EVA Matting

[AFB]

Something I never thought I'd post but with an ageing horse & rising costs of bedding I'm considering matting my stable.

I loathe matting after a few years with a wet mare and heavy rubber so that is absolutely not an option for me, plus I'll be self-installing and don't have it in me to do that with traditional rubber.

I'm willing to give EVA a try after using that in my old horsebox and finding it quite practical, however it's not something I've used or know anybody with in a stable.

I have a 14.3 Welsh - I'm leaning towards 34mm EVA but would 24mm be suitable?

Also I'm looking at Ark Mats at the moment, does anybody know if the product varies between the black/green/pink colours as the cost does but I can't see anything obvious in the descriptions? (Will contact them directly too.) And can anybody recommend anywhere else around the same sort of price points for decent EVA? (Mayo etc. too expensive)

Thanks

 

[JBM]

Something I never thought I'd post but with an ageing horse & rising costs of bedding I'm considering matting my stable.

I loathe matting after a few years with a wet mare and heavy rubber so that is absolutely not an option for me, plus I'll be self-installing and don't have it in me to do that with traditional rubber.

I'm willing to give EVA a try after using that in my old horsebox and finding it quite practical, however it's not something I've used or know anybody with in a stable.

I have a 14.3 Welsh - I'm leaning towards 34mm EVA but would 24mm be suitable?

Also I'm looking at Ark Mats at the moment, does anybody know if the product varies between the black/green/pink colours as the cost does but I can't see anything obvious in the descriptions? (Will contact them directly too.) And can anybody recommend anywhere else around the same sort of price points for decent EVA? (Mayo etc. too expensive)

Thanks

i bought 34mm eva mats for my 20 year old mare and after putting them in she started to lay in her stable which she refused to do before
I believe they make the stable warmer and softer to lay in absolutely love them

 

[meleeka]

I have 34mm and 24mm mats from Arkmats. They are all black so can’t comment on the coloured ones. My ponies love them and they are hardwearing (none of mine are shod but I did have a shod 16hh on them for a while). The 24mm ones are a few years old now and I have noticed they have gone a bit flat by the door, but you can only tell once you’ve lifted them. I did have an odd issue with the 34mm ones when it was really hot. They seemed to expand and the middle lifted up. The horse didn’t mind at all, it was just an odd air cushion. Those ones are interlocking and a bit trickier to fit to an awkward sized stable without wastage.

I’d never use rubber mats now, just because they are so heavy and don’t feel particularly soft anyway.

 

[Birker2020]

I have six 6ft x 4ft mats in my stable that were bought in 2004 plus two others I borrowed from YO (our stables are big).
The ones I bought are the bubble mat and I think they are 16mm thick.

We had someone come round our yard in 2004 working for the company and selling them and offering an entire stable 12ft x 14ft for £168 so it was too good a deal to refuse, there were about five of us that took advantage of the price.

I've never had an issue with them other that every now and then the one edge will rise if shavings get between (if they aren't fitted flush to the wall this can happen and I'm about three inches short at the front of the stable.

 

[cauda equina]

I love eva mats (I don't know which make mine are)
You do have to leave a gap around the edge or they expand and bulge when it's hot

 

[Annagain]

I have EVA matting, I'm not sure how thick it is but I'd definitely say closer to 24mm than 34. It's been down years (at least 15) in Archie's stable and although it's stretched a bit (I end up having to trim excess off every year or so) it still works really well. It didn't work for Monty though, his stretched and bulged really quickly and kept going until he wore holes in it and had to have it replaced with rubber (after about 4 years). Although they're both 17hh hunter types, I would have expected Arch to wear it down and not Mont as he seems so much more heavy-footed so you just don't know until you try it. There was something about the way Mont moved that meant he and the EVA weren't compatible.

It's very easy to fit and deal with and I'd definitely recommend it in that sense.

Mine is Easimat and I got a good price on Ebay by ordering 3 stables worth at the same time (my friends and I shared). Cow matting is the same and can often be cheaper, worth a look. I only went for the Easimat as their size meant I wouldn't have to trim anything. They fitted his stable perfectly.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I bought the Ark mats through a clearance offer on Ebay (they've now sold out sorry!), went with 34mm interlocking ones and they're fab. As they were seconds I ordered 6 mats and got a pair of black, a pair of green and another pair of green with a slightly different bobble shape on the top. Despite the differences they still interlock and were easy to install myself.

So it could be the differences between colours means a different finish on top?

I've also got Easimat ones too, bought years ago and still going strong!

 

[tda]

I have two shelter areas in EVA matting, they are interlocking, but like others have said in hot weather you get expansion and they push up. I've never trimmed them, just wait for it to get cool again.
If the ponies were in the stables a lot I'd find that annoying

 

[Red-1]

I had 34mm interlocking EVA and they were fab. I still needed a full bed on top though, to keep them clean and no smelly stodge underneath!

I now have solid rubber and think the EVA ones were far superior. Both have full beds on top. The EVA were a lot softer and warmer, and easier to shift once a year to check underneath.

 

[AFB]

Just to update - I bought Ark 34mm mats, so far so good, easy to fit/cut to size and haven’t moved although we’re only a week in.

Also before buying I emailed to question if the different colours changed the product at all and was told it was colour only. It changes the price considerably in some cases so worth checking if you’re not fussy!

 

[ozpoz]

I have the green 34m ones because I read somewhere that green helps horses relax. I chose the Ark Eva because I could not face ever again lifting a heavy mat to clean underneath. I still have deep shavings and my horse lies down to sleep every night.