Lightweight Rubber Stable Mats - Yay or Nay?

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cowgirl16

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Being rather old and feeble - thought I'd opt for some lightweight rubber mats as I can't move the heavy ones any more. Are they any good? Horse will only visit the stable occasionally - no long stays.
 
I have experienced the heavy ones in my younger days and they were so heavy I hated the moving and cleaning!

I now have the Ark mats in the 34mm soft mats and I love them! They are so soft and light but tough. I’ve had them for over 6 years and still not worn. I found the edge flattened a bit by the door on just the edge but that’s it.

My first set I bought the interlocking ones but I now buy the straight edge ones as they didn’t move anyway.

You can buy from eBay or direct from the company Arkmat.co.uk. Delivery was free and very quick! First delivery came to my home, thankfully husband moved them to yard for me so second delivery I arranged for them to go direct to the yard!
 
I bought lightweight mats and never noticed any difference. mine are only In the odd, so not standing on them 12 hours a day or anything.
 
I like them, I use bedding as well, I have huge stables so I tend to use them where they stand and only bed down where they lie. Go for thicker ones, my next upgrade and the cows can have the old ones.
 
I bought some lightweight mats for the same reason some years ago. I don’t know what they are made of but although I can move them easily every time I put them back they have stretched. OH was cutting 1/2” off each time. Now we pressure wash underneath by lifting the edges and don’t lift them out completely.
We thought if we continued to trim they would eventually be too thin.
 
I’ve got lightweight interlocking in ones and they never fit back together if you take them out to wash underneath and they bubble up where the horse stands in the doorway as they flatten and stretch. I’ve got heavy fitted mats in another stable and I’ve never lifted them in about 7 years. Overall I prefer the heavy but the others are ok and if in light use probably won’t stretch.
 
EVA matting is much much easier to handle than traditional rubber but it's great for some horses and useless for others. You don't know which sort of horse you have until you try them.

Archie and Monty both had EVA matting put into their stable about 8 years ago. They're both nigh on 700kg. A has feet like dinner plates and is a total thug, M has more dainty feet and is a gent. Archie's matting is still going strong, Monty's had to be replaced with traditional rubber after a few years. It had stretched, he'd worn a hole in one spot and had lots of bubbled, raised bits in others. Archie's had stretched a little bit in the first year or two but nothing a quick trim didn't solve and we haven't had to trim it at all for a good few years. We were trimming Monty's almost weekly over the winter. If you'd asked me which one would cause issues with it, I'd have bet my house on the other way round!

There's another horse on the yard who is very stressy in the stable and dances at his door - it's more than weaving, he moves his whole body and goes up and down, round and round and side to side! He's worn a patch by the door but the rest is fine - his owner replaces half a mat every year or two.
 
I have the ARK mats too, make sure you buy as thick as you can afford. The only thing I find is that they do stretch so each year my husband has to trim them up to fit again. But yes they are light and easy to move about and clean.
 
I got fieldguard undermats about 12 years ago, they do only work if fully laid across the whole stable but are still holding up. They do stretch and have been cut down to fit a few times now so i have less mats and loads of offcuts but do still fit at least one stable. They're currently being used to protect the wall / my horse's hooves when she kicks in the stable. I'd buy them again but they do hold the smell very well, although can be lifted with one hand and if laid in the stable I wash them by emptying the stable and soaking them in water /green gloop etc and then letting dry.
 
We were advised by a company selling both that The Beast was too heavy for the lightweight ones. We have the metre square interlocking ones in traditional rubber, so an inch? thick. Probably not as comfy but the metre squares are relatively easy to move about. Compared to the 4 by 6 mats we used to have.
 
I would only have Equimats, mine are 16 years old and still going strong. They interlock but are not the really light ones that move if your horse does, they're substantial but easily moved. I love them (they have 5% off, currently as well, I saw it on Facebook )
 
cowgirl16 said:
Being rather old and feeble - thought I'd opt for some lightweight rubber mats as I can't move the heavy ones any more. Are they any good? Horse will only visit the stable occasionally - no long stays.
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You are not feeble ! I have just experienced trying to lift the heavy black ones, I said to the chap I bought them off, yes I can manage them and then had to admit defeat and go and ask for help, it was like some comedy sketch me trying to fold it over so I could put it in my van ! I will be call for the 4th emergency service AKA my brother to help me lay them at the weekend ! well that taught me a lesson !
 
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