One mat or none at all?

[SuzySue]

If I rearrange the new mats I have put down in my mare's stable there would be one left over, instead of them folding up the wall slightly like they are currently.

I can't afford full mats for my old gelding this year at the moment but wondered about putting the odd one across his doorway. Would this make him uneven when standing at his door/haybar. He is 21ish, shod only in front, with knackered/scarred tendons. Retired mainly. He'll be in overnight for around 16 hours from Sunday.

As I only have one spare mat would he be better off with none at all? He will have a full straw bed, whereas the other 2 are on nedz bedz, hence the full mats in their stables. (One is allergic, t'other will eat anything!)

Many thanks

 

[Chico Mio]

Could they not have half each? My two have half a stable with mats at the front (well 2/3 actually) and then a bed on the back half. Mine are on shavings (because they eat straw and I get shavings free) and I deep litter the bed so it's about a foot thick now. I don't now if you can deep litter nedz bed - or just put a good thick bed down at the back.

 

[Eaglestone]

I think that one at the front will be fine, as long as they are quite large and therefore heavy and unlikely to move

Both mine had that arrangement, until I managed to fully mat both their boxes. I think it will be warmer under your old chap's feet and he will appreciate it

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

give the old boy his only mat!! at the door saves him standing on conrete and bed the rest of his stable deep thick and up to the mat!

 

[SuzySue]

Last year he had 3 mats at the front only and a straw bed slightly overlapping. My other horse, Rolo, had the same. However, the dynamics have changed slightly this year. Rolo (only bought in Jan this year) turned out to be quite allergic to hay & straw, etc. Managed to get him through last winter with a view to changing his regime this winter. In July he went on box rest, so he got all six mats to himself, and I put him on Nedz Bedz and steamed hay. All works a treat - he hasn't coughed since

However, as NB is much more expensive than straw and he was in so much he just has a minimal bed in the back 3rd of his stable to pee on etc. Now have additional new ID mare who is very much a good doer. Straw (my personal preference) no good for her. Therefore made sense to put her on the NB too, on the same basis as Rolo, 6 mats and minimal bed. Her and the old boy are still living out at mo so no idea how dirty she is indoors, so may have to make her a deeper bed accordingly. At £35 a mat I can't afford another full set for the old boy, so was going to leave him with none for the time being, then had the idea of stealing one of hers if I rearranged them slightly.

He's pretty quiet in his stable so I don't think it would move much, it's 6x4 and was gonna put it lengthways across door, and really heavy!!! Could make straw come right up to it but that might be too close to haybar and he likes to mix it altogether if too close (whoever said haybars reduce wastage! Pah!)

I suppose it would be his back feet if any that got cold as they have no shoes.

Sad I know, but I'm really looking forward to them all coming in on Sunday night, though it's been great to be able to have left them out this long weatherwise. However, give me a week of mucking out 3 and trying to ride two, then going to work in the evening, and I might be regretting it!!

 

[SuzySue]

[ QUOTE ]
give the old boy his only mat!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Aww, you make it sound like he's so hard done by, and they're so spoilt really

Will get him more mats one day I promise

 

[tashpritty]

one mat should be fine, but i have noticed that when its not wall to wall, it can sometimes get quite smelly?

 

[millitiger]

mine only have mats at the front of their yards (they are in big covered yards, not stables).

stops them standing on concrete and they never get smelly or move.

 

[Baileyhoss]

I only mat the front of the stable and put a nice thick bed up to the mat.

never had a problem with them moving, although I did split the mat so that it covered the full width of the stable, but wasn't so far back if you know what I mean as the bedding comes up to it, instead of leaving one 6'x6' mat in the middle, I cut it in half and got 2 x 3'x6' mats and laid them next to each other along the front.

That way b has either his soft bed to stand on or the mat if he's at the front eating or spectating.

 

[Mabel98]

I have just one mat at the front, she loves to look out so it means she's not standing on concrete. It never moves or gets smelly