Bedding and rubber floors

[Meowy Catkin]

I've been thinking about this as it was brought up in some youtube comments.

When you have a rubber floor in a stable so loose mats, poured rubber flooring or sealed mats, how much bedding do you use? Horses in overnight.

 

[TPO]

I have a normal full bed (of Nedz Pro) in fully matted stables

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes a full bed seems right (am I biased or old fashioned though?). At my last yard I had a full bed (straw) on top of rubber mats. Bleddy awful to clean under so I think sealed mats/poured rubber would be much better but I'd still want a full bed.

 

[TPO]

I think the same as you Meowy.

My opinion is that people think of mats as a money saving option as in theyve paid out for matting so will save by using minimal bedding

Apart from anything else pee on matting stinks and ruins rugs. Much better to have a proper bed IMO.

 

[HashRouge]

Full bed. I have to say I'm not a fan of moveable rubber mats at all though. I'd either want sealed mats or just a good thick bed on concrete.

 

[milliepops]

I have a half bed on rubber whereas I would have a full bed on concrete (I find many concrete floors are slippery). but it's proper thickness, just swept back so they stand to eat their hay on the rubber.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Ahh, the argument I read was that it is more comfortable.

Question - Any reason there isn’t a layer a straw in *name removed* stall, so she can have a soft place to lay down?

Answer - It's a thick rubber floor, far more comfortable then straw.

 

[milliepops]

the comfort thing is a funny one. Obviously horses will lie down on the cold wet ground if they live out
One of mine got down onto a flagstone floor to roll
So rubber probably is a bit more comfortable than concrete - at least it's a secure footing to get back up on. but mine always lie down on the bed rather than on the bare rubber, which tells me all I need to know!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes I agree that rubber flooring is more comfortable than concrete. But is a rubber floor more comfortable than a think bed? I'm not convinced but haven't actually tested it myself (I'd probably get 'cast' LOL ).

I think when a horse is essentially only given a sprinkling of bedding, they don't have a choice.

Yes CM once went to roll on a stoney/gravel path. 'Nuts' I thought and stopped her, especially as she was wearing her saddle at the time.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Even when I had mats I still had a huge thick bed so I don't bother with mats now apart from one at the front of the door, it just seemed a bit pointless, I have never been a fan of mats and a small line or sprinkling of bedding at the back, horses and rugs end up filthy and stink my farrier always says he knows the ones that have no bed.

 

[GoldenWillow]

Pony with COPD in a 12 x 14 stable with mats on top of hardcore base has 2/3 of floor covered in shavings, what I would call slightly thinner than I would prefer to use but what some people think is an acceptable bed on concrete! I have tried a thinner layer to try to minimise any dust from shavings but it didn't make any difference breathing wise. Shetland same set up has full bed covering full stable as stable is 8 x 8 ft.

 

[splashgirl45]

i always had a full thickness bed which cover 2 thirds of the floor, leaving the front 3rd of rubber matting clear for hay, water bucket and feed. i also used shavings as straw doesnt soak up urine as well and IMO smells

 

[Surbie]

I leave half the stable bedded in summer in case he needs to come in for any reason, but in winter it's a thick bed over 3/4 of the box, with clear rubber at the front for hay and water. I use shavings & sawdust.

 

[Abby-Lou]

Equi mats n about 1/3 stable with shavings use blue frog shavings take out wet each morning. Use just over one bale a week between two ponies. One is a grey Connemara and keeps clean on this system, totally prefer compared to a straw bed.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have sealed mats the horses have a deep bed but not in the whole stable because they are big stables

 

[Cortez]

I use mats, the horses have a normal bed (straw) covering 3/4 of the floor. The main attraction of rubber flooring for me is the insulation and the shock absorption.

 

[doodle]

Nice thick straw bed but about 2/3rds of the stable.

 

[holeymoley]

Big normal sized bed, comfort is paramount!

I knew someone that used literally a feed scoop amount of sawdust on her mats and thought it was brilliant that her mare didn’t pee in the stable... I don’t really think that’s a good thing!

The ones over the years that skimp on the bedding usually stink as the pee all runs under the mats, or they lie in it and cover the rugs in it. Interestingly our stables are all huge so most of them have a quarter of their stable with bedding only and the rest mats. If they lie down they always go on the shavings.

 

[Muddywellies]

I have rubber mats and don't have a full bed. Whole point of getting it was to be time saving and economical. So I use wood pellets, just about deep enough to be relatively comfortable when she lies down, but certainly no banks. Takes me about 5 milliseconds to muck out ?

 

[Goldenstar]

Mats are not about time and money for me its are about insulation and shock absorption .
I could not have horses with proper deep beds .

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Both my stables have wall to wall thick rubber mats which don’t move or allow wee to soak through. I have them because I don’t like concrete floors and DP slips if it gets wet as he isn’t shod. He has a very deep Aubiose bed in his and B has a deep straw bed with big banks over wood pellets. Both are deep littered and the wet patches removed weekly. I don’t think I will ever change the mats although I would change the bedding if needed.

 

[daffy44]

Mats for me are also more about shock absorbtion, and ease getting up etc, my stables have full rubber mats and a normal thickness bed in either straw or shavings (depending on the horse) but it covers about 3/4 of the stable, rather than every inch of it which I'd do if no rubber mats.

 

[NinjaPony]

Mine have half, but full and thick shavings beds on top of rubber mats. I don’t like thin beds- they always smell and make rugs etc dirty, and I think it can’t be nice for the horse to be trapped in a small, filthy stable.

 

[Pippity]

I have the thickest Equimats, which are delightfully springy to walk on. While they're definitely more comfortable than concrete, she always chooses to sleep on the shavings, so she keeps getting them.

She usually has about 1/2-2/3 of the box as shavings (depending on how recently I've topped up) with the front kept bare for hay. The bed's thinner and smaller than if it was on concrete, but that's because I'm not relying solely on the bed to keep her off the concrete and provide shock absorption.

 

[scats]

Fully rubber matted stables and full thickness beds, but not quite as far forwards, probably 3/4 of the stable covered with bed.

 

[meleeka]

One of mine has a thinnish bed on rubber mats because he likes making mucking out a difficult as possible. A full bed would just mean more to sift through. The others have full beds 3/4 of the way across the floor.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

So no-one on this thread thinks that a thin sprinkling of bedding on the 'pee patch' is enough for overnight.

OK, it's good to know that I'm not going mad.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I have a half bed on rubber whereas I would have a full bed on concrete (I find many concrete floors are slippery). but it's proper thickness, just swept back so they stand to eat their hay on the rubber.

That’s pretty much how mine are kept. Half bed of wood pellets, a bit bigger in winter. One is on the thick heavy black rubber that is fully fitted to the stable and I’ve never moved it. The other is on the softer squishy mats that interlock (or not!). I bought the latter second hand and they stretch where the horse mainly stands and then bulge up. They don’t interlock properly. Although they’re softer than the black rubber they move and I had to take them out and cut them down to fit back in. Luckily horse isn’t a digger otherwise they’d easily come up.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

So no-one on this thread thinks that a thin sprinkling of bedding on the 'pee patch' is enough for overnight.

OK, it's good to know that I'm not going mad.

I did keep another Young horse I previously had a bit like that as it was cheap and very easy to muck out but I found rugs stank which transferred to any clothes one wore and I certainly
wouldn’t keep my oldie on a thin bed.

 

[Muddywellies]

So no-one on this thread thinks that a thin sprinkling of bedding on the 'pee patch' is enough for overnight.

OK, it's good to know that I'm not going mad.

Years ago when people first started using rubber mats, the manufacturers used to advertise them saying you didnt need to use bedding. I once walked into a barn of indoor stables, all on rubber mats only and ooooooooh the stench!!!! It was horrible!