Rubber Matting. What benefits?

[jomax]

I have my mare on straw, as the yard she is on doesnt offer any other option, and her stable door, does not hang down flush to the floor. But, thats not a problem, as i personally would choose straw bedding anyway. But i was wondering about putting a rubber matting down on the concrete base? How easy to clean is the matting? As my mare is extremely mucky and is not really suitable for deep littering, i have to do a full muck out everyday, just salvaging the best of the bed for the base and then putting fresh straw on the top. Thanks.

 

[kylee86]

hi jomax. i am thinking of getting rubber matting as my boy tends to slip and slide when he is getting up. thinking the matting will not be as slippy. regarding cleaning when i use to have mats at my old yard i would take the matt out every other, day hose it down and disinfect it all. i found it pretty easy to keep clean. other people found them a nightmare as they didnt use to wash them down every other day like i did. meaning all the wee would seep under the matt needing a big clean up operation the smell was sooooo bad. if you keep on top of the cleaning it tends to be easily manageable.

 

[Aoibhin]

i have a super piddler on loan & she is bedded on matting & straw, i tend to lift the wet & lumps out daily then shake up all the bed & respread topping up when required. doesnt smell too bad as i put down a sprinkling of floor sanitising powder before i lay the mats & lift them once a month & hose the stable down before leaving to dry.

 

[PingPongPony]

I have my whole stable covered is rubber matting, but i keep my horse on shavings with paper. Mine doesn't smell at all but she is very dry in her stable. Like you i do a full muck out everyday and put the bed up during the day for the floor to dry. I think the main benefits or rubber matting are you use less bedding as its already softer and warmer and also what i like is that her shoes don't wear down as much I move mine out and clean them monthly, lean them against the wall outside to allow them to dry then hose down the stable and leave that to dry too. It really isn't that bad to do. Make sure though that when you're buying mats you don't go for the light foamy ones, my friend had those and it was a pain in the butt! Everyday the mats would have been moved and they also got damaged really easily, yes they were so light to take out and clean but they were useless. I have the ones that are heavier but they dont move that much and after years and years of my friend having them they still look nearly new.

 

[kerilli]

benefits - warmer (insulates horse from cold concrete), softer (no scrubbed elbows or hocks), comfier imho.
rubber mats work better with an absorbent bedding rather than a drainage bedding though imho. you want to be able to get rid of as much wee as possible, obv!
i never lift the mats in my stables and they never smell. i was told that the bacteria that causes the smell can only breed with oxygen present, so if you don't lift the mats, there's no smell. my stables are internals and can get very warm in the summer due to the skylights but there is absolutely no smell at all.
fwiw i have EVA mats and wouldn't go back to rubber mats. the EVA-foam is thicker, softer, more insulating, lighter (easy to move around) and doesn't mark at all, mine have been down about 5 years now and are unmarked. i have the thicker Mayomats (Cowmats) and would really recommend them.