A 3-Stall Barn Allows Horses to Roam Freely

This beautiful barn allows horses to interact as a herd, but still provides ample shelter inside the open concept stalls.

Geneva Maxwell rode horses when she was a little girl and tried her best to continue taking lessons as an adult. In 2020, Geneva bought her first horse and began a new journey as an owner. Fast forward to 2022, Geneva’s herd has expanded and now she has a beautiful new barn to enjoy. The new equine additions include two coming two-year-olds and a new riding partner arriving next week. She’s looking forward to getting back into the saddle after retiring her mare from a knee injury.

Photography by Geneva Maxwell

The barn’s sharp looking exterior is covered in TruCedar siding. It mimics the look of cedar, comes painted and ready to go. The outdoor accent lights are from Amazon.

Geneva’s husband Kyle is a roofing and building contractor. He managed the construction and hired out subcontractors, quickly completing the barn in about four months.

The stalls include automatic IFEEDnaturally feeders to spread out the horse’s ration balancer multiple times throughout the day. This provides their body with a chance to properly digest and keep a healthy gut system.

The stalls are by American Stalls and were decided on before the project even began.

“A year before we started the build for our barn I had been in talks with American Stalls. I was so impressed with their communication and quality of stalls, I knew I wanted them to provide the stalls for our barn,” Geneva said. “We ended up buying their interlocking mats and stall blockers and have not been disappointed.”

The interior of the barn includes three stalls, a feed room, tack room and wash stall.

Feed Room

This tidy feed area features durable Rubbermaid containers on rollers, keeping grain free from pests and easy to move. A pop of green in Benjamin Moore Backwoods adds a little color to the space. For even more feed room inspiration, be sure to read Feed Room Inspiration + Practical Organization Solutions.

Wash Stall

Tack Room

Geneva found tack room inspiration from Stable Style and Pinterest, creating a functional and beautiful space.

The tack room has a washer and dryer, sink and organized storage solutions.

Outdoor Spaces

Geneva wanted to create a natural environment for her horses and opted for an open concept stall design which allows her horses to feel comfortable.

“Movement is very important to the horse’s well-being. In the wild, they live in environments where they have to travel great distances to find food and water,” Geneva said. “Also, it’s important to their normal instincts to be able to play and establish ranking inside of a herd of at least 3 – 6. They need each other to feel secure and safe which lowers their stress hormones.”

Removable partition boards and back gates allow the stalls to remain open, but offers the option of closing up a stall in case of an injury where a horse needs to be on stall rest or immobilized.