Fieldguard complete bed stable mats - yay or nay? reviews pls :)

[becca1305]

Im wanting to rubber mat one of my stables as I have a freebie companion who of late has been going a touch lame on the hard ground. He can be terrible with a bed and kicks it all over the place until he is basically left with concrete (have tried all the different beddings we can - only allowed certain ones due to muckheap removal). My others have rubber mats at the front to stand on and straw beds and are absolutely fine except for in one of my stables where the rascal is adept at making the mats move grr .

I stumbled across the fieldguard M2 complete stable system mats and wondered if anyone has any experience of them? I know in the past using mats without bedding has resulted in wet rugs and other issues however these M2 mats claim to have really fast drainage through the mat and so this should in theory reduce this issue. They also have grips on the top to prevent slipping and are specifically designed to use with no bedding. It goes against my instinct to not to put a bed down as I love seeing them curled up in their huge straw beds however these mats do look cushtie and potentially suitable for my monster and I think putting bed litter down would only retain the moisture on top and defeat the point of the mats?

So my question - anyone used these or a product claiming to do the same? did you find they worked? I am going to do the chuck a bucket of water in the stable test to check the drainage this afternoon before I even consider going any further. Any reports on systems like this greatly appreciated however I dont think comparisons to standard rubber/eva mats and no bedding is really a fair comparison as the drainage is different.

Thanks

 

[scarymare]

Never used them but I wouldn't believe all the hype. Fieldguard would have you believe that horses prefer to lie on rubber mats than bedding.... anyone who has mats knows this to be untrue!

 

[becca1305]

I agree as it is their business afterall however they do state with their different mats that bedding needs to be used and although Im sure the amount they state is probably less than what we would all use the M2 claims not to need any! Im just interested as mine get t/o all yr round so wouldn't be in continually on it and wear rugs when stabled. I agree mine all choose their bedding over their current mats but they are the hard rubber ones. Would really love to hear from someone who has used M2 to know whether it is genuinely a good well designed product that works or (more likely) if its just the same as usual rubber matting with added hype!

 

[Capriole]

Hm I think these are the ones I had from Fieldguard a few years ago. I had them in a couple of stables.

I found them OK, I used them with a patch of bedding though, for peeing on purposes mainly, also because I like to give the horse an option of where to lie

One of the horses used to often lie on the matting so I suppose its comfy enough.
I laid a couple of the mats in a paddock last winter and the youngster in there habitually used them to sleep on, whether standing or lying, that was his spot.

 

[legend]

One of the girls on our yard has these and sorry but I wouldn't recommend them- they really stink!
In fairness to the mats themselves though, her stables don't drain well so they just trap all the wee underneath them, where it pools and stagnates. She then ended up having a big shavings bed on top of it to try to absorb the wee which wasn't really the point...(and even then her stables still reeked). They also irritate me because (as with all lined mats I guess) you can only sweep easily in the same direction as the lines. That is quite a petty moan though, lol!
On the plus side they are much smaller sections and lighter than my mats (I have Kraiburgs) so much less hassle if you want to move them around. They have a nice amount of give and have locking thingys so they don't move if you fit them properly. They've also lasted really well as they are probably nearly as old as my mats which are 15 years old now.
Hope that helps!

 

[Cashew]

My horse is stabled on these as have previous horses on yard - they have been down for 10 years and still come up as good as new every year.

I must say when I first saw them I was very sceptical, however they do work as long as they are:
a. In a very well drained stable - the wee from my horse runs into a gully that can then be washed out with a bucket of water.
B. The stable needs to be draughts free mine is an internal yard with 5 stables so have the luxury of a spare box as only 2 horses for when they get very damp in the winter (otherwise shavings are used to absorb any of the dampness.)

Horses do lie down and pee/poo as normal with no probs. Very easy to keep clean and in the summer they are fantastic as dry out so quickly and great when horses are stood in all day as matting is very cushioned.

Also great for horses with bedding issues.

Drainage is key and ensure it is draught free.

 

[TGM]

I have these in all our stables and think they are great. They are more springy than normal rubber mats because of the little rubber legs underneath and are comfortable enough for me to lie on, as well as the horses (and yes they do lie down on them very readily)! You do need good drainage though, if you are using them with very little bedding - our floors slope to a gully which takes the urine away. There is still a little wet patch remaining after a horse urinates so a small amount of an absorbent bedding like Megazorb is useful to put down in the horse's favourite 'pee spot' to absorb this.

 

[becca1305]

thanks for the reviews guys sounds like they are going to be well suited to my little monster as hes determined not to lie on bedding! Providing the drainage in there is good (forgot to check today so will do it tomorrow )

Cashew - thanks for the info I'm a little confused isnt a draught a good thing as the air circulates to dry the stable? Mine are external stables but the stable Im putting them in the main part is not behind the door if that makes sense?

The main stable area is to the left of the door shown on the right (and finishes half way between the doors). It doesnt seem to rain in at all - is this what you meant by the problem with draughts? There are also a couple of bricks with the lattice style to allow airflow out the back wall of the stable. thanks

Im hoping the drainage is decent as these sound like the could be good and will put down some absorbent bedding in the pee spot if I get them since thats what everyone has found best