Bedding and rubber floors

[Meowy Catkin]

That sounds rank.

 

[Surbie]

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!

My horse used to be opposite two horses whose owners thought the same. It was gopping.

 

[Equi]

I have a full stable bar a ft or two at the door deep pellets and shavings bed all year. The only reason i have rubber down is a) i paid for it im gonna use it lol b) my horse digs right down to the floor once or twice a month for no reason i can see other than he fancied going to china. He already has precious legs so i don't want him to be scraping concrete.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

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

The only circumstances in which I would give a less than full floor bed would be if the whole floor was covered by mats. I can't bear those awful part beds with bare concrete left.

 

[palo1]

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.

We have a smaller overall bed but it is the same thickness as without mats. Without fail our horses prefer to lie on the bedded part of the rubber matting.

 

[MiniMilton]

I have thick cow mats, with one big corner (on the lowest part of the slope) left concrete. I have a thick bed (shavings) in that corner and a very shallow bed on half of the mats. The horses wee in the mat free corner so I only have one small area to muck out. To get them to start peeing in that corner I initially had no bed on the mats so they obviously didn't like the splashing.

My mats are loose but I have a length of 2"x3" wood at the edge of the mats so they don't move when the horses are getting up and down.

If I use a chopped straw bedding it stinks, but doesn't with shavings. I'm definitely saving time and money with the mats and it's easier to keep the stables spotlessly clean

 

[cobgoblin]

I have half the floor covered in bed, but that's quite large as my stables are 12x24. It's not as thick as it would be on concrete because the mats are 2.5 inches thick.

 

[claret09]

absolutely hate rubber mats. my boy's shavings bed is at least a foot deep, probably more. i loath shitty, stinky rugs. i take all the poo and wee out everyday but don't move all the bed. it forms a great solid, very stable base. the thing to remember is we all do our stables differently and do what works for us. other people hate my bed as they think it's far too much work. i have always used shavings and would never choose to use straw. i also don't put banks in either. as i say i do what works for me

 

[Auslander]

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.

Same here.
Interestingly, I have one horse here who prefers to lie on the rubber floor - her bed is usually untouched overnight! She also poos on the mats, and then wees on top of the poo pile!

This was taken after a night in her stable!

 

[my bfg]

Stable is fully matted and has a 3/4 full straw bed, for me the mats prevent my girl touching concrete, its not a bed in itself

 

[jumbyjack]

My shets have mats and a full sawdust type bed on top with a foot clear at the front for haylage and water. Did the same with late big horse.
Friend saw a setup at a boarding school, mats and no bedding, stables washed with hose pipe every morning. She said the smell made her heave!

 

[scats]

The only circumstances in which I would give a less than full floor bed would be if the whole floor was covered by mats. I can't bear those awful part beds with bare concrete left.

Yep, same here. When I was a kid, rubber matting wasn’t really a thing so my ponies all had thick beds right to the door. Drove me mad coz they would drag straw out across the yard!