Until you are faced with renovating an existing structure or building a new barn, you may not realize just how many options exist when selecting stall doors. Long gone are the days when the traditional Dutch door was a standard interior stall door.

Stall doors may be a necessity, but that does not mean they have to be boring. Today's manufacturers offer a wide range of choices, many of which can benefit horse health and comfort, plus improve barn appearance at the same time.

With so many stall doors on the market, some decisions are simply a matter of personal preference. Cost, climate, and the barn's specific use will also influence your choices. Representatives of several stall door manufacturers were interviewed to learn what options are available. If you decide not to choose from stock models, custom-made doors can be designed and manufactured for a totally unique look that will set your barn apart from the rest.

While the popularity of some types of stall doors varies depending on climate and region, one similarity was obvious. Doors made of top-to-bottom steel grille or mesh have become a favorite choice of many horsemen because they offer noticeably increased ventilation and visibility. Horses also seem to be more content when they can easily see outside their stalls.

Sliding doors were the unanimous choice for interior stall doors, as opposed to swinging, hinged doors, which take up more space when open and can easily bump a horse being led in or out of the stall.

Consider facility first

When a customer is deciding on the style of stall doors, one of the first considerations should be the facility's specific use, said Dan Conner, vice president of J. W. Hall Enterprises Inc., located in Santa Fe, Texas. Recommendations will vary accordingly.

"With a boarding stable, you usually want a door that has wood halfway up with the bars at the top closer together to keep people from trying to touch the horses," Conner said. "In a breeding facility, we like the expanded metal doors.

These offer more airflow, and you don't have to open the door to see the horses. You can see foals even when they're lying down.

"Down here in the South where it gets so hot, breeders like a door that is expanded metal on the bottom," said Conner. Providing excellent airflow, this galvanized steel door is steel mesh to a height of 52 inches. Above the steel mesh are solid, round half-inch bars, which can be spaced either two inches apart or 31Ú2 inches apart, depending on customer preference.

Hall Enterprises' most popular seller is the sliding door with wood halfway up and grille work on top. This is also one of Hall's most economical doors, Conner said. "People like the look, and we probably sell six of these to any one of the others," he said. "You put the wood in yourself to match the wood in your barn. Most people use pine, but some have used exotic woods to match what's in their barn. The wood is completely enclosed in steel (framing) to prevent cribbing."

Although 48" wide is the standard stock size, doors can be made any size, Conner said. Hall Enterprises does not paint its doors, but they are hot-dip galvanized after manufacturing to protect against rust. Conner said the company still sells solid wood sliding doors, in particular to be used as outside second stall doors. These solid doors are steel framed with wood mounted inside the framing.

When shopping for stall doors, consider how the horse will view this object of its confinement. "If a horse can lean and scratch on it, he's going to do it. If a horse can get a door to flex, that's what he's going to play with," Conner said. "The bottom of the door has to be held secure as well as the top. Our doors have a roller at the top, and a stop and guide at the bottom. All four corners of the door are held in place, so there's no weak area for a horse to push on."

For latches, Conner always recommends a type you can open from inside the stall. "That sounds silly, but a friend of mine in his 60s was in a stall working on a waterer," he said. "He was kneeling down, and the person working in the barn didn't realize he was in the stall, shut the door, and went home. He said, 'At my age, I'm too old to be climbing over a nine-foot stall front!' "

Also consider if a latch is easily operated with one hand because much of the time you will be holding onto a horse with the other hand.

All-steel doors

"A lot of people are looking at the all-grille door now because of increased ventilation and the fact that it keeps stalls drier," said Tom Knott, national sales manager of Classic Equine Equipment Inc. of Ironton, Missouri. Founded in 1990, the company handles both new construction and renovations.

The yoke option has proved popular with the all-grille doors because it allows horses to hang their heads out, and the yoke can also be closed when desired. "The yoke doors have a rectangular opening with a piano hinge that goes all the way across the bottom. This type of hinge is very sturdy," said Knott.

"We completely frame our doors and miter the corners on a 45 degrees angle so there are no openings," explained Knott. "We solid frame the door completely out of either 11Ú2-inch or two-inch galvanized steel, and then weld U-channels on the inside of that frame. We feel this gives the door a lot more strength. All our doors are standard 52" wide, so a mare and foal or a large horse won't have trouble coming in or out." Doors are available in unfinished galvanized steel or in one of eight colors. Knott said black and hunter green are the most requested colors.

Classic Equine Equipment also manufactures stall front sections out of steel. Customers can then use any type of lumber they choose in the steel framework to complete the panel.

For safety's sake, Classic Equine uses a gravity latch that comes down behind the stall door. "This way, when the door is open and a horse is coming out, there's nothing to catch on the horse," said Knott. "The old type of barn door latch that sticks out can catch a flank when you lead the horse out."

Knott strongly recommended having a second stall door that leads to the outside, even if there is no connecting paddock. This extra door will provide an exit in case of emergency, and the top half can also be opened for additional ventilation. The classic Dutch stall doors are often requested for exterior stall doors.

Benefits of exterior stall doors

• Increased ventilation
• Increased visibility and illumination
• Another way in or out of a stall in case of emergency

Advantages of expanded metal steel doors

• Increased ventilation
• Bedding tends to stay drier because of better airflow
• Horses are easily visible from outside stalls
• Horses tend to be more content because they can see out better

Aluminum options

One of the newest options in stall doors is construction entirely with maintenance-free materials. Styled after the traditional-looking wood and steel door, this latest option features aluminum framing and grille work instead of steel, and durable vinyl rails in place of wood on the bottom. Installed horizontally, the rails are a light-sand color with a realistic wood-grain appearance.

"There's no maintenance," said Steve Kenworthy, senior vice president of Big Sun Equine Products Inc. in Ocala. "Horses can't crib on it or gouge it by kicking. It weighs half of what a wood-and-steel door weighs." Kenworthy said the door is roughly 30% more expensive than the steel-and-wood version. Another option is an all-aluminum door with expanded metal on the bottom in place of the vinyl panels.

In business since 1989, Big Sun Equine Products specializes in construction consultation, whether for new barn design or remodeling. A master distributor for Bufftech vinyl products in Florida, Big Sun wo