Mud control mats

S

Sandstone1

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 July 2010
Messages
8,782
Visit site
Are mud control mats any good? They seem to have a good press. Are they easy to lay? Is it best to do them lay them when muddy or when dry? Are they slippy? Thanks
 
Yes, excellent. Very easy to lay, install as directed (with sharp sand or easibed/wood pellets/old bedding to avoid slip hazard with shod horses. Any issues with slipping IMO are when people don't READ the instructions which are incredibly simple i.e use the directed topping, stagger the lines of mats like bricks if using narrow pathways, etc.

IMO best to lay them when ground is still soft but easy enough even in bottomless mud or hard ground (with dry hard ground may need sand/bedding under to avoid them rocking till they bed in.)

I bought 40.....then another 40....then another 60...then another 100, oops)
 
Last edited:
Mud mats are brilliant, I wish they had been around years ago. Can be laid any time. If you look at their facebook page lots of people telling how they coped with various conditions. We bought about 100 and have them as walkways through mud. They make such a difference and we can move them around as needed. Best purchase ever.
 
As jnb says, they are brilliant.
we did top with sand, but it all washes away. They are slippery especially when it is frosty, but once topped with the mud from the fields,they seem to be fine. We do sometimes throw used bedding on there, but not straw, ours is mainly shavings and megazorb.
 
They are great and worth every penny. I've got a large amount and have moved them twice a year to create limited grass turn outs and for mud. Last year I left them in place all summer and the grass grew through, meaning come winter they weren't slippy, one the grass had gone the horses have tracked a thin layer of mud and poo on top again meaning they aren't slippy. I'd definitely say follow instructions and use bedding or sand however for safety.

Another tip if laying on mud put spare/old hay underneath helps flatten the mud and stops it coming straight out the holes.

ETA have always found their customer service to be excellent 😊
 
Last edited:
Another vote for mud mats here. We bought a pallet to use as flooring in the field shelter, then used more to make a hard-standing apron and have some in a gateway between 2 fields. We haven't found them to be slippy but our horses are unshod. We are planning to buy some more this summer. You can put them down in any conditions but if you can catch the ground while still soft but in dry weather, that works best ime.
 
Hi, someone summoned me so here I am! It's been a while... ;) I am the UK agent for the Mudcontrol slabs and we've been trialling and using them on our heavy clay in Northants since 2018 and they've been an absolute revelation. Our 3 big mares live out on our slabbed area 24/7 through the winter now. No mud fever, no hoof abscesses (the TB in particular was plagued by them), no daily bringing in, shampooing legs, drying off, stabling, mucking out etc. Happier horses and so much less work.
There are a few rules for the slabs which are important, I'm happy to expand on this, and to answer any questions. :)
 
I have had 5 pallets and will probably get more.

All of my horses have got used to walking over them steadily so don't slip. I use the wheelbarrow track as a proprioception exercise and teach them to walk on the mats.

They will literally float on top of boggy gateways, so are a lifesaver when there's been heavy rain.

Shod horses probably have more of an issue than unshod horses with slipping so will need a decent layer of sand
 
They are a game changer. I think they are absolutely amazing and have more coming next week. I don't have as many as @jnb but I would have if I had the money!

I use them in my field's gateway. I really appreciate not having to walk out in the mud to get the horses - ours generally are very obliging and come to call.

I have laid them in sloppy mud and they have floated above it to make a dry island, even with my 750kg heffalump hauling himself onto them.

They can be slippy, even with topping. To be fair both ponies who fell on them were going fast, had just gone into the field and were zooming & probably assumed the footing would continue to be mud. One was shod, one was barefoot.

eta: they hold their value and there is a healthy trade in secondhand slabs too, though you have to be quick if you spot any for sale.
 
How are they on a slope, if you need to put sand or something on top will that just slide to the bottom and make it sloppy for horses with shoes?
 
The first ones I got were placed in knee deep gloop. Yes mud did ooze through but the slabs did not sink. The next spring we lifted the first lot, leveled the ground, put in a new drain and relaid along with another pallet or two. This area is doing its third winter now.

I now have them as tracks joining fields and in gateways, along with some in the main yard where we used to have an aviary and as a horse trailer parking area.

If finance allowed we would triple the area covered and have car parking done with them as well.
 
Mine have been an absolute life saver but we did use a lot of sand and all ponies are unshod. Been down almost 2 years and I wouldn’t be without them now.
 

Attachments

  • 21878663-4C43-48A4-9B8E-C80469AA7935.jpeg
    21878663-4C43-48A4-9B8E-C80469AA7935.jpeg
    168.7 KB · Views: 101
Brilliant but very slippy. All 4 of my barefoot horses have fallen over on them. I have had to use more than double the recommended amount of sand, just to get something walkable on so still need more. If my horses just plodded around they would probably be fine as they are.
 
Ps customer service was excellent and Kerri answered all my questions immediately (unlike the two top arena installers who couldn’t be bothered to call me back or reply to emails or voicemails or text messages so we didn’t bother with an arena but we have a lovely big turnout/loafing area at a fraction of the price of an arena)
 
kerilli said:
Hi, someone summoned me so here I am! It's been a while... ;) I am the UK agent for the Mudcontrol slabs and we've been trialling and using them on our heavy clay in Northants since 2018 and they've been an absolute revelation. Our 3 big mares live out on our slabbed area 24/7 through the winter now. No mud fever, no hoof abscesses (the TB in particular was plagued by them), no daily bringing in, shampooing legs, drying off, stabling, mucking out etc. Happier horses and so much less work.
There are a few rules for the slabs which are important, I'm happy to expand on this, and to answer any questions. :)
Click to expand...
Could you expand on the rules please - either here or PM as I'm looking at getting some this year.
 
I have some and they have had some hammer over the last few years, they are not so flat anymore, I think we almost have a stream running through the yard, and the mud does come up thru them, but the area would be totally unusable without them
I have another pallet load that I haven't got round to laying yet
 
Not read all the replies but I rate them. i put them over half the width of a muddy gateway so the lunatic horse can still gallop through the mud without slipping over but I can walk and push the wheelbarrow with ease
 
honetpot said:
I bought a whole pallet and would buy a lot more if I could afford it. It's our second winter, and after laying them myself, with sand, they have not budged. IME they are no more slippery than concrete.
Click to expand...
What area did your pallet full cover? I would like to do a turnout area for my horses but not sure how many I would need.
 
mine are down as a base under sharp sand and carpet fibre as small turnout pens and they have been a lifesaver.

laid on wet clay and the mud has barely come up in to the sand.
 
They are great . I bought a pallet and laid them as a walkway one year, then found that for two years they weren't really needed as it wasn't that wet. grass grew up through them but i pulled them all up and now have them in and around the shelter. I laid some in the summer and some in the worst of the mud. They are one way to make it possible to keep horses out on clay in winter. They are expensive but when we move ( hopefully next spring)we can take them with us
 
Another happy customer here - I have two pallets of mats down, one outside my field shelter with no topping and one went down on my yard on a grass patch with sand topping to extend the size of the yard. My barefoot horses cope on the mats fine with no topping outside their shelter but on the yard (when one was previously shod) I did find they were slipping a bit so put some rubber mats on top as the sand had washed away. No more slipping and very happy horses to have somewhere to stand when it's boggy out!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top