Stable floor matting - EVA versus rubber

[6012nickyp]

I am looking to floor a new stable for occasional use by my 14 hand pony - seeing lots of conflicting opinions regarding traditional rubber versus EVA - what do people recommend, budget of approx £250 for a 12’ x 12’ Stable so it seems I could go for either type - worried that EVA may not be hard wearing enough although I like the idea that I could use less bedding as I don’t have much space for a muck heap.

 

[Hurricanelady]

I’ve used EVA for years and found it excellent. It is hard wearing (my current mats are about 5 years old & still going strong and manufacturers of good quality mats advertise 15 year lifespan), it’s warm, soft (enough) and supportive for the horse, and light enough to easily pick up & move for cleaning (which rubber is not).

I have always used 34 mm thickness rather than 24 mm, the thicker it is, the more supportive and hard wearing it is. I still have a decent sized straw bed on top of the mats - I’ve found it is still needed to soak up wee, I don’t want horses lying in it just because they’ve got the mats. Other bedding types may work differently.

You can often get 6 mat specials to save money.

Good luck..

 

[tda]

I bought some Eva mats this year, I'll let you know how they perform after the winter months. They don't appear as sturdy as the rubber, but will wait and see

Shop around - when I was looking, I searched Eva mats Yorkshire, and bought mine from a gasket company what also did mats,would never have found them otherwise, good price, very local to me and delivery included

 

[Goldenstar]

The main difference is that eva is magically light verses rubber but they do tend to grow so need trimming on a ongoing basis .
Rubber lasts longer is stronger moves less on the floor but is back breakingly awful to deal with if you need to move it .
I have Eva on the walls rubber on the floors eva is cheap the last ones I bought myself where from eBay where grey and very very inexpensive .

 

[Reacher]

Please could anyone recommend any specific brands of EVA mats that are noticeably softer than rubber?(With a link if possible) I have had samples from a couple of manufacturers and didn't think they were noticeably softer. This is for a horse that rubs it's hocks on rubber, even with a decent amount of bedding.
(Hope you don't mind me hijacking OP)

 

[G&T]

I have Equimats in one stable (bought second hand off eBay!) and Easimats in the others, bought new when we built our stables. Chose the easimats because new Equimats were just so flipping expensive, although I loved them. The easimats were great at first but when we the heatwave this summer for a few days, they spread and started bulging, and the cutting them down was a faff and quite difficult. The Equimats have lasted for years and are as good as the day they arrived. So I think you do get what you pay for.
Have also had the very light cheap pure EVA mats and they were useless, moved all the time and made mucking out a complete nightmare. Would neve use them again. Once my mare went flying, as she got up from rolling in the stable and one of the mats slid over the other.
If you can find second hand Equimats or can afford new, in my opinion there's no comparison

 

[JillA]

Apart from being lighter, EVA are rigid so MUCH easier to move. I have had to trim one in 3 years (6 6x4s in 12ft sq boxes) and it couldn't be easier, craft knife goes through them like butter

 

[honetpot]

I have EVA, which I bought secondhand. They are not fitted, just butted up to each other, and I put them where the horses tend to stand and poo,not lay, then the rest of the box is bedded down. Its saves bedding and I just sweep poo corner.
I have had fitted rubber, they are slippery when wet and a devil if they are not fitted and sealed. When we go to shows I use the EVA in the stabling, so that saves on bedding.

 

[Fiona]

Our EVA mats are just starting to show wear after 15 years.....

I definitely recommend. Much softer and lighter than rubber.

Fiona

 

[6012nickyp]

Eva seems to be coming out on top, but are the rubber topped versions better - they say Eva can be damaged by road studs, nails and forks!

 

[JillA]

Eva seems to be coming out on top, but are the rubber topped versions better - they say Eva can be damaged by road studs, nails and forks!

Yes

 

[dozzie]

I had rubber mats and replaced them with equimats due to the weight. When I was looking there were some cheaper mats but the feedback was that they were very smelly. I cant remember whether they were rubber or eva. The weight factor was important for me. I still have them 20 years on and could probably sell them easily for not much less than I paid for them. I think I would struggle to sell the original rubber mats. The Equimats are damaged but it is only surface damage and doesn't impact on the horse.

 

[DappleDown]

We have never tried Eva so can't comment on them. But we have tried two other types of matting.

The first type were the compressed rubber granule type. Avoid these. They don't last, they soak up the wet and they really smell. They rot and fall to pieces. Horrid mats.

The mats we have now are 17mm thick rubber. Yes, heavy to move, but that does not matter to us as two of us can lift and move them easily enough for our mega clean out, which we do in late Spring.

We find the mats are good underfoot for our heavier horses (and our pacing and kick/stomp horses), with no damage so far, and were not slippery when new.

Plus the price was much better than Eva.

 

[mums the groom]

Love my EVA mats mine can in small squares that you put together like a jigsaw all mats came with edging so easy to get straight lines in the years that I've had them have moved to various stables and they are really easy to put down, pull up and clean & disinfect once a year can't remember where I bought them but I think it was from a firm near Devon came in the post and all boxes were super easy to move ( also got free delivery). could of had them in pink or black

 

[pansymouse]

I bought EVA cow mats they're cheaper than horse ones and exactly the same product (I rang the supplier and checked).

 

[Squirily]

I have 34mm EVA mats, I have large horses with shoes (no road nails), I muck out with a rubber matting or plastic fork and there are no marks on the mats. I am glad I went for them over rubber, my arthritic boy seems much happier when he needs to come in. The sample I had before I bought seemed very soft and I was worried the mats would be too soft for the horses to stand on for a period of time, but when the whole mat is down the weight is spread more evenly. I was also able to fit 4 stables all by myself which wouldn't have been possible with rubber mats

 

[JillA]

I bought EVA cow mats they're cheaper than horse ones and exactly the same product (I rang the supplier and checked).

Ahh, Equine Added Tax

 

[Fiona]

I bought EVA cow mats they're cheaper than horse ones and exactly the same product (I rang the supplier and checked).

So did I....

Fiona