Rubber matting and bedding - Help!

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timmyhorse

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I've just put down rubber matting with easi bed. Everyone tells me that its best just to use a thin covering of bedding to absorb the wet but after years of thick straw beds I'm finding it hard to adjust!

My horse doesn't seem to have laid down on the matting yet.

Anyone got any tips for best way to bed on rubber matting or whether it takes horses (and owners) a while to get used to it?
 
I never did manage to get used to only having a small bed, so I still use a full bed with my mats
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Small amounts of bedding are recommended as a cost/time saving exercise. Less bedding, less expense and mucking out time. Still far better than a thin straw bed that goes through to the floor though I think.

I still go for a full shavings bed and banks and just use the matting to make the base a bit warmer, to give a sounder footing and to prevent injury, and just generally to add to the comfort factor.
 
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I never did manage to get used to only having a small bed, so I still use a full bed with my mats
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Me too. We didn't get the mats to save on bedding but to keep the horses warmer in winter and help with their joints to be honest.
 
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I never did manage to get used to only having a small bed, so I still use a full bed with my mats
crazy.gif
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Me too. We didn't get the mats to save on bedding but to keep the horses warmer in winter and help with their joints to be honest.

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Same here - our lot still have full beds on top of the matting.
 
i do about 1/2-1/3 of a full depth bed at the back of the stable (i.e. only covering about half of the floorspace). it's quick to muck out (4 mins per stable), the horses do all their mess on it and lie down on it - whatever anyone says about horses not 'nesting' in the wild, they love a nice bed, and rarely lie down on bare rubber, given the choice - but mine stand on rubber to eat from their haybars at the front, etc.
 
I just have rubber matting at the frount of my stable and i too am old school when it comes to bedding.

I couldnt bare a small bed so if i did have a full rubber floor id still have a full bed.

I have recently changed bedding to equisorb, i looked at easybed but was horrified at how rough and sharp it was.

Id try changing the bedding to something softer if your neds not laying down id be a bit concerned too. Easy bed isnt absorbant either. Id be inclined to put shavings/megazozb/equisorb down so its softer to lay on.

I know they are meant to cut time but i like to see a nice invitiing warm bed to lay down on but think they are great under any bedding.

If i stand on my rubber mats then the contrere outside i can really feel the cold through my hunters!
 
All the horses on the yard (except mine) are on rubber matting.

TBH they all still have a pretty good bed. Not deep littered though, with all the wet taken out daily.
 
I have Easibed on mats, it's about 2 inches thick so when he lays down he gets up dry! If you want to use a real sprinkling, then I find it only worked with horses that aren't that wet and megazorb worked the best.
 
I still have a thick bed on rubber matting. I find that if you only put a thin bit down there is not enough to absorb the wet. The wet then spreads more and horse and rugs end up stinking! I also found that the thinner the bed the more I had to take out as everything gets kicked about easier and the whole middle ends up trashed. Plus a thick bed looks much cosier and more comfortable!
 
I've started using matting and a sprinkle of eqizorb and paper. Ok its not the nicest looking bed in the world but it saves me a fortune in time and money. I think some horses are more fussy than others.
 
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