Rubber Matting Recommendations and Advice

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SG_Bunny

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Hello,

I'd like to trat my horses to some rubber matting in their stables this winter, but I don't really know where to start! Does any one have any recommendations? I live in the east midlands.

Thanks

Sophie
 
I bought mine from here. Have had some down nearly 10 years ago and they are still great.


Belvoir Rubber Ltd
Orston Lane
NG13 0AU Bottesford
Nottinghamshire
Phone:
01949 844616Fax:
01949 843863
 
Go for thick EVA if you've ever tried shifting rubber mats you'll understand why... They use this stuff for cattle too so check out farm suppliers - usually cheaper... And EVA is durable and much lighter
 
step away from the matting they are vile smelly things If you are determined to use them make sure you use at least 18 inches of shavings or other very absorbant bedding on them as they stink. I hate them with a passion the only use I can think for them is for a bit of extra warmth and if your horse is prone to injury. If he is then great if not you will be as they ruin your back trying to keep the smell down
 
windand rain said:
step away from the matting they are vile smelly things If you are determined to use them make sure you use at least 18 inches of shavings or other very absorbant bedding on them as they stink. I hate them with a passion the only use I can think for them is for a bit of extra warmth and if your horse is prone to injury. If he is then great if not you will be as they ruin your back trying to keep the smell down
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Not true in our case we have 12 stables rubber matted with drainage holes out the back. Yes when you pick them up they honk a bit, but I certainly do not put 18 inches down , what a waste of rubber mats that would be, why ours go from a sprinkling of bedding to 1/2 ft over the rubber that is all no problems
 
windand rain said:
step away from the matting they are vile smelly things If you are determined to use them make sure you use at least 18 inches of shavings or other very absorbant bedding on them as they stink. I hate them with a passion the only use I can think for them is for a bit of extra warmth and if your horse is prone to injury. If he is then great if not you will be as they ruin your back trying to keep the smell down
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Are you my mother ... You sound just like her :)
 
We have mats bought direct from Vulcan rubber and this has been the second set of mats we have bought in a few years, very easy purchase for good quality mats and they arrive rolled up on a pallet and are easy to move while rolled. Very reasonable price as direct from the manufacturer.
 
Follysmum said:
I bought mine from here. Have had some down nearly 10 years ago and they are still great.


Belvoir Rubber Ltd
Orston Lane
NG13 0AU Bottesford
Nottinghamshire
Phone:
01949 844616Fax:
01949 843863
Click to expand...

This. I bought mine from here and they have been down 6 years with no sign of wear.
 
Much depends on how you want to use the mats - ie with a full bed on top or if you want to decrease bedding quantity - plus the drainage arrangements in the stables. I use the Fieldguard M2 mats as they are soft and yielding, drain well and are effective with reduced bedding. However all my stables have sloped floors leading to drainage gullies, one of the main causes of smelly mats is poor drainage, IMHO.

If you want to continue with full beds then you can get away with thinner, cheaper mats.
 
windand rain said:
step away from the matting they are vile smelly things If you are determined to use them make sure you use at least 18 inches of shavings or other very absorbant bedding on them as they stink. I hate them with a passion the only use I can think for them is for a bit of extra warmth and if your horse is prone to injury. If he is then great if not you will be as they ruin your back trying to keep the smell down
Click to expand...

Not true. Good stable hygiene prevents smelly stables, mats or no mats, but having mats down does mean you aren't putting fresh shavings down on wet concrete.
18'' of bedding is not needed unless you like spending lots of money on bedding.
 
Have had my equimats 15 years there is no odour with them unless they are lifted which I do twice a year on a day to day basis I use unibed premier,take the droppings off daily and the wet out weekly would not change for anything
 
dogatemysalad said:
Not true. Good stable hygiene prevents smelly stables, mats or no mats, but having mats down does mean you aren't putting fresh shavings down on wet concrete.
18'' of bedding is not needed unless you like spending lots of money on bedding.
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That is your opinion I have traveled far and wide visited studs, horspitals and vets and I have yet to go somewhere with matting that you cannot smell them at least 50 ft away the only time I may have been suspicious but not choked by it have been those with very deep shavings beds. Mats with a sprinkling of bedding you can even smell the horses from 50 ft never mind the stables urine soaked rugs or coats are very unpleasant, rubber is a very noxious smell even when new so it isn't just the stinking feacal matter and urine below them that is the issue it is thw whole stinking mess that you are expecting a horse to stand in and the ammonia in the air is a an irritant to their mucus membranes making them suffer from painful noses throats and airways. I have seen mats used in racing stables with a good 18 inches of bedding and these are the closest I have seen to acceptable and even then I could still smell the rubber smell
 
Wow did not realise the topic of rubber matting who evoke such strong opinions! I have lovely big airy stables that are breeze block so fab in the summer but chilly in the winter, so only wanted the rubber matting as a bit of extra warmth. (My horses are very pampered!) I would still use a big bed and would not deep litter. The floor is slightly slanted to the front for drainage. Thanks for all your opinions I will take them on board! x
 
windand rain said:
That is your opinion I have traveled far and wide visited studs, horspitals and vets and I have yet to go somewhere with matting that you cannot smell them at least 50 ft away the only time I may have been suspicious but not choked by it have been those with very deep shavings beds. Mats with a sprinkling of bedding you can even smell the horses from 50 ft never mind the stables urine soaked rugs or coats are very unpleasant, rubber is a very noxious smell even when new so it isn't just the stinking feacal matter and urine below them that is the issue it is thw whole stinking mess that you are expecting a horse to stand in and the ammonia in the air is a an irritant to their mucus membranes making them suffer from painful noses throats and airways. I have seen mats used in racing stables with a good 18 inches of bedding and these are the closest I have seen to acceptable and even then I could still smell the rubber smell
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I am struggling to relate to your comments. I have field guard mats and use just a sprinkling of shavings. They are in stables with sloping concrete floors and each floor is then drained externally from the stable in sealed covered drains. There is far less stink from the use of mats than there ever was when I had deep littered shavings beds. Now they really did stink let along the quantity of bedding and work cleaning them. I also tried shavings and straw beds (and peat) where I mucked out daily. However deep I put them the horses still got down to the concrete.
I cannot relate to urine soaked rugs or urine soaked coats. With the fieldguard ones the urine drains under the bed. You can watch them have a pee and and by about 3 minutes later all the water has drained from the mats. We watch this frequently as for some reason they seem to think it is great fun to come in from the field and immediately have a pee on the mats.
The rubber on the mats doesn't smell. I also have some of the normal 6 x 4 mats and the rubber on them doesn't smell either. I do think however that if you used that sort of mat you would need sloping floor drainage and more bedding.

Before we bought our mats (15 years ago) we were given addresses of customers who had already bought field guard mats. I took one look at the one we visited and said "no way". I could not cope with the stink or dirty rugs. OH persuaded me that it was not the mats but the poor stable drainage. Fortunately I listened to him and they worked brilliantly by the time the floors have been set up properly in preparation. We have had a lot less work and a lot of happy horses on warm comfortable beds.
 
I have rubber mats, and my stables have rubbish drainage..... and no smell!

The saving grace was having them fitted by a pro, they left a small gap around the edge and as the mats settled the gaps were all sealed, and the mats are all flat. They fit so tightly that there are really no gaps. I do use a decent bed, but not 18", I also bottom the bed every day, and it is white rather than a mucky brown. I lift the bed daily and sweep the mats clean.

The mats do seem to keep the stable warmer, they are non slip, a bit of protection if he lies down and moves the slightly smaller bed....... A winner all round.

HOWEVER I have smelled other people's mats and urine soaked horses and rugs....poo.

I would agree, it is down to stable management. Sometimes I think people think rubber mats replace good stable management rather than being a belt and braces approach.
 
blitznbobs said:
Go for thick EVA if you've ever tried shifting rubber mats you'll understand why... They use this stuff for cattle too so check out farm suppliers - usually cheaper... And EVA is durable and much lighter
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Yep, you can lift and wash them whenever you like, the don't stink like thick rubber, are hygienic and light, if a horse was a digger he might lift them, but I never ever had a problem. I had ponies and used thin ones, but for an arthritic oldie horse you would need thick ones.
I think mine were from a firm that makes cow mats, I only had the middle lined, so only ever bought two. I used shavings for banks.
I only ever had dirty smelly beds in all my life and that was on a stable where YO insisted on straw, the concrete floor was flat, poor drainage, no ventilation and it stank. If it had been mine I would have thrown out stinking mats, opened up ventilation, used pellets and light mats. I was told that horses all have an "odour", well mine never did til I went there. I don't want to change my clothes and shower twice a day not to mention poor horse which had to live with it.
 
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Well I must admit I would take a lot of convincing as I said I have yet to visit a place with rubber mats that do not stink perhaps the eva mats are better but my guess would be that those that use them get used to the smell and don't notice it so much. I suppose being allergic to latex I can smell rubber from a long way away and the smell of pee on top is foul but then most of my friends and family will tell that in spite of being 60 I still have a very acute sense of smell must be a compensation for my dodgy eyesight ;)
 
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