What Wood To USE!

[weimedog]

After reading a little of the website posted relative to ID'ing hard woods and some descriptions of hardwood properties.....I'm wondering:

If you have sufficient quantities of the following trees to mill WHICH would be the best to use for Horse Stalls?? (Since this is all I have..I have to pick from the following)

Red Oak
Bass Wood
Elm
Ash
Hard Maple

[Buzz-sawyer]

Cotton wood .......even though you dont have it its cheep..and horses dont like to chew it ;)

[Jeff]

We sell mostly low grade red oak for stalls

[weimedog]

Thanks Jeff. I also heard Red Oak from another source. Yet another suggested hickory. I forgot to mention I have some Hickory but not very much. Red Oak I have. Thanks again.

[Buzz-sawyer]

Elm is tough and cheap too.......but it might get eaten.

[ohsoloco]

Someone I know that has horses said he doesn't like to use real hard wood (like oak) for stalls b/c he's had some horses kick the stalls, and their leg would get stuck since the wood deflected enough to let their hoof through but since it didn't break their leg got caught in there.  He'd rather replace a piece of pine than try and get an agitated horse's leg out of a stall  ???

[SwampDonkey]

Locally, they used hemlock for under the flooring, but the floor surface they used elm because it held up to wear of the horse treading with its uneven grain pattern. Persimmon is recommended by some for stalls, doesn't grow in my area. All three are somewhat decay resistant also.

A site on stable design

Iowa Barn Foundation

If your horse is eating up the stable put a radio in the barn, a safe distance away or a companion in eye sight of each other. The 'ole boy is bored, that's why he's eating up the stable. ;) My uncle left a radio on in the barn 24 hours a day for the animals. Kept the coons away too.