(Editor’s Note: Any brand names noted in this article are for discussion only. This article is not intended as definitive list of suppliers or features; inclusion does not imply endorsement.)

We’ve come a long way since the days of the simple tie stall and the humble hitching post. Necessity is the mother of invention, and through the years we’ve added stall mats, cross-ties, hay racks, and automatic waterers to the mix. However, our understanding of the equine has evolved throughout the years, and today new products take health and safety concerns into consideration along with maintenance issues. Just like office desk chairs have become ergonomic, barn equipment is being viewed the same way. A simple waterer is designed with the horse’s natural drinking patterns in mind. Innovative hay racks and feeders prevent respiratory illness. And stall mats mimic the benefits of a horse’s natural habitat.

"In a perfect world, the horse wouldn’t be in a stall, he’d be out in a pasture," says Karen Hayes, DVM, author of many books on horse care, including The Perfect Stall, How to Be the Perfect Horsekeeper, and Hands on Horse Care (Iron Horse Press, www.integralhorse.com). "I believe that many health problems, health and safety issues, and injuries that horses suffer in their lives with humans are largely the result of being forced to live in a situation that is diametrically opposed to the way they were created. But this is the real world, and we have to do the best we can to give the horse a stall that mimics the kind of lifestyle that they have in the wild