Foamy stable matts?

[lucky7]

Ordered some stable mats of ebay which arrived yesterday, TBH i am a little concerned about them. I thought they where the rubber matting but they are actually made out of a light weight foam, a bit like matts you get in the gym only larger?!! looked at sellers feedback (300 plus) and seems everyone is happy with their mats.
How well does this foam hold up? am doing 2 stables in it and one of my horses wears front shoes, the stables are mobile so its going on top of hardcore base which is usually dry unless we get heavy torrential rain (however we are getting drainage installed soon) and i am using wood pellets for bedding. Does anyone else have foamy mats?!

 

[xxcharlottexx]

Yes I have foamy mats. All have held up ok through 2 winters except 1 which is pretty shredded. Horse trashed it less 2 years ago with fronts on than he did being barefoot this last winter. All the ones with bedding were fine. It's the one at the front near the door where bedding is more sparse that's ruined. So much easier to move especially if your stables are liable to flood. Where did you get yours from as I could do with a replacement. Think I paid 20per mat so reasonably cheap in the first place

 

[Shadowdancing]

Are they grey OP? I used these last winter with no issues. Rather than put them all over the floor, I put them at the back where the bed was and wedged them firmly between the walls. Occasionally they moved a little but only caused small gaps which the straw moved into and kept the floor covered. My horse was wary of them initially but soon got over it. They are so light weight I lifted them each morning and put them down each night to keep the floor clean underneath and let them dry. They are nice and squidgy and horse liked to lie on them, and they saved me on time and bedding each day, I could literally clean my stable in half the time. I did think some nervy or box walking horses might not get on with them and I'd never use them without bedding on them either. If I hadn't moved to a yard where all stables were rubber matted I'd still be using them today.

 

[JillA]

Presumably they are EVA - do they have a rubber layer on top? I have the 25mm EVA ones and they are brilliant, light and rigid enough to lift easily. The rubber skin protects them, and mine have lasted a year with no visible signs of wear. Mine are the straight edges ones and trimmed to fit exactly, butting up to each other. One has spread and slightly bowed but a quick trim of a sliver off and it is fine again.
Can you top the hardcore with a layer of sand to stop any sharp corners damaging the underneath?
They are better with good drainage like hardcore, we had to drill holes in my concrete floors to stop the wee pooling under the mats.

 

[TheSylv007]

I have a similar thing in mine (also from eBay) and I was also a bit worried but they've been really good and not all that expensive. They're a heck of a lot easier to lift and clean under and they are nice and soft. My horse is barefoot which I think helps preserve them more and I accept they won't live as long as the heavy duty mats but I actually prefer them.

 

[Shadowdancing]

I have a similar thing in mine (also from eBay) and I was also a bit worried but they've been really good and not all that expensive. They're a heck of a lot easier to lift and clean under and they are nice and soft. My horse is barefoot which I think helps preserve them more and I accept they won't live as long as the heavy duty mats but I actually prefer them.

Good point, my mare is barefoot too. They worked well for us and still have them in my loft in case I move yards in future.

 

[lucky7]

I laid them down today. It said 9 mats would be big enough for a 12 x 12 stable. I ordered 18 for the shelter and stable and they have actually covered 3 stables worth! 3 x 12 by 12 stables so have done the store room too and have 3 left over!! There is a small gap where the mats don't quite fit perfectly so need to think of a solution to stop them moving. They are the grey ones and are extremely light. Hoping once the bedding goes down (wood pellets) it will weigh it down better. They are fairly thick and have a sort of water repelling coating on them. They did get left out in the rain for an hour and the water just ran off them.

 

[LeannePip]

do you have a link to them? they sound very interesting!

 

[lucky7]

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/291875783210

 

[Fiona]

I have EVA mats down in two stables for 14 years, both shod horses, one a box walker and they are hardly marked.

Fiona