Not weeing on her mats

[dwi]

Daisy has lovely new stable mats, I had hoped to gradually reduce her bedding until she had a small patch of straw at the back to wee on and just that.

It was going fine but she's stopped weeing on them for the last couple of days when there has been only a small amount of straw and has apparently been going almost as soon as she is taken out of the stable.

I really don't want her to get ill but I had hoped that she would adjust. All of the riding school horses are on mats with no bedding at all, as are all of the YOs horses.

Do you think that she will get used to it in the end? Its partly because she gets a winter cough but also because I get a very bad back from mucking out and the lifting and twisting of a heavy straw bed pulls my muscles.

Has anyone else had a horse that refused at first but then got on with it?

 

[Chex]

Mine won't wee if there's a chance it'll spash onto him (I presume thats what it is anyway!). He's always been like this. He won't even wee on frozen ground, uses the hay instead! She might ge used to it, but some of them are very stuck in their ways! CHex will go if he is really really desperate, but he's clearly uncomfortable and want something else to wee on.

 

[ru-fi-do]

My mare was the same when i first got mats and tried just a sprinkle of shavings. Someone on my yard doesn't put any shavings down so her horses don't wee then she takes them out for a wee last thing at night! I hate the thought of this, you know what it feels like yourself if your desperate to go

. I now put shavings banks up for my mare and she goes in them. I started with banks all round but now i just have one bank along the back and she goes in there. It might be that the straw doesn't really stop the splashing too, depends how much you put down. Give the shavings ago. Hope this helps.

 

[Theresa_F]

I used to have a wee spot of shavings for my mare. She would not pee on concrete and was not keen on going on the mats without a pee spot.

I have used mats for over 10 years but I do prefer to put down a thin bed of about 3" over the back half of the stable for them to use and it also reduces any smell unless you are able to wash out the stable on a regular basis.

 

[Thistle]

I use a half bed of Aquamax, very absorbent so no splashing.

 

[johnsongreyhorse]

My geldling won't wee unless there is enough shavings down in one area! I'd rather use more bedding then not have him weeing

 

[MagicMelon]

Try a small patch of shavings, thats what I use on my matts and none of my horses have any probs!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

My lad is on matting but has a fairly thin bed of shavings mainly for him to pee on. He's a horse of regular habits, when he goes into the school he has a pee withing a few yards of entering & when he goes into his stable, even if he already been he manages to squeeze one out into a bucket. The peeing into a bucket really saves loads of shavings....he's just happy to do it.

 

[rcm_73]

It is due to the problem of splashing on their legs (more so with geldings usually). One gelding where I was working would wee on his hay before risk getting splashed off the rubber mat & minimal shavings. They just don't appreciate it! & neither do we when we go to the lav & there's no loo roll left! (Same principle)