Rubber mats v concrete.........

[Meme14]

So we have concrete stables and for many years have always used rubber matting. Just lately it’s become slippy and coupled with the fact the drainage is poor and urine sits underneath the mats we decided to remove them.
Please can I ask what are you opinions about concrete floor with Easibed? Pony went straight in and promptly began digging through and we felt terrible to see the concrete!
Possibly looking at the rubber type latex laid flooring, has anyone used this?
Thoughts please!

 

[Fiona]

I love my EVA mats, don't think I would ever like to go back to concrete floors.

At our last stay away show, the welsh sec A slipped in her stable, and strained her hamstring, it wouldn't have happened at home as out mats come right to the door.

Fiona

 

[milliepops]

I love my EVA mats, don't think I would ever like to go back to concrete floors.

At our last stay away show, the welsh sec A slipped in her stable, and strained her hamstring, it wouldn't have happened at home as out mats come right to the door.

Fiona

Kira slipped when getting up from rolling and that's how she got injured. that also wouldn't have happened at home. I am also very wary of concrete floors! I love EVA too but I have normal hard rubber in my stables at the moment.

OP why do you think your mats have got slippy? are they worn out?

 

[dorsetladette]

Placing tin hat on head and heading for a bunker

I've always preferred a concrete floor, not smooth concrete, but like driveway concrete with stone or ridges in. (I don't know the technical name) But, with a deep straw bed, deep littered if managed properly.

I don't know what it is but I just don't like rubber mats. I might have my opinion changed by sealed rubber floors, but as yet I've never used one.

I'll also add for reference - my ponies are generally not shod and when stabled beds are big and not a lot of floor is showing.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Both my boxes are fully fitted out with heavy weight rubber mats and they are on a combination bed of wood pellets with shavings in top. They don’t smell, urine doesn’t get underneath them and because the boxes are large I can do half the stable with bedding and the front half has haynets, water buckets and feed buckets. One is shod and the other barefoot and they never slip on them. I wouldn’t use just concrete unless I had massive wall to wall straw beds.

 

[WandaMare]

Both my boxes are fully fitted out with heavy weight rubber mats and they are on a combination bed of wood pellets with shavings in top. They don’t smell, urine doesn’t get underneath them and because the boxes are large I can do half the stable with bedding and the front half has haynets, water buckets and feed buckets. One is shod and the other barefoot and they never slip on them. I wouldn’t use just concrete unless I had massive wall to wall straw beds.

i do exactly the same and find all the wee gets soaked up by the pellets. I would say one advantage of concrete floors is its easier to hose the floor off more frequently but weighed up against the risks of them slipping, I still prefer to use heavy rubber mats.

 

[paddy555]

you sound as if you own the stables. If you do what about re screeding the floor and putting the new surface in with a slight slope to sort the drainage and then put your mats back.
All our stables are matted and I would never want to go back to concrete.

 

[oldie48]

I've got rubber mats on a concrete floor which has diagonal channels to a central channel so that if any wet goes through it drains away. My mats have little legs as they don't sit flush to the floor it is possible to lift a mat and hose underneath if it starts to smell. However, I find if I have enough bedding down (straw pellets) I don't have to do this very often. I usually give the stables a good clean once the better weather comes and I can put them out overnight. My mats have been down 20 years now and they are quite smooth in places but they are still nowhere as slippy as the concrete would be.

 

[NOISYGIRL2]

My 41 year old is on eva mats as they are softer, still have a big wood pellet bed, recently tried alternative bedding miscanthus (sp) but was rubbish, promptly found suitable wood pellets bed now back to normal. I would not have just concrete, if I did I would cover the whole floor with thick bedding

 

[peanut]

I have wood pellets on concrete as had the same problem with a wet mare and urine getting under rubber mats.

I compact the wood pellets down a fair bit and have never found exposed concrete even after a long night in.

 

[Starzaan]

I love my Comfort Stall matting. It was expensive but I loooove it. Would never go back to concrete.