Mobile Field Shelter Flooring

[Allie2012]

Hi there, really hope some one can help as I’m going around in circles with this one… I’ve just has a 20X12 mobile field shelter built which converts into 2 stables. Its directly on grass ( I’d need planning permission for a hard standing) and I’m now after a flooring for comfort, insulation and easy mucking out. Equimat have an interlocking mat (22mm @16kg and 28mm @ 21kg) that’s part rubber and part EVA. As helpful as they were over the phone I’d feel happier once I’ve heard the experience of other horse owners who’ve used them as its could end up being a very expensive mistake otherwise

1. Interlocking mats. Do they work, do the edges stay flat and flush on grass / earth?
2. At 16kg and 21kg… are they heavy enough to mould to the ground and not move around
3. Am I better off going for a standard hard rubber stable mat and use wood chip / shavings as bedding instead?
4. As the rubber mats are hard – does it matter what thickness I buy? Does an 18mm offer same comfort as a 30mm?

Huge thanks for any advise received

 

[debsflo]

i have the equimats in my stable, have had no problems and am planning on doing the same as you. Moving them into field shelter on earth. As long as ground is flat cant see a problem. i willuse shavings on top as my girls spend a lot of time in there over winter.

 

[Irishbabygirl]

Could you not leave it as dry earth and deep litter on top?

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

I successfully use straw on dry earth. Can get a bit mucky but as long as you poo and wet pick regularly it's great. Ponies eat small amounts of the straw when first down but I'm not bothered by that.

 

[pottamus]

I use my mobile stable as my lads stable - he is in every night. I put down some large thick stable mats and over laid them and then use a normal shavings bed on top. I also got some rubber edging which is about 1 foot high and screwed that around the bottom of the entire stable walls to keep the draught out and the bedding in.
Like I say my lad is in there at night all year round and is on his 6th year of using it. It has been fab and the only downside I can think of it that it gets a bit lumpy and bumpy where the bedding gets stuck underneath, but my lad does not seem to mind the 'hamock' effect!

 

[Goldenstar]

I got a tipper load of compost that was quite coarse from our local green waste recycling place it had been through the composter but was still a long way of being the sort of compost you buy I spread it in the shelter and left it a while we now just put shavings on top as necessary it works really well.

 

[RutlandH2O]

I have 4 mobile field shelters with nothing on the ground inside (actually, having said that, just today I put some rubber mats in my small donkey shelter because of the rough ground inside). I was under the impression that mobile shelters are not supposed to have any "bedding" because they are meant to be movable. Mine are never moved because we are on very sloping land and the ground on which the shelters stand are the few flat areas in our fields. However, the council could exercise its authority and demand the shelters be moved every few months. None of my animals use the shelters as toilets, which is quite convenient.

 

[Allie2012]

Thank you all so much for your responses... and sorry its taken so long to thank you. I thought I'd get email notification when a reply received (which I didn't get) so thought no one had got back to me. Anyway... before seeing all your replies, yesterday I bought ten 30mm rubber and EVA mats (interlocking and soft so hopefully very little bedding required until mid - winter) and grass mats for the outside. Delivery in a few days. I will update this thread with my review in a couple of weeks. Thanks again

 

[Allie2012]

...just to clarify, I didn't buy the Equimat as thought they could be too light. Bought rubber mats with a honeycomb underside so cushioning and weight 50KG

 

[Tiffany]

Equi mats are good & lightweight although the more you dismantle them to move the mire difficult they are to put together. There are lighter weight black stable mats sold now that aren't interlocking so now sure how they'd perform outside?

 

[Rudolph's Red Nose]

Hi, I use a mobile field shelter and I was luckily given some interlocking mats (the type that are used at county shows in the marquees as walkways etc) and put them down and then have used a deep mix of straw / shavings and more lately cardboard shavings (a friend was moving yards and was going to throw away perfectly clean bedding) and it has been fine.

I have had guttering put on the shelter to try and divert the rain as the rain was just running off the roof and making the entrance very boggy and a small length widthways of wood at bottom of the opening to try and stop horse from dragging all the bed out or splashing mud in (before guttering put on).

I then just poo pick the shelter and scoop out any obvious wet bits or otherwise I assume it drains through the mats onto the ground below..

Edited to say that when the shelter was moved, I just cleared out the shelter, picked up the mats and replaced them in the shelter in its new position ...