Rubber Mats & Bedding

WallisM

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For those who have stable mats how much bedding do you put down ?
At my new yard the whole of the stable floor is rubber matted and the back part has a 1 - 2 inches covering of shavings. I find this so much easier to muck out as I you can see the wet partswhich just gets swept up.

I was just curios how other people do their beds.
Cheers
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lillie07

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I have one on a full straw bed, no rubber matting (looking to rubber mat it but will keep a full bed on top) and one on rubber matting with a full shavings bed (slighty thinner than if no mats but not much) with big banks.
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piebaldsparkle

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Full shaving bed over rubber mats as my mare is a dirty troll and the mats are just there coz even when deep littered, she used to manage to dig down to the concrete floor.
 

frannieuk

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I have a bank at the back of the box and a 3" bed on one side where horse lies, I just scatter some shavings in the other corner and sweep them and the mess out in the morning.
 

121272MDV

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i have small banks with a little bit of a bed to soak up the wet or for my mare to lye on.

less time to muck out and alot cheaper
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hehe
 

kildalton

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I don't think that banks stop horses getting cast to be honest. I find with a small amount of shavings, their rugs stink when they lie down. Like Piebaldsparkle, I used to have mats purely because Molly always dug down to the concrete.
 

lillie07

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No its not wrong- it just comes down to different stable management styles.
Banks are there supposedly to reduce the chances of horses getting cast and to make it easier to get them back up again. My pony got cast twice once without banks and once with- didn't make a huge amount of difference to be honest.
I do banks as its how I have always been taught but I know lots of people that don't.
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121272MDV

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banks arent really nessescery (bad speling its one of those words lol) i just like makin them hehe i like my bed looking like perfection haha

yes i no i realli need a life
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Heidi1

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Have four horses (three mares and one gelding) on mats and small shavings bed across the back of the stable, small banks......... Quick and easy and cheap.....
 

Tempi

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both mine have rubber mats, and at the back they have a 'rectangle' of shavings about 6ft by 2ft. Both mine are really dirty, especially Archie so i cant have anymore shavings in as i would be going through around 4 bales a week between them. I just sweep the muck out and take out any wet that might be in the shavings.
 

Magicmillbrook

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I have about a 1/4 bed for little ponies and 1/3 bed for horse. I have a small bank which gradualy gets brought down as week progresses. Poo and wet patch taken out daily. Topped up again on saturday. I use about 3/4 - 1 bale of shavings per week for 2 ponies and a horse. TBH unless banks are big they dont realy help much and could even hinder. If you are worried you can buy a thin rubber grip strip to go round your stable about 1/2 foot up.
 

joy

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I use mats and a sprinkling of Hemcore for my colt and that works superbly, his mother however is useless on rubber matting and has to have a traditional straw bed. Having said that she now lives out 24/7 and has made do quite nicely with beds largely consisting of mud once shes finished making a nest!
The Hemcore is great for owners with limited storage space and a small muck heap. Where I keep the colt the house owner is a keen gardener so the fact that the Hemcore muckheap rots down very quickly benefits us both.
 

dozzie

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It depends on why you are putting the mats down. I had horse with dust allergy so used a light covering of paper at the back and more where she weeeeeed each night!! I put about an inch max of paper down for the others but do have banks if stables dont have wall mats.
 
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