Rubber Mat Novice!

[lucylocket]

I have put rubber mats down last week. They do not cover entire stable floor as very large stable so just bought enough to do back two thirds. I use quite a good bed of shavings on top. Horse only been in during day, but lifted mats today to find lots of wee underneath ! I knew not too good drainage which is why he has more shavings that normal for rubber mats. Should I try and get something to seal the joins in the mats? How often do you take your mats up to air floors?
Im beginning to think instead of saving work Ill be spending every weekend heaving mats about.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

I have mats across my whole stable, I haven't sealed them, shaving have filled the joins. On the rare occasion in the last two years I have lifted one, it has had pee under it, but I just left it as floor is level (so no puddling) and mats too heavy to lift out totally and let the floor dry.

 

[Gorgeous George]

i've got rubber mats in my stable (they were there when I arrived), George is extremely wet and dirty but I've never lifted them and once I've cleaned and swept the stable it doesn't smell.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

If your stable starts to smell of stale wee then you will need to do something. If it doesn't then leave the mats down. I lift my mats probably once a year, there is no smell & I don't seal them. Basically "If it aint broke don't fix it". OK

 

[ExRacers]

I have mats over the front half my stable which doesn't have good drainage either so I sprinkled down sawdust (free from local joinery) underneath them.

Only lift them about twice a year & no smell.

 

[custard]

You can just fold the mats over in half, scrape out all the wee/silt and wash it down or just leave them up to dry, works quite well with little effort.

 

[Chex]

I used to lift mine once a fortnight to disenfect and let them dry. Now I don't bother

. When they start to float and squelch I lift them

. I had to seal my stable to stop the pee passing under to the next stable though lol

 

[kerilli]

i don't pick the mats up, ever. the bacteria that make it smell need oxygen, so if you keep the mats down, it won't smell.
as long as the front bit of your stable (without mats) isn't downhill of the rest, it'll be fine.
put some green gloop or other disinfectant down first if you want, and use enough shavings to absorb the wee if pos.
my stables never smell, i've got internal ones and people remark on the fact that it smells completely fresh in the barn.
i make my own disinfectant of essential oils, which i use occasionally in summer, but it's hardly necessary.

 

[lucylocket]

Im obviously being too fussy, Ill leave them down and see what happens then. Must admit once lifted dont want to do it on a regular basis !

 

[Vixter]

Unless you have matts professionally fitted by manufacturer, they will always have gaps and wee will seep through. I used to clean under mine about every 6 months. Occasionally lift one of front mats up if I heard wee squelching under the matt! It always smelt fresh and clean in my mares stable, but she did have enough shavings in there to soak up the urine.

 

[Peanot]

Hi, my mats cover about a 2/3 of my stable too. It is about 16ft long and 10ft wide, so I have mats in 2/3s of the stable, then shavings over the non-matted area and over a length of one of the mats. This works very well and each time I have lifted to brush stray hay seeds, which isnt very often, just lift up and brush underneath, it hasnt been wet, as the shavings have soaked it up before it gets underneath the mats, but then again, my horse wees at the back of the stable where there is shavings but no mats. I hope this makes sense.