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  Discussion on Tin for inside stall
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Member:
maggienm

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 2:31 pm:

We are doing some repairs to our walk in shelter.

The horses have really done a job chewing on the walls.
We are reroofing with tin and are wondering about using tin on the walls.
The tin is ribbed so the joins are very snug, nothing to catch on there.
We would secure the edges so there would be no sharp edges there. He he we would likely have to use wood to cover the edge.
Has anyone used tin on the inside of a barn or shelter?
Do you see any problems with this?
Thank you for your help.
Member:
mrose

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 2:58 pm:

You can get metal linings for stalls. Our stalls are lined with galvanized steel. It's held up very good; the walls are now 16 yrs. old. I like the metal because it is easy to power wash and to disinfect. Plus, the horses don't chew on it. Doesn't tin rust? I'd be concerned about deterioration at the bottom where it comes into contact with urine especially. Some horses are prone to chewing on the wooden edges since they stick out further than the metal.
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 3:14 pm:

It is commonly called tin, at least around here, but in truth it is not 'tin', but a metal alloy,(which I realize is what tin is)forget what gauge.
Fairly heavy.

Good thought about the floor.
It wouldn't be too hard to start the tin an inch or so up from the wall.
Member:
kpaint

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 3:26 pm:

I don't know what gauge the tin is (we call it tin around here also), but I would wonder if a shod horse kicked, is it possible to go through the tin if the shed walls are 2x4 frame construction and not solid? We had a couple of sharp, raggedy holes in a tin building from elk antler...
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 5:12 pm:

The tin would go over the existing wall. A good kick would certainly break and make a mess of the plywood that is in currently the inner wall.
Member:
scooter

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 5:34 pm:

Hi Lori, the inside of the the lean-to where I used to keep my horses was tin. I don't like tin because of the damage it can do to horse parts, that said they had 4 bumper boards inside the lean-to that stuck out far enough it would take a lot for the horses to be able to get a body part into the tin. We just built out about 8 ins and put the scrap boards on, we never had a problem. The people also has a tin machine shed and part of that was in the pasture...one horse managed to lie down and roll next to it...leg went right thru the tin and some major doctoring went on. This horse was very accident prone anyway. I'm not a big fan of just tin for a horse building without some kind of "bumper" or wood liner on the inside where the horses are, seen to many accidents involved in it.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 6:00 pm:

I agree with Diane.

Anything that comes loose due to damage can do a real number on a horses' eye, which I suspect is how one of mine sliced a piece off his cornea, which was no fun doctoring for many, many weeks.

We had wrapped the top of the stall dividers with metal strips, which proved to be a really bad idea that we had to tear off.
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 8:08 pm:

Lori,

When I moved into my house in 1996, there was an old above ground pool that had a Redwood deck and sides and a tin surround ( Several pieces that went around the plastic liner of the pool.

Since it was going to cost more to fix the pool than to dismantle it. We decided to dismantle it. We redid our "detached garage" into a 3 stall barn. We used the tin surround pieces for part of the roof and the top part of the stall walls and used the redwood planks from the deck for the bottom part of the stall walls, we completely recycled the pool into the barn, we used the plastic liner underneath the tin roof.

The tin remains in good shape today, we have not had any injuries because of the tin, but I think it is because of where we used it (upper walls and roof). I think it can be used in certain situations, but I am not sure I would recommend it for an entire project.

Rachelle
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 8:43 pm:

Good for you Rachelle, that sounds great.

The tin is 36 inches wide, so thinking of that it wouldn't start at the floor level anyway.

Since the horses seem to chew any and all wood we thought we would run a single piece of tin around the inside of the stalls.
The tin would be screwed down, the corners would have to be covered in wood or bent over.
I can see it might get dented a bit but it is going over a 2x6 18"center so I don't think(I hope) a hoof wouldn't go through it.
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - 10:04 pm:

Our barn is "tin" or metal as we like to call it, sounds better.

I do not like even the outer just being tin, horses have kicked it and dented it, and there always seems to a loose part, or sharp corner/edge some place especially where they stand under the eve. It's very hard to bend it back into shape once it's bent out.

I am hoping someday hubby has time to put some good lumber out on the outer walls where they hang out, I'd rather have chewed wood than cut horses. Only one cut so far that I know for sure from the tin, Cody had a cut on his leg and his hair was on a sharp edge that came loose around his door frame.

I think what we have in our stalls is OSB? board...I can't remember if that is the right initials or not. Then cannot get there teeth in it, but have kicked it in one place...it's pretty tough stuff. Unlike plywood or particle board that they go through like beavers!

Just my experience; as we know, horses can get hurt in padded stalls!
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 - 10:37 am:

Lori,

We had bent the edges down and secured it when we used the metal over the stall dividers.

Putting a piece of wood trim over the edges would have been a very good idea, though my crew would have chewed that so it would have needed on-going maintenance so that the metal edge would not become exposed.

My husband built my barn and used heavy plywood over the framework inside of the stalls. My horses have never been able to chew that because the interiors are smooth. A cranky mare did once manage to kick a couple of small holes in the plywood, but this did not cause any serious damage to the stall and the mare was unhurt.

My husband used 2 x 4 lumber to cap the stall walls and doors and they do chew that somewhat. It is easy to remove and replace this capping if it gets too bad and some of this has been replaced in my barn once in the past 16 years, but chewing has never gotten beyond that layer to do damage to the underlying structure. Once they get a few waves in the boards and attain a shape pleasing to them, they seem to quit chewing and instead just scrape their teeth on it!
Member:
dsibley

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 21, 2009 - 10:30 am:

I had someone bend some pretty thick sheet metal into lengths of angle iron, then had screws counter-sunk into the holes. I used that to cover any outside corner where the little beavers chew. The metal is heavy enough that it won't catch and bend backward, which is what causes cuts. I also took an old hoof rasp and filed down the edges. Also go over the screws every couple of months just to be sure they aren't backing out...WHY do we do this????

Anyway, a good friend of mine lost a horse who kicked thru the side of a metal building and lacerated a tendon. All of mine are kept away from unprotected tin on the buildings.
Member:
cmatexas

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 21, 2009 - 11:30 am:

We live in Texas, and several of our "barns" are tin buildings, like carports with sides, which we put panels in and set up a few stalls. This is VERY common in our part of the state. We had no problems for years. Inexpensive, easy to clean, good for summer and winter.

Last year, we needed some extra panels, and pulled one out of the back of the stall a stall. No worries - horses had been in there for years, never had a single problem ever. One night, something must have gotten in the barn and gotten after our daughter's mare. She actually busted through the tin, but could only get her head and shoulders through, so she jerked back. She sliced her face and chest almost to the bone, and cut her throat so deeply she almost bled to death. She severed several nerves.

If you are going to use tin, make sure there is something to keep your horses from going through it. In our wildest dreams, we never imagined one could bust through it!! We still have them, but EVERYTHING is lined with heavy-duty panels and/or thick wood now.
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 21, 2009 - 12:24 pm:

thanks for all the ideas.
Member:
cgby1

Posted on Friday, Oct 23, 2009 - 11:59 pm:

I have been thinking of using James Hardie 4 x 8 sheets to line the outside of my T&G wood barn. We used the plank material as siding for our house because it is made of cement and cellulose, is fire proof and holds paint forever. The horses would find that it tastes terrible but if they kicked through it wouldn't hurt them. Has anyone else ever used this siding? Maybe it would work for your shelter.
Cynthia
Member:
cgby1

Posted on Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 - 12:25 am:

I should have written, has anyone else used this siding around their horses?
Cynthia
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009 - 11:31 am:

Cynthia, I am not familiar with the product you are referring to, sorry.
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