Stable mats ....again! Sorry, but does anyone....

[Chico Mio]

use real cow mats in their stables? I have just aquired twelve for my two stables. They are about a metre square and, obviously don't interlock but I don't know if this eally matters? What do you think?

 

[MrsMozart]

I don't use them, but I don't think it would matter if they are wall to wall so they can't move.

 

[rubyrumba]

I know someone who does, she says they last longer as they are more wearing!

 

[popsicle]

Someone once told me they are very hard wearing, but can be slippery when wet. So take care

 

[_daisy_]

ive got some cow matting, its very light weight but does get very slippy when wet so please do be careful. for this reason, the stable that has this down is closed off, as my girls live out and have free access to the stables and do like to bomb in and out of them at times.
but i love it for the ease f cleaning it out, jet washing etc and very easy to move compared to my other matting that takes 2 people to move it

 

[Chico Mio]

Thanks guys -these were the best kind of mats, free ones!! They have a sort of herring bone raised pattern on them on the top and are smooth underneath but the actual surface is quite textured too so hopefully not too slippy.

Do you know they cost the equivalent of €3 each when they were put down in the byre? How the heck do we get charged so much for stable mats!!!!

 

[jillygem]

Because they have "for horses" written on them! Everything is so much more expensive when its for horses rather than other animals!

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

I actually feel a bit guilty - I recommended cow mats on price alone on here to somebody before I had first hand experience of them. I was planning to get some until I mucked out a friends box which has cow mats with chopped straw. Its like an ice rink - the bedding slides around dreadfully. One of the dogs ran in and skidded straight into the wall across the length of the box. If your cow mats have a flat side and a ridged side, use the ridged side!

 

[Chico Mio]

Mine are definitely pretty heavily treaded rubber - the ridges are about 5mm high and about an inch wide, they run in a V shape pointing to the middle of the mat. I shall be using shavings too.

 

[Donkeymad]

A lot more cow mats are non-slip these days, as cows slipping can be costly to farmers.