Rubber matting

[J_sarahd]

I know it’s probably been done to death but this is the first time I’ve ever actually had to buy rubber matting as previous two stables came supplied with them. I always knew they were expensive but didn’t realise how expensive until now.

Is it worth doing the whole stable or just half? Or at all?

We are moving 6th March and I presume, like most yards, they will start staying out at night when the clocks change at the end of March so could I get away with not buying them for the first month and then saving up and buying them later on? (I’m buying a house at the moment so dipping into savings is a no-go)

He will be on wood pellets, if that makes any difference.

 

[Cortez]

I have all of my stables rubber matted. Been down about 15 years now and still going strong. Did the whole floor. I didn't use "horse" matts though, I used cow matts which are quite a bit cheaper (based on my so far proven theory that things with the word "horse" on are massively overpriced).

 

[piffapie]

Rubber matting is great and definitely something you should look at, but it’s not an essential. We currently don’t have matting in our stables and our horses are all really well and have lovely clear tendons and no rubs/ hard patches on their skin. We give them a really big and full bed (to the door) so they never just stand on hard concrete. That being said, I do want to get rubber matting in the near future, so we can save on bedding with half beds. If I was going for it I would get the stuff that is glued/sealed in and covers the whole stable so you don’t have to clean underneath the mats and they don’t move around. I think a local company charges around £600 for a 12x12 box - at least that’s what their website said!

 

[milliepops]

if funds are really tight, i think doing the front of the stable with heavy rubber mats (18mm at least) is not a bad compromise, you may have to sweep bedding out from underneath them from time to time. and you can do the rest of the stable at a later date if you choose.

My preference is to fully mat the stable with EVA at least 34mm. I don't think doing half with EVA would work so well as the mats are lighter.

I would always have the bare areas of floor matted, some concrete floors become very slippery and one of mine has a past injury from slipping in the stable when getting up from rolling so it's not a risk I am prepared to take in future.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Mine are part rubber matted, part concrete, which works best for me. I bed down the concrete area. The horses are always standing on rubber or shavings, never bare concrete.

I use 3 mats per stable this way. The mats are closely butted up, and don’t move.

 

[Quigleyandme]

Mats are expensive but it is a once only outlay that will long term save you money and labour and your horse should be more comfortable. I prefer the whole stable matted because it stops them travelling. If you do half the mats will creep towards the door and it is a real faff to scrape the bedding and dung away from the wall and heave them back into position. I don’t have any experience of wood pellets. Are they generally for deep littering? When I want or need something that I can’t easily afford I go through my clothes, horse gear and general stuff and list anything I no longer need or want on eBay. It is surprising how much that Sprenger training bit you haven’t used in twenty years or those breeches that were so unflattering you never wore them will fetch. Another tactic I use is to go through my utilities, insurances and accounts and switch. I saved myself £800 one year by dedicating one afternoon to that.

 

[9tails]

I did mine 13 years ago, 18mm black rubber mats for the whole stable and they're barely marked all these years later. They were a great investment, about £30 per mat at the time. I've never needed to lift them.

Sometimes they come up on local facebook sites so worth looking out to see if anybody is selling some.

 

[asmp]

Another view - I removed my horse’s mats as I believe they affected his breathing. The urine would sit under them and they were too heavy for me to lift on my own. I did change other things at the time but he did stop coughing and I think that was one of the reasons.

 

[Tarragon]

I think you should also consider how long you might be staying at the yard because stables come in all shapes and sizes. If I was to mat then I would have to make sure that they are a good fit in the stable as there is nothing worse, irritating or unhygienic than ill fitting mats that get dirty bedding in the gaps or under corners!

 

[Sealine]

Mine are part rubber matted, part concrete, which works best for me. I bed down the concrete area. The horses are always standing on rubber or shavings, never bare concrete.

I too have this arrangement and it works for me. I acquired the mats when liveries left and didn't want to take the mats with them.

 

[doodle]

I have just got new equimats. I love love love them. I got the thick 28mm ones and fitted the whole stable. My old ones were 20 years old and had a lot of use. And now being used by my friend. The new ones were over £900 but a lot of that was delivery! If they last another 20 years I’ll be happy. They are the EVA mats. I don’t like the pure rubber mats, they are thinner and harder and imo not much softer than concrete. I did manage to move and cut them myself but they were almost too heavy. The 20mm old ones I could move myself. We have straw with our livery so I put a little sprinkle of shavings where he wees which seems to be enough to stop wet getting under them. The fit very snuggly which helps too.

 

[doodle]

 

[Abby-Lou]

Equimats are so worth the money. I bought thick ones over 15 years ago still going strong would not have any other mats. You can lay down on the stable floor they have give where black mats don't have as much give in my experience.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I used EVA matting but only used enough to put under the bedding which was approximately 3/4 of the stable. I always left the 1/4 of the stable as the floor which I preferred.

 

[Hanno Verian]

One thing to consider if you are only buying sufficient matts for half the stable, often the delivery charge is a flat fee, so the difference between 3 mats + delivery and 6 mats + delivery might not be so great?
FWIW I've had stable mats since about 2002, I was conned early on into buying expensive sealant to seal them in, a complete waste of time and money - dont do it, they have been great, they save on bedding, have prevented my larger horses from scraping themselves on a concrete floor
I also have thin stable matts with a chequorboard pattern as a gym floor too.

 

[J_sarahd]

Thanks everyone. I’ve decided to go for it. OH has offered to help buy them with his bonus, which is very generous.

The thought of buying a pallet of bedding and rubber mats, on top of a vet bill made me feel a bit sick. But I think I can manage it

 

[AFB]

Personally I hate it and sold mine - then ended up at a yard with matted stables and had to put up with it for 2 years, it was a PITA!!

Now have an unmatted stable with a decent bed and find life so much easier!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Last Autumn I did my two looseboxes with the "Versa" interlocking matting.

This matting is 1m square and has edges which fit together.

My set-up is at home and I can't ever think of a time when I might have to take the mats up, but it would be an easy enough job to do if necessary.

Two of us (ladies!) did the two looseboxes over the weekend. We managed it without a single bloke to help us!! Once you got going, a nice simple relatively straightforward little job. We did need a good sharp knife to lop the bits off we didn't need, but once you've got your knife sorted tis an easy job.

In fact as we had some squares left over we did out the washbay area as well.

Well worth doing. The company are based in Ireland and I had to pay in Euro's; but it was a straightforward transaction and the pallet with the mats arrived on time and as scheduled.

Would recommend.

 

[Cortez]

Personally I hate it and sold mine - then ended up at a yard with matted stables and had to put up with it for 2 years, it was a PITA!!

Now have an unmatted stable with a decent bed and find life so much easier!

Why do you hate it?

 

[AFB]

Why do you hate it?

I despise moving it to clean and found whatever bedding I used it needed cleaning underneath regularly or my stable just stunk of ammonia (perhaps I have very wet horses...), and if I used a half bed I found the sweeping effort to remove the poo walked on to the matting was equivalent to a full muck out - so I may as well give my horses a full bed anyway.

The yard I used with mats already down were older and more worn and lifted constantly, I know that's not the norm but it certainly put the final nail in the coffin for me.

I'd much rather know when I do a full muck out that I'm down to the concrete, it's clean and I'm starting afresh.

 

[Cortez]

I despise moving it to clean and found whatever bedding I used it needed cleaning underneath regularly or my stable just stunk of ammonia (perhaps I have very wet horses...), and if I used a half bed I found the sweeping effort to remove the poo walked on to the matting was equivalent to a full muck out - so I may as well give my horses a full bed anyway.

The yard I used with mats already down were older and more worn and lifted constantly, I know that's not the norm but it certainly put the final nail in the coffin for me.

I'd much rather know when I do a full muck out that I'm down to the concrete, it's clean and I'm starting afresh.

Ah, OK. I don't have those problems with mine, but I do keep a fairly normal straw bed on top. I've only ever lifted the matts twice in 15 years, and don't bother now as there was little to clean underneath.