post spacing early.

# 4. Stall floors: drains or stall mattresses

Mats over sloped concrete need a drain in each stall. StableComfort stall mattresses need a flat, level base with no stall drains, and the company says many owners use 2 to 3 bags of bedding instead of a full bed. Decide before the slab is designed.

# 5. Aisle flooring

Interlocking rubber pavers are the company’s default for aisles, and black is its lowest-maintenance color. It does not recommend poured rubber, and suggests keeping stone or brick for rooms horses do not enter.

# 6. Utilities

Plan water lines for Nelson bowl waterers or Cascada bucket waterers, one fan per stall on its own circuit, task and architectural lighting, and wash bay plumbing before plumbing and electrical are priced.

# 7. Out-stalls and back doors

Use steel run panels with mesh infill to avoid caught legs. Back Dutch doors let the top half open for air; swinging doors open 180 degrees and latch flat with hold-back hardware.

# 8. Who furnishes what

American Stalls furnishes everything inside and around the barn except the structure: stall fronts and partitions, lighting, tack room fittings, wash bay equipment, entry and Dutch doors, windows, stall flooring and fencing.

# Frequently asked questions

• When should I bring in a custom stall company? American Stalls recommends during design, before the builder prices the job.
• Do I have to pick from a catalog? No. American Stalls builds to your measurements; the catalog is a starting point.
• What steel is used? Pre-galvanized steel with a powder-coat finish on structural components, with 304 stainless, brass and aluminum hardware.
• How long do custom stalls take? The company says custom steel typically takes 8 to 10 weeks to fabricate and flooring 3 to 5 weeks.
• Can stall mattresses and in-stall drains be combined? No. Mattresses need a flat, sealed base.

On the official site: Designing a barn that still works in year ten · Horse stall systems · Sliding stall fronts · Barn Dutch doors · Equine flooring · Contact American Stalls

# About American Stalls

American Stalls 10625 Jones Street, Suite 101A, Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone: (855) 957-8255 · Email: sales@americanstalls.com Website: americanstalls.com

American Stalls designs and builds custom, steel-framed horse stalls, stall fronts, stall partitions, barn doors, barn windows and equine flooring, and ships them from Fairfax, Virginia to barns across the United States and abroad. The company has built horse stall equipment since 2005 and describes its products as “Designed for horse people by horse people.” Hours are not posted on the site; call or email to reach the team.

Prepared by the American Stalls team. Product details on this page are taken from americanstalls.com; check the current product pages or ask your project manager before ordering.