Does anyone use rubber mats with a sprinkle of shavings?

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tye_bo

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I know its one of the hottest days of the year but I'm just thinking changing my winter routine. I've had rubber mats for 13 years but have always used them with thick straw - I am thinking about using just a sprinkle of shavings this winter to make mucking out not so much a chore.

My questions are

Do your rugs get mucky/wet? The drainage is non-existant although I could keep her outdoor rugs on.

How much shavings do you use per week and how much does that cost you?

Anything else I should know?!

Thanks
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yup, we use a sprinkle of shavings with mats. haven't noticed an issue with rugs: they seem to survive (or otherwise lol) just as they did when we had deep beds.

takes about five to ten minutes to muck out depending on how lazy you're feeling
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in the winter we get through one bag of shavings for six beds
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neds are happy to lie down.
 
I use rubber matting with a 5ft by 3ft area of shavings, takes seconds to muck out. Haven't noticed a difference with rugs - equally as dirty as they were before!

I use this all year round although they also have access to an outdoor area of concrete so I assume this is making things even easier for me!
 
We put sprinkling of shavings on top of mats. Then straw on top of that. Unless stables have good drainage I would have thought the horses rugs would end up minging, whether they are outdoor ones or not?

Where there is good drainage then the no shavings or sprinkling of shavings route works well. I know a yard with 52 liveries on that routine and there's no problems due to stable design.
 
Use to on a hunt yard I worked on 10 yrs ago.

We use to have full sawdust beds originally then, that were always imaculate) went on to the rubber matting with litterally just 2 round feed scoops sprinkled on the top.
I could muck out 20 horses in 30min!
You just sweep all to back then come with a barrow & shovel in. I could get 4 stables in one barrow.
Theses stables had their own drain & a ful passage drain aswell that was washed daily with green gloop!

We use to buy the sawdust off our own estate. The bill the previous year with full beds 14K (yes that it correct!) Buying the rubber mats was less than that & in the first season of sprinkling sawdust on, we never got to it either! So was a very big saving for us.

Yes rugs get manky! First job was go in take out haynets & top rugs off, throw into passage (indoor) then wash all day long & dry to go back on that night. We had industrial washer & dryer.

I now work somewhere, where we have rubber but only a quarted bed of straw or nedz.
Obviously nedz better for the pee than the straw. But both work well & are very managable. Though rugs her do not seem to get as dirty.

Basically you will have to try it & see if it works for you. What works for one does not work for another always.
 
Thanks guys. I am just thinking the shavings can't soak up all the wee surely so when she lies down the rugs will get wet? Which is why I may keep her out door rugs on?

Do you litterally sweep ALL the shavings out each day along with the muck? Then put another sprinkle down.

I just can't help thinking a nice thick straw bed looks much comfier but I know how much work/time it will save me.
 
I used to put down just a sprinkling of shavings for Mazzie, and she was a wet mucky mare. I'd end up just shovelling it all out every day very quickly, and the rugs were fine. A bale would last me about 2 weeks!
 
I have used mats with shavings for some time now and have never had any problems with small sprinklings versus a big bed of shavings. I suppose if your horse is messy it might be different. I have seen many,many horses stabled with a sprinkling on mats happily with no rug problems
 
On my previous yard they had this. But when I say a sprinkling of savings I literally mean there was just a dusting! They just swept it into a little pile in the morning to muck out and put some more down at night.

My horse was always filthy because he laid in his mess and he has thrush which I think is from standing on wet matting.

It was one of the things that made me move him.
 
Thanks again all, interesting reading. As you say I will give it a go and see, if all else fails I will have to convert to straw again.

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I used to put down just a sprinkling of shavings for Mazzie, and she was a wet mucky mare. I'd end up just shovelling it all out every day very quickly, and the rugs were fine. A bale would last me about 2 weeks!

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That makes me feel better!! Mine is a mucky mare which is why mucking out on thick straw is such a pain! Do you do litterally use about 2 feed scoops worth? Do you have drainage though?
 
Girl on our yard keeps her 2 like this, except a sprinkle of Nedz.
The stables stink, one horse has a constant sore (albeit a small one) on his hock and the rugs are disgusting.
In winter when they get turned into the sand paddock for a leg stretch, they lie down!!

It costs her next to nothing to keep them like that though and again, very little time to muck out.
 
I use mats with a bank of shavings round the edges and a sprinkle in the middle. I put a bale of aubiose under the back edges of the bank with woodshavings on top. I sweep out the middle daily (takes 5 mins max) and muck out completely once a week. Then I sweep clean shavings etc onto one mat and remove the other three mats and hose. Let them dry and replace at night. I alternate which mat I put the shavings on. I use very little bedding (about a bale a week for 3 neds) and the only one that smells is my daughters pony who wees for England. I think she backs right up to the rear of the stable when weeing so the smell is because she wees onto the rug. Wouldn't matter if she was on another bed. Mine wear outside rugs inside on the days I go to work and stable rugs on the other days. I can do three completely before work in 45 mins abd leave everything ready to bring them in.
 
I used 3/4 bales to start off with then only 1 bale a week, incl winter, generally (out in field during day). So have thin layer of shavings, no issues with drainage or mucky rugs and she can lie down comfortably.
I think it's mean not to give them a bed. At my yard someone gives her horses no shavings whatsoever!
 
I do this with a v. dirty mare and find it's the most economical and easy way to keep her! Her rugs do get damp on the outside sometimes but she has two so if it gets bad I swap between them
 
Yes, we do this with all of ours, but a sprinkling of Bliss bedding. The bales lasts 8 stables 2 days, and it take 5mins to fully clear out the stables every morning with a snowscoop.
We use less than 1/2 a bucket full of shavings per stable. Never had any sores, doesn't smell, although our rubber matting is set up correctly to drain the wee out
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I wish we had drainage but as seems typical with yards built by farmers, they seem to be unaware stables need it! My last yard was exactly the same - stunning purpose built stables, tack rooms, menage and post and rail fencing to die for......but no drainage in the stables lol
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks guys. I am just thinking the shavings can't soak up all the wee surely so when she lies down the rugs will get wet? Which is why I may keep her out door rugs on?

Do you litterally sweep ALL the shavings out each day along with the muck? Then put another sprinkle down.

I just can't help thinking a nice thick straw bed looks much comfier but I know how much work/time it will save me.

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Mine don't actually lie down in the area with shavings on they prefer the rubber matting!
 
Well I have rubber matting and put down about a 5 x 5 area about 2 - 3 inches of shavings. JB doesn't ever lie down in the stable so no problems with dirty rugs inside poo's in one corner urinates in one area but it spreads take about 1/3 of shavings out and replenish.

But this next year I'm going to try them pellets that when they get wet just turn into shavings. Will try for a bit see what they are like and they apparently deoderise so should be no smell. Lol I wish we'll see.
 
rubber matting with at least 2 bales of shavings weekly Horse is very dirty in stable and if I use less is absolutely filthy. Mind you I used to use 3 to 4 bales a week before matting !
 
Yes, this worked fine for my horse, I used shavings and shredded paper. No sores or bad smell, put some bedding around the edge, area for wee. Rugs were messsy - but not significantly worse than on straw. Its a good, economical option in my opinion, especially if you have to muck out before work. I found that I didn't have the wet straw smell on me after mucking out. Used about a bag of shavings per week, could have got away with less.
 
I use a little more than a sprinkle, but still a thin layer of shavings at the back on top of 18mm equimats. There is no smell whatsoever & the horses wear their turnouts in winter (keep them on when they come in). When we used stable rugs one horse always layed in his toilet area so we changed to turnout rugs. Horses are happy & mucking out is quick.
 
I use rubber matting and put down one bale of shavings a week in the winter.

I tried using just a tiny sprinkle but the stable has poor drainage and Tara was so disgusting that her whole stable ended up in a sea of crap every day and it took longer to clean it out!
i didn't want her standing in the filth (as the whole floor was covered!) and as she also won't lie down without shavings.

Now I skip it out quickly Mon-Fri and do full muck outs and put new a new bale in every weekend.


Everyone else on my yard uses the tiniest amount of shavings though with no problems so it probably depends on the horse too
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Yes I do! Mine sleep in their turnout rugs in winter so when they get mucky, the rain washes it off (I have many other reasons for them sleeping in their turnoutrugs).
shavings are not so absorbent - I find the wood pellet bedding is brilliant, and very very absorbent. Cheap, readily available, and i can muck out in about 10 seconds.
When my rubber mats have seen better days, they will definately be replaced.
Oh, forgot to mention they need lifting and cleaning properly underneath from time to time as they can get pongy, though not as pongy if you use the wood pelletts (as they are so absorbent)
 
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