Rubber Matting - again!

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sula

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Does anyone use rubber matting without bedding? My world`s-most-dirty-gelding is in at night and usually he has a huge big aubiose bed on top of his rubber matting. As I have only just started bringing him in at night I have just put a `toilet` area down in one corner which he seems to be using less and less. He has access to the yard and a small grassy area outside his stable.

Am I being mean or does anyone else do this, with or without the `toilet` area? He`s fifteen and not at the old and creaky age yet where he would benefit from a big soft bed.

Thoughts?
 
I have a yukky gelding too.

I use shavings on top of my matting so that when he pee's (at least 3 times a night!) and pooh's he doesn't slip. I'd rather muck out for 40 mins a day than have him injure himself on wet matting.

I left him once without anything down and I seen him slide as he tried to get up to greet me, this put me right off the 'no shavings' idea. I'm sure everyone has different experiences though.
 
Rubber matting without a half decent bed is just gross.

I put a decent bed down for my dirty gelding - I can't imagine the carnage if I didn't.........
 
I put a full shavings bed down on top of our rubber mattresses for my boy, but he's not a messy boy and he likes to lie down a lot, so I dread to think what state he'd be in if he'd been lying on rubber in poo and wee all night. What time I might save in mucking out I'd use for washing him off!
 
I used to have one of mine on matting without a proper bed (just some shavings in the corner as a toilet area). It was a very bad idea - his rugs stank, he stank, his feet got thrushy (his bed was swept out, hosed out (if warm enough to dry by evening) and a brand new pile of shavings put down. The matting was 50mm EVA and very, very soft.

I would never go back to it. I now just have a foot deep bed, and spend longer mucking out.
 
I always have a full bed down on mats - even for my filthy and wet mare. She is much better with a full bed, no slipping and she stays cleaner. Also she always has big banks - couldn't do this without a good deep bed.
 
I use Megazorb which takes up about 1/4 of the stable but is quite deep. My gelding is very wet and always pees on the megazorb but poos all over the place. I'd hate to not use any bedding. He'd be lying in pools of wet and his rugs would smell so bad!
 
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