Drilling drainage holes in matting

[Amo]

I’m just in the process of replacing my rubber mats in my stable and have had a thought, wouldn’t it make more sense to have some holes in the mats to allow quick drainage. Has anyone done this? Any reasons why it wouldn’t work and I’m mad even thinking it

 

[Barton Bounty]

I thought the whole point of the mats was to stop pee going under the mats. If you want holes, would grass mats be better?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

If your mats are not joined and sealed the pee will end up under the mats anyway and then unless you lift them it just stinks.

 

[Carrottom]

When the horse lies down the wet seeps back up and makes the horse stink.

 

[ycbm]

When the horse lies down the wet seeps back up and makes the horse stink.

Not if you've got a decent bed.
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[ycbm]

I’m just in the process of replacing my rubber mats in my stable and have had a thought, wouldn’t it make more sense to have some holes in the mats to allow quick drainage. Has anyone done this? Any reasons why it wouldn’t work and I’m mad even thinking it

Does your stable have a drain in it at the back and a sloping floor to it? Depending on what bedding you use, I think this would work, but you'd have to find bedding that won't soak up much of the pee or block the holes and that would be an issue.

I stabled last year with a floor that sloped to the front with a drain and before the stable had build a base of damp half-dirty straw (at my request) the wee ran out the front of the mats into the drain. But it smelt. Which is why you would need the drain at the back, under the mats.

 

[ycbm]

If your mats are not joined and sealed the pee will end up under the mats anyway and then unless you lift them it just stinks.

I've never found mats stink unless the wee runs out from underneath them, or you lift them. I have always used them with a deep full bed though.
.

 

[Carrottom]

The only bed I find absorbant enough to soak the wet is wood pellets. A thick shavings bed may stay dry on top but tends to be stinky underneath.

 

[Tiddlypom]

If you use a full deep bed then there's no need for rubber mats .

Rubber mats stink, the urine permeates it.

I put bedding over bare concrete and keep the uncovered rubber mats in the walkway front part of the stable for feed, hay and water. They don't wee on them there, so no stink.

 

[ycbm]

If you use a full deep bed then there's no need for rubber mats .

That can depend on the horse and how and where it sleeps. I've had horses dig holes and in spite of large beds, spill off the edge by lying too close to it. I would prefer the horse not to be trying to get up with its feet on concrete. I've never had a problem with mats stinking unless they were lifted or the drainage runs wee to the front of the stable.
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[ycbm]

The only bed I find absorbant enough to soak the wet is wood pellets. A thick shavings bed may stay dry on top but tends to be stinky underneath.

Straw is really good but many people make the bed too clean. You need to use the half-dirty stuff as a base and put a good clean layer on top. Then the half- dirty acts as a good sponge and shock absorber.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

If you use a full deep bed then there's no need for rubber mats .

Rubber mats stink, the urine permeates it.

I put bedding over bare concrete and keep the uncovered rubber mats in the walkway front part of the stable for feed, hay and water. They don't wee on them there, so no stink.

See this is how I think I haven't used mats for years apathy from a very thin one at the front where there are no shavings, I put a scoop of wood pellets where they wee then lay shavings and wet never comes through.

I loath rubber mats that are not sealed all the bedding gets stuck underneath when they move and then it's hard to muck out.

 

[ycbm]

Old rubber that have started to curl are a nightmare. They shouldn't move they should be rammed together too tight. They're pretty easy to cut to fit with a good craft knife.
.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Whether you can smell the stink of rubber mats depends on how accustomed you are to the stink, and on how sensitive your sense of smell is .

I have a good sense of smell. Rubber mats reek. That's grand if people can't smell them, but I and many others can.

I removed all the rear rubber mats out of my 3 stables and have put them instead in my field shelters over concrete. I do not put bedding in the field shelters, and while the horses poo in there they rarely wee, so no stink.

 

[cobgoblin]

I use playground type mats. They are very thick and are raised on projections of the same material, they are also porous. I do use a wood pellet bed on top, just not as thick as it would be without mats.
They never smell nor do the horses.

 

[Birker2020]

I thought the whole point of the mats was to stop pee going under the mats. If you want holes, would grass mats be better?

Yes it is. I took up my mats that I've had down in my present stable for about six years, I was amazed no smell, just a bit of black gungy sediment on the underside of one mat that wasn't even in the area of the bed. The other beds were dry underneath. I think this is how its meant to be.

OP I fear that if you start drilling holes and you will just get urine gathering underneath which will become a health hazard to you and your horse when it rises through the holes.

 

[Carrottom]

Straw is really good but many people make the bed too clean. You need to use the half-dirty stuff as a base and put a good clean layer on top. Then the half- dirty acts as a good sponge and shock absorber.

I agree about straw but if you have a thick enough straw bed with a good base there is no need to have mats underneath.
A thinner wood pellet bed can be used on top of mats to stop any wet seeping underneath.

 

[MereChristmas]

A thinner wood pellet bed can be used on top of mats to stop any wet seeping underneath.

I had unsealed rubber mats with shavings. They were smelly.

I changed to wood pellets as a semi deep litter base with Pro Bed or similar on top. I think straw would be fine too.
At the end of the winter the mats and underneath them were dry.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Even mats secured tight will get some degree of pee underneath I hated mucking out stables with them

 

[Auslander]

I loathe mats. 4 out of my 6 stables have mats down, as that's what the owner wanted, and I much prefer the beds that aren't on mats. My beds aren't huge, but they are thick enough that horses can get up and down without going through to the floor, and they are a lot sweeter smelling than the matted ones when I take up the mats and jet wash the stables in summer.
The ridiculously swanky dressage yard I worked on in Germany had poured rubber flooring which started 3ft up the walls. They were lovely, and I'd be happy to have that in any stable. Just not keen on mats, however well they're fitted.

 

[Birker2020]

I had unsealed rubber mats with shavings. They were smelly.

I changed to wood pellets as a semi deep litter base with Pro Bed or similar on top. I think straw would be fine too.
At the end of the winter the mats and underneath them were dry.

My bed had a bag of soaked pellets with a thick layer of shavings on top. After 30 yrs of owning horses I will never not use pellets again.

 

[paddy555]

I’m just in the process of replacing my rubber mats in my stable and have had a thought, wouldn’t it make more sense to have some holes in the mats to allow quick drainage. Has anyone done this? Any reasons why it wouldn’t work and I’m mad even thinking it

if you want quick drainage then buy mats that are specifically designed for that. Mine are fieldguard and designed for drainage. Also designed for no bedding if you wish because the liquid has gone so they are dry. In fact little bedding is the norm because otherwise it would block the drainage and you would just have a soggy mess.
I think making holes in mats wouldn't work. Firstly the holes would soon get blocked by wet bedding and secondly in normal flat mats there would be no where for the liquid to go.
If you want drainage through mats (the drainage is through the gaps in the mats where they meet) then you have to make sure you have a suitable floor underneath. If you don't you will simply have the liquid pooling and it will eventually come back up through the holes.

I don't have a problem with the liquid nor do they smell. My floors were all prepared prior to mat laying. The 3 sides slop into the centre and from there to a drain that takes the liquid out of the stable so no pooling of liquid.

I have a good sense of smell. Rubber mats reek. That's grand if people can't smell them, but I and many others can.

I trim all of mine on rubber matted stables. I kneel on the mats and put the foot on my knee so I am pretty close to the ground. I usually trim 3 one after the others, sometimes more. Absolutely no reeking. I am probably spending about an hour sniffing the stable floor. I think I would notice.

 

[ycbm]

normal flat mats there would be no where for the liquid to go.

Normal flat mats have studs on the back, they stand a tiny bit proud of the floor and the liquid will drain through the cracks between them and then under them in whatever direction the floor slopes. Not many stables seem to be built with a floor which slopes to a drain these days, though.

 

[paddy555]

Normal flat mats have studs on the back, they stand a tiny bit proud of the floor and the liquid will drain through the cracks between them and then under them in whatever direction the floor slopes. Not many stables seem to be built with a floor which slopes to a drain these days, though.

I think to use, certainly my sort of mats, you would have to prepare the floor to be totally successful. We were given phone no's of people using fieldguard so we could go and look at them. I took one look at the first set of stables and said no way. Horses mucky, rugs awful and they stank.

OH was already mentally re profiling our stable floors and they have been brilliant but without that I doubt they would have worked as

well.

This, hopefully, shows the height of the studs on the back.

Complete horse bedding mats M2 I Stable bed mats

Complete horse bedding mats that require no other bedding whatsoever. Softer and warmer than any conventional bed and totally dust and spore free.

fieldguard.com

 

[Hallo2012]

ive had mats down under shavings beds for 20+ years and when finally lifted zero smell, but they were huge thick beds.

current mats down 4 years and have had carboard and now rape straw full beds on with no smell either.

i doubt the floor slopes as they were built by an idiot rogue tradesman but with heavy hard mats firmly wedged and a really deep bed on top i doubt much is getting under them.