Rubber Matting - Pros and Cons

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Fizzimyst

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So, with four horses I'm thinking about winter and mucking out four boxes every day with a small child in tow and wanting to get some sleep.......

I'm thinking about rubber matting. Never used it but would like to know everyones thoughts on it.

Whats the best type, whats the worst, whats the cheapest, whats the good points, whats the bad points........
 
Can't help with pricing but having mucked out 3 boxes with matting and a shavings bed in 30 minutes (2 were disgusting
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) I can assure you they are a god send when it comes to saving time.
The 30 minutes included running back and forth to the muck trailer
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No cons. Only pro's.

Do make sure you get decent ones though. My stable cost me around £250 to kit out, but worth every penny.
 
Personally I didn't get on with rubber matting. I tried it on my coloured cob before I had the other horses and it didn't save me on time or bedding as he had to have a normal bed still to stop the stable stains. The time saved on mucking out I spent scrubbing the horse.
 
I was thinking of getting rubber matting myself earlier in the year and after someone left my yard and they had rubber matting, there no way i'd have it now. I'd rather do the mucking out. Once she had gone and lifted the mats (she never once lifted them while she was there) the mess underneath was disgusting and the smell, oh dear, it made me want to be sick. If you have a messy horse and one that pees a lot then you'll need to lift the mats daily too, to sweep out underneath as all the pee pools underneath, otherwise the stable will get manky.
 
NO TO MATS I agree they are quite disgusting but a BIG YES to a COMPLETE covering of rubber. I have had this in 3 of my stables and wouldn't be without it, it is pricey but well worth it if you can stretch to it. The last 2 I had done a year ago and cost £1450 + VAT for a 12'6" x 14' and a 13'4" x 14'. It is called Solofloor by Kraiburg and will last for years and years, it is sealed to the floor with an underlay and not one bit of mess or wee can get through, I can't recommend it highly enough, William Fox-Pitt has it you know!! This is there website www.kraiburg.co.uk if it helps.
 
For rubber matting to be any good you need a stable with a slight fall on it so that any urine that manages to get under the mats can drain away. The matting must fit well & be tightly butted up together. Go for matting that has a small pattern on it rather than the round raised design because they are difficult to sweep out and wet bedding tends to get stuck to it.

It is easier & quicker to muck out. My horse used to knock his hocks up regularly on the concrete floor no matter how thick the bed was now there is no problem. I don't think myou have to go for a recognised expensive make. I bought mats for 2 stables from a local seller on ebay @ about £150 per 12' x 12' stable & that was a while ago & there has been no problem.
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I have rubber mats. I think it is only time saving if you dont put a full bed down. It takes minutes to muck out if you are quick, and there is less muck so fewer trips to the manure heap! Time saving again. I have to put a thicker bed for one of my boys as he wont pee on the mats! But all the others are ok.

Depending on the drainage you may or may not have to lift them weekly/monthly/whenever you have time! Mine get lifted in the summer although I do pressure hose them on top if they need it throughout the year.

I use the equimats and they have been excellent. There is no smell whatsoever. I bought them because of the quality of the material, the weight but also because the general opinion was they didnt smell or make the horse smell.

I did have some normal heavyweight rubber mats before in one stable and they were a nightmare to lift and clean but they did work.

I also managed to get some cheap mats for wall mats. They dont look posh but the do a good job!


Lots of companies will send you small samples.

I do miss the big cosy bed but my horses seem a lot healthier without it!
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I do bank up round the edges though in case of draughts. Possibly uneccessary as they usually have rugs on but it makes me feel better LOL!

I wouldnt be without mine now and wish I had changed over to mats earlier.
 
I wouldn't be without mine. I used to have 6 horses at home, and a full time job, so we did everything we could to save time. They all had a bit of bedding, but only to soak up the wee. I find the most absorbent bedding which works best with the mats is Aquamax (or other pellet type bedding). Even after the pelletts have been damped down and broken up into powder, it is still amazingly absorbent. They don't need much bedding at all for lying down on as the mats are soft (ish). I could muck them all out in a flash, and 1 horse wees into a bucket so that saved me a furtune on bedding for him. They can get a bit manky underneath, but its not to bad it the stable is well ventilated (door left open when horse not in etc). I lift the mats twice a year and powerwash and disinfect. Oh, aslo, horses don't use stable rugs and they lie in their poo. They sleep in their turnout rugs, so that the poo is washed off in the rain. Also, saves time changing rugs, and the horses don't get cold taking off a snug rug and putting on a cold one (rugs have to fit very well though).
This all sounds quite slapdash, but it isn't. Horses are on a beautiful, new, (expensive) stableyard, designed to have lots of ventilation, and are all very healthy. Furthermore, the stable chores are streamlined and efficient.
 
I have used them & love them. Both stables had a fall so despite having 2 mares that would wee for England I had no "manky" smelly issues. I would put down a decent bed & still found that on shavings they not only helped save bed as they sort of held the wee together more so I got a definite spot to muck out rather than a large damp patch, but they also helped old ones arthritis.
Again putting down a decent bed meant no manky sopping wet rugs either.
Would not be with out them.
Did spend £250 ish on each stable though & that was 5 years ago.
 
Yard has rubber mats in all the boxs,luckyly the have exalent drainage so were advised not to use any bedding.
Have to say the horses the liked to lie down on a bed do so just as often on the mats.
Makes the morning routine a piece of cake,2 mins to sweep box and put droppings in a skip which leave a lot more time to groom the horses and give them a check over before clients arrive.
One horse had a bad cough(even with all the boxs having a shavings bed) which went within a few weeks of the mats not to be seen since.

I will always prefere the look of a straw bed, but the benifits of rubber mats are too many to ignore.
Get the best quality you can,I think most places will send samples so look around.Lot of money to set up,but with the cost of bedding going up now more then ever it is a really smart investment.
 
I have rubber matting in my stable, but only because I want my horse's legs to have extra support. I use the thicker Equimats. My horse has a spavin.
I have tried using these with minimal bedding but hated it. I like to keep my coloured horse free of big/lots of stains. I found the rugs and horse were all wet with wee/poo and smelly. I would never use that system again. So he has the mats for support and a full shavings bed on top. Different systems suit different people I guess. With regard to the Equimats, I have had them in his box permanently for 4 yrs. I take them completely out of the stable and disinfect them and the underlying floor once a yr only. The mats look as good as the day they were laid, they have no damage and they are not slippy. Would definitely get them again. I agree all mats need to be fitted snug to the wall or you get all kinds of rubbish underneath. Equimat cut these for me to my measurements.
 
replied to your other thread but obviuosly chose the wrong one! my view is very much the same as welliboots - full time jobs and horses need to be as streamlined as possible!!

well I wouldn't be without mine. I have the horse comfort mayo mat ones which are 34mm of EVA.. They are really light but once you have them down they don't move. You are not supposed to fit them too tight as there is then no room for them to expand as the horse stands on them. I often take them with me to events with me when faced with the somewhat differing standards of event stabling!

Horse comfort mayo mats


They are not cheap but have more than made up their cost in both time and the ammount of shavings I use. they are much warmer than rubber and if you kneel on them you can feel just how cushioning they are for the joints.

I definitley use less shavings (one of mine was at a pros yard and they were about a bale a day of shavings he is that disgusting!!) I use about 1/2 a bale per week each on my mats.

I have had the equimats (green jigsaw ones) they were fine for the fisrt year or so but eventually the joints stretched and the muck just sat in the joints and were stinking. I have also used the hard rubber and they were fine for about 4 years until the rubber perished and the pee just went straight through and sat underneath! I have had my first lot of mats from horse comfort for 9 years now - they are guarnateed for 10 and you can't tell which of mine are 2 years old and which are 9!

this a picture of one of my stables just to show how much bedding i use with them! I use Fal-pro dual purpose rugs - I can'r stand sticky stable rugs!

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Hope that helps!
 
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I have rubber matting in my stable, but only because I want my horse's legs to have extra support. I use the thicker Equimats. My horse has a spavin.
I have tried using these with minimal bedding but hated it. I like to keep my coloured horse free of big/lots of stains. I found the rugs and horse were all wet with wee/poo and smelly. I would never use that system again. So he has the mats for support and a full shavings bed on top. Different systems suit different people I guess. With regard to the Equimats, I have had them in his box permanently for 4 yrs. I take them completely out of the stable and disinfect them and the underlying floor once a yr only. The mats look as good as the day they were laid, they have no damage and they are not slippy. Would definitely get them again. I agree all mats need to be fitted snug to the wall or you get all kinds of rubbish underneath. Equimat cut these for me to my measurements.

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Equimat is what I have down too. And again, the thicker ones. Agree with all you have said. Although mine were fitted for me by the company.
 
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