Stable Mirrors

Stable Mirrors have a dramatic effect on the well being of a stabled horse or pony. What they have been found to achieve under scientific test conditions:

• Horses which had been long term weavers 'stopped or significantly reduced this within 24 hours' of a stable mirror being fitted.
• One long term study found that horses which had been weaving for at least 2 years reduced this by 77% with stable mirrors fitted compared to an 85% reduction where they had a companion horse in full site within 1 metre.
• Studies also found that Horses are Happier and More Relaxed with a stable mirror fitted, significantly improving their welfare and quality of life.
• see some of the research in our Boredom and Stable Vices section click here

The research undertaken was from the point of view that as a Herd Animal a horse kept in a stable and isolated from its natural herd would suffer stress and boredom. The stress and boredom would cause abnormal behaviour and the development of stable vices, or stereotypical behaviour as it is otherwise known.

Putting a mirror in the stable, in a position that the horse could easily see itself, would provide a companion and make the horse feel it had company. This would remove the underlying stress and boredom and reduce or cure the stable vice.

The research showed this to be the case and, as above, the results have been dramatic. You can find out more about the studies, research and other related issues such as diet by clicking here. In the section on fitting stable mirrors you will find detailed advice and instructions on the best place to fit and how to work out the best height to fit your horse's new mirror.

Safety and Mirrors in Stables
Glass mirrors are very dangerous in a stable, they can shatter and cause serious injury. For safety mirrors need to be shatterproof.

Occasionally a horse will lick or even bite at its mirror as it will when grooming a friend. This presents two possible problems - the first is that a glass mirror will break with obvious and immediate dangers, the second is that a very hard surface mirror such as steel may cause wear or chipping to a horse's teeth.

For Safety Mirrors should be Acrylic (recommended by the scientists conducting tests in the UK). Our mirrors are all made of Acrylic in the EU to the highest quality standards and provide a brilliant mirror finish.

Types of Mirror
There are two main types of mirror available as Stable or Horse Mirrors, Acrylic or Stainless Steel. We only sell Acrylic Mirrors for stable use although we continue to review other possible options, and we do sell Safety glass mirrors for Arena and Menage use, but Not for use in a stable.

Acrylic Mirrors were recommended by the scientists for safety. They are almost identical to a glass mirror in reflective quality, are flexible, light and easy to handle and and have a 'soft' surface. The surface will show scratches if a horse rubs its teeth on it or tries to bite it but the mirror will remain highly reflective and the horse's teeth will not wear or chip on it. Light scratches can easily be polished out using a car polish such as TCut

A stainless steel mirror (as sometimes seen in public toilets), is very effective if highly polished, although having the danger of wear or chipping to teeth if your horse is one of the rare examples which bites at the mirror. They are very expensive compared to Acrylic and there is only one supplier we are aware of (see 'Compare prices' section in the left margin).Stainless steel picks up surface scratches from horse's teeth and cleaning - the reflective quality deteriorates with the scratches.

Other Types and DIY. We are aware of reflective plastic film mounted to a plywood backing being used, although this does not have the reflective qualities of either acrylic or stainless steel. We have also heard of highly polished aliminium being used but this is a soft metal and surface scratches remove its reflective ability (unlike acrylic). Neither is likely to be a long term solution.

Is installing a Stable Mirror money well spent?
Yes - all the evidence shows it is. Whether you fit one as a positive step to help alleviate an existing vice, or to improve the quality of your horses life when shut up in its stable and to help prevent stable vices developing, we believe it is money well spent. Our customers think so and we have set out to provide stable mirrors at an affordable price, less than many yards charge for a week's livery!

Sizes
We offer 3 Stable Mirror sizes to suit different sizes of horses and to keep the prices as low as possible. Why buy a huge mirror for a pony? We also have Arena or School mirrors which are a massive 8ft long by 4ft high, we do not believe you will find better value. Please note that we do not normally keep Pony size mirrors in stock, these are available within 3 days from order.

Suggested sizes:

• Pony Stable Mirror - up to 13.2hh;
• Large Stable Mirror - 13hh up to 16hh - 4ft by 2ft 8 ins
• Extra Large Stable Mirror - 15.2hh upwards. 4ft by 4ft
• Please note - we only supply Pony Mirrors to special order, please contact us for details.

Pricing
You will find that our few competitors are on average 50% to 100% more expensive and none we know of are cheaper. If you find a Better Price online from a genuine Stable Mirror retailer for the same size and quality (except Ebay) we will guarantee to match or better it.

We aim to deliver value for money to ensure that price is not a barrier to installing a stable mirror for your horse or pony.

Delivery
We use Royal Mail 1st Class Recorded delivery for Travel Mirrors - all others are next day insured courier delivery from a national company and in most cases we will despatch from stock within 24 hours of your order, except at weekends when the earliest despatch will be Monday. In the very rare event that we cannot despatch within 24 hours we will inform you by phone or email to confirm the depatch date which will be within 72 hours at most.

We will always try and minimise delivery costs and can combine deliveries to one address. Please see below the prices for delivery prices. We can also arrange specified time deliveries for weekday mornings or a Saturday morning but these do carry a surcharge from our delivery company. If you would like this please call to arrange and get a price.

Please note we use a National Next Day Courier Company for deliveries mirrors which costs £9.95 as a basic shipping cost, UK mainland only.

Within this price we can deliver, to the same address, 3 of the Pony Stable Mirrors or 2 of the larger Stable Mirrors. So why not combine an order with a friend and save on delivery costs ?

Large Stable Mirrors from just £33.95 (large size 1220 mm by 808mm) Travelling Mirrors from just £12.95 (400 mm by 600mm
Unbeatable prices Buy Now

Stable Mirrors or horse mirrors as some call them are fitted inside the horse's stable. Our mirrors are currently being used in further research on reducing stress during horse transport and also with stallions.

We will publish the outcomes of this research in the coming months.