Stinky rubber mats and stable on a slope!

[fairyclare]

What to do?
My stable is 12ft x 15ft and on a slight incline so all the wee runs to the front, I have mats covering most of the floor, just a 3ft gap at the back which is covered in bedding.
I recently changed from shavings to straw which has made the problem of the wee coming out the door even worse, the straw is very thick so its not a case of not enough bed, also, it used to happen when I was on shavings, not quite so quickly though.
I lift the front mats and disinfect underneath them atleast once a week but within 1 night there is a pool of wee collected under the front and seeping out of the door by the morning.
I am going to try and stick some form of mastick stuff along the bottom of the front wall to stop it coming out under the wall, but what else can I do??
I hate the sight and smell of the wee on the yard, and am forever washing it down (no1 else on the yard is that bothered!)
They are the really heavy 6ft x 4ft 18mm hard rubber mats, I'd like some nice lightweight EVA mats but it will cost £400 + to mat my big stable.

Any idea's? Things I can try etc??

Many thanks xx

 

[Guinness]

Personally I dont think straw and rubber mats work, straw isnt really that absorbant. Can you try putting shavings under your straw to soak up all the wee? Also, I wouldnt try and stop it running out of the door, you dont really want it collecting in the stable-at least its draining well!

 

[fairyclare]

You do have a point!
Only thing with it not running out the stable is it doesn't smell whilst its under the front mat.

I hate straw, but with the price of shavings at the moment it makes it slightly more appealing, but I think i'm going to have to swallow the cost and go back on shavings, I think I either need to mat the remaining 3ft of floor and take a few mats out so there is a bigger surface area to absorb the wee.
Half the trouble at the moment is that when Lia wee's it runs down under the mats (she wee's right on the edge of the last mat so there isn't really any way it can be absorbed, its just running straight down under the mats)

Apart from the benifits of being kinder on the horses joints than concrete, I hate rubber mats!!!!

 

[Guinness]

Can you not deep litter on the rubber mats? I do this and seems to work fine and dont use that much shavings either.

 

[fairyclare]

Yes I could do, probably will do actually!

I think I am going mat the remaining bit of floor and go back on to shavings.

Thanks Gigglepig

 

[the watcher]

I have deep littered with shavings or chopped rape straw on rubber mats - problem solved

 

[Chico Mio]

Why has her bed not got mats under it? I would move the mats to the rear, leaving the metre at the front bare. Bed her on pellets/shavings - she won't need so much bed on the mats. The wee will run off the mats to the front (no mats for it to get under). Move the slightly soiled bedding to the front regularly to absorb the wee, topping up bed with clean stuff. All the wee will run into the shavings/pellet on the bare floor, where it will be easy to shovel up. I do this but without the mats, as I deep litter his bed at the back of the box.

If this doesn't seem too coherent, I can try and explain better

 

[fairyclare]

ChicMio, there is no mats on the back 3ft as I didn't have enough mats to go back that far, she spends most of her time standing at the front of her stable as her haybar is at the front and she likes to eat her hay looking out of the stable, plus her bed is always think enough that she never goes through to the floor, also, she is a very tidy horse, never kickes her bed up or rolls around, just lays her body on the bed, legs on the mats (always has done this even with a bigger bed)

The wee runs uner the mats, i'd rather it did that than run over the top as then she'd have to stand in the wee, which she wouldn't like.
I do put wood pellets under the front mat in the little gully that the wee colletcs in so it is easier to sweep up and chuck out.

 

[Chico Mio]

I understood that there were no mats at the back, I just thought if the bare bit was at the front it would be easier as that's the way it slopes and the wee would run off the mats rather than getting stuck underneath. I see you have it set up so she stands on the mats most of the time - I wasn't criticising the lack of mats under her bed, just wondering why she stood on them rather than sleeping on them (which would save bedding). You have now explained why you prefer it that way round, you're probably right, more mats is going to be your way out, don't they love costing us money??

 

[wipeout]

I haved moved my mats and bed round so the bed goes from front to back of stable on the left hand side and the area from front to back on the right is just mats.

Might this be an option?

I also moved the haynet and water bucket around and after a few nights of changing it found a position where horse has to move around less to get to everything and so is much less messy!

 

[fairyclare]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to write my last reply as if you were stupid *note to self, read reply as if you reading it on the forum* lol

I do see what you mean, and that may well be an option.

Wipeout, Owing to the shape of my stable there really is only 1 way I can have it layed out, the door is right in the middle and her hay bar is in 1 corner and her manger and water bucket is in the opposite corner.

They sure do like to be shure the bank account is at a constant empty state don't they!

 

[SpottedCat]

Seal the mats in - my quattro mats were sealed in when they delivered and fitted them and it totally solves this problem. Only issue you will then have is the wee pooling behind the matting, so you will need something absorbant behind the mats under the straw - but a scattering of shavings should do it.

Have a look at this (scroll down for matbond) - it looks like black silicone sealant (like you use in bathrooms) when it is fitted and nothing has got under my mats at all. A stanley knive is all you need to free them if you want to move them. I would not have unsealed mats again, they stink no matter what you use in my experience!

http://www.quattro.org.uk/equine/#matbond

 

[fairyclare]

Thanks Spottedcat, I have sent them an email asking about prices and how much is needed for a stable the size of mine.

I have decided the straw has got to go, I can't be doing with the smell!

 

[amberleystar]

Straw is always smelly. I use rubber mats with wood pellet bedding and it works really well. I also use Bio Fresh which is liquid you mix with water and spray on the mats and bedding and is brilliant at stopping any ammonia smells. Its made by Biotal and I got mine online and it comes with a big sprayer - wonderful stuff and smells nice too, and when it comes to digging out wet, I spray some in the air and it stops the wee smell sticking to your clothes. Though I must say the wood pellet bedding is also excellent and not at all smelly and it only smells when I dig up the wet and that is only once or twice per week.