Choose Wisely when Purchasing Horse Stalls for Your Barn
Painted steel horse stall components are generally the least expensive type, but their welded design also makes them one of the strongest. Painted steel stall components are much like a car body if exposed to the weather or high humidity conditions in a barn and will develop rust in a short span of time in these sort of conditions. I only suggest the use of painted steel horse stall components in dry climates or very well ventilated barns.
Powder coated components are the next step up from painted steel, but the same humid conditions will deteriorate the powder coated finish quickly and rust will form under the powder coatings, lifting the finish from the metal.
Galvanized horse stall components are the best in terms of strength and durability against rust. The best is a hot-dip zinc coating which actually impregnates itself a few thousands of an inch into the steel and bonds to the steel. These types of stall components can be used in high humidity areas and last much longer than painted or powder coated steel components. However, be aware that not all galvanizing is the same and be sure to ask the horse stall supplier how their galvanizing is applied. A spray on or “cold” galvanizing is no better than paint and will show rust in a very short time. Galvanized horse stall components should not be welded as the galvanizing process can not penetrate the weld and the coating will flake-off in a short time and begins to rust quickly.
Aluminum has come onto the horse stall scene in the past few years and I have been amazed at some of the marketing spin used to promote aluminum horse stalls. Aluminum does have a use in horse stalls for extremely high humidity or salt air conditions, but when I read the marketing hype of “pound for pound stronger than steel” this should be examined a little closer and the facts shown as well. While the phrase “pound for pound stronger than steel” is accurate if you are comparing an aluminum alloy to mild steel, the aluminum piece would have to have a mass 3 times of size of the steel piece. Say for instance, you have a steel tube 34 inches long and 1/8 inch thick. To match that steel tube in strength, the aluminum tube would have to be over 3/8 inch thick and with that much mass, the aluminum tube would be heavier in weight then the steel tube. Aluminum is a soft metal and damages very easily, so the people at CMI Horse Stalls apply a hard anodized coating to the aluminum which makes them much harder on the surface and less prone to bending and denting like bare aluminum does.
I suggest CMI horse equipment to people looking for horse stalls as they manufacture a wide range of horse stalls to fit almost any conditions.
It pays to shop carefully when purchasing horse stalls so you get the best product for your money and one that suits your individual barn conditions and needs.
