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A stable may be a comfortable and sheltered environment for a horse, but can also present various hazards. Kieran O'Brien MRCVS details how to avoid potential stable injuries

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A STABLE is considered to be a secure and safe environment for a horse. Although the present system of stabling horses has evolved over centuries, avoidable injuries still occur in stabled horses. These can be prevented by some simple precautions.

Door dangers

DOORS should always open outwards. Inward-opening doors are often found in converted sheds, commonly where feed has been stored. If a horse rolls – for example, because of a colic attack – and becomes cast against the door, it may be impossible to open.

The anti-chew metal covering on doors and partitions can become loose and bent outwards (often at a corner), exposing sharp edges. These sharp edges can cause cuts to horses’ faces or muzzles and must be reattached promptly.

Older wooden stable doors, where they have become damp over time, can rot along the bottom. This may go unnoticed. Significant injuries have occurred where a horse, banging the door with a foot in anticipation of being fed or turned out, has penetrated the bottom of the door, trapping its foot.