Playground mats for stables?

[jenz87]

Has anyone used old playground mats for stabling, as ive been offered a bulk load of thick rubber ex playground mats but they look quite soft and porous, does this mean horses with shoes and urine would ruin them do you think?

Thanks!

 

[jenz87]

Anyone?

 

[Camel]

I have 6 in the middle of the stable, it's better than nothing!! they are a bit annoying as they come apart and have only been down for about 4mths.

.....give them a go, spesh since they're free

xx

 

[sychnant]

I use four across the front of my colt's stable. The other 3 horses all have proper mats but I didn't have enough to do Rexy's stable as well - best friend designs and installs playgrounds and got me these for free

Not sure I would use them for anything big or shod though, they are more crumbly than horse mats and also smaller so more likely to move if big horses tramp across them

 

[sophiebailey]

I've got 12 in my stable, they're really thick and heavy and I think they're great!!! Mine are 1m x 1m but i'm not sure how thick they are, all i know is I can't carry one on my own!!

They don't move around at all, and the ones that i've got aren't crumbly.

pros: they don't move/slip, they are very thick so you only need a thin layer of bedding for a comfy bed, your horse wont slip on them if they're wet, they're alot cheaper.

cons: they absorb the wee so they need a good wash and airing every 3 months, they take a bit longer to sweep than other mats as the tops are 'bobbly' instead of smooth.

I love mine and can't imagine having the thin ones

ETA: my horse is 14.3, shod on all four feet. He was in every night from October - January and they didn't crumble or move in that time at all.

 

[Brigadoon]

I have a friend who has these. She jammed them in so they could not move and has had no problem with them at all.
She washes them down regularly as anyone with matting does. They are thick and insulate well.

 

[Keenjean]

I had them in a stable once, thought they were really good, not slippy at all on top!

 

[Pancakes]

ditto what SophieBailey
I have mine in my field shelter they are fab; thick, durable and warm.
Like it has been said, the only downside is they do absorb water/urine but do not turn 'squeltchy' just need washing off every few months

It would be shame to turn down a freebie

 

[sophiebailey]

just need washing off every few months

And make sure you do give them a good scrub or else they will get STINKY!! xxx

 

[china]

all our stables have them and the whole stable is filled so they cannot move around. They are fab, they do get holes in them after a while (years) but cant really complain when they are so cheap!

 

[Starry_eyes]

I have them too - they're fab. Mine don't fit the whole stable though and began to wander around, so clever hubby drilled holes down each side and tied them together with heavy duty cable ties. Perfect! My boy is a 16.2 chunky tb, fully shod and they've not crumbled at all. They are a bit porous though and am thoroughly NOT looking forward to lifting them
But very thick and warm for him

 

[mainpower]

I've been using them for about 8 years now, I do a full bed on top though, not brilliant for very wet horses as they are porous as others have said. One of my stables has a good slope to it so the wee runs under the mat and out the door which is handy!

 

[Abacus]

I had some left over that I used to have under a big paddling pool and thought I would try them. They were the jigsaw sort, each mat is 18ins square. They were too light and moved, and then they would come apart. However I found that they were fine under the bed as they are weighed down by shavings, and I have a couple of heavier proper horse mats at the front where there isn't bedding. Nothing has moved for months, and I expect they add some insulation and softness to the back part of the stable. Might as well give it a go, this compromise seems to be working so far.