An animal stall (1) has a support frame (2) with a top rail (3) and bottom rail (4) interconnected by spaced stanchions (5, 6). A fixed head bar (7) and a hingeing head bar (8) define an access opening (10) for through passage of an animals head. The hingeing head bar (8) pivots about a pivot pin (24) between an upright position parallel to the fixed head bar (7) to capture an animals head in the opening (10) and an inclined position to allow insertion and removal of the animals head. The hingeing head bar (8) can be moved laterally away from the fixed head bar (7) to enlarge the opening (10) allowing unrestricted movement of the animals head through the opening (10) in an emergency situation.