Rubber flooring for stables

[morris]

Just wondered if anyone uses or has used rubber flooring and if so comments would be appreciated. Trying to cut down on time throughout the winter months and thought this may help with the mucking out. Just a thought!

[anna85]

Yup all our boxes have rubber matting and we wouldn't be without it to be honest. We muck out 15 every day at the moment and its a god send as a time saver plus there is no more lying on cold concrete and its really low maintenance.

[hannahjsheldon]

Yes we have rubber too! We still put a small shavings bed down, and have banks up the side, but it definitely cuts costs and saves time. I wouldn't be without it. It's so much more comfortable for the horses, although it does get a bit more smelly and rugs need washing more often.

[flintfootfilly]

I've got equimats, which I really like as they are good thick mats which insulate well against the cold of the floor and provide good padding. I tend not to use any bedding on them, because the ponies have their hay and water outside the stables, so tend to wee and do droppings out there, which keeps the stable pretty clean. But if I have to shut them in their stables for any length of time, I'd need to put a thin layer of shavings or something down - it would get yukky, wet and slippery in no time otherwise. Even if I wasn't yarding them now, I'd still opt for having rubber matting and just a little bedding. Definitely cuts down on the workload and on the bulk of mucking out, plus reducing dust too.

I like the equimats as well because of the way they fit together like a jigsaw. They are easy enough to take apart if I ever needed to move them (though it would be a bit of a cumbersome job), but because they knit together they don't slip around at all.

Have had some of the matting for a good 3 or 4 years now and it's not really showing any signs of wear.

Sarah

[mickey]

I have rubber matting for all my boys and wouldnt be without, especially with Mickey on box rest!!! It takes 10 mins max to muck out and means that Im not spending a fortune on bedding as mickey and yeti are both vile.
I bought a couple of cheap mats (£25) and have banks. It does mean they need taking up occasionally which is a revolting job BUT the time it saves is a god send. Plus its better for their joints. I also use shavings- a bale lasts over a week though I am tight!!!
Rugs do get disgusting so in winter I dont change from turnouts.

[harveydales]

I've had thick black rubber mats for over 7 years now and they are still doing fine. Can't remember the make. They certainly make life a lot easier and must be better for the horse. How successsful they are does depend on the drainage your stables have. The better the drainage, the less bedding you have to use and the less smelly. I wouldn't be without rubber mats now.

[jet]

I put mats down for my lot but I'm afraid I still put quite a lot of shavings down. Defeating the object really but I still like to see a fairly deep bed. I have to lift them occasionally as the wet still seeps through but I don't get any smell like I did before the mats went down. Wouldn't be without them now though and I still don't use anywhere near as many shavings as I use to even though I still have reasonably deep beds.

[loopylou]

Brilliant stuff, this was the first winter just gone that i used it, and it really did cut down the amount of time spent mucking out. I use a small amount of easybed (as this is heavy than shaves, so does get kicked around to much). in the middle of the stable as this is where Jasper decided he liked to wee and that was that really.
Would recommend it any day

[kaz]

I have "Horse Comfort" mats down with a very small amout of shavings. They are nice and thick and spongey and light to lift and move. I lift them once or twice a year to clean underneath but they are great, save so much time mucking out and you use much less shavings. As long as your stables are well drained they are a great idea.

[akehurstannabel]

I gave up on my heavy black mats and sold them because they were so difficult to move and clean underneath. I also found them very slippery if the air was damp! They were real old style oones though. I had limited success duck taping the joins but went back to a normal bed in the end.......However my friend bought equimats and I used to be able to lift the whole floor still joined, lean it against the wall and pressure wash the floor once a week which was great and kept it nice and fresh. They were much softer than my black once as well. Also I am pretty sure I saw them on special at derby house recently.

[shaklana]

my equimats are 13years old now. i'm on diy livery and i'm so pleased i chose these lightweight, self-retaining mats which have been easily moved and re-laid into various stables on 4 different yards. got the neds trained to poo on a small area of shavings in a corner and wait to go out to pee. mucking out is sooooo easy!

[morris]

Thanks for all the info. Will certainly take it a step further and start looking at various types.

[dalesponyrider]

How did you train them to do that Shaklana?

[khristyne]

Yes Linda, I want to know that too!!!

[jay]

My boys have a field shelter with a sand area to the side which is fenced off so I can keep them off our limited grazing when needed. I've got rubber mats in there and only use a 'token' sprinkling of shavings. They've saved me a lot of money.

Luckily the boys take themselves out to the sand to pee and poo...makes mucking out much easier! I like the fact that they can stay together and have an area to walk around in.