# preparing a cement floor stall to move in



## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

A few ideas:

*Rubber stall mats* 
Pros: they provide good cushion for the legs and can be taken with you fairly easily also insulates from the cold floor
Cons: they are heavy to move if you want to clean beneath them and are expensive to do the entire stall with

*Sand*
Pros: relatively inexpensive and easy to separate out solid waste for cleaning, does provide some cushion to joints
Cons: not absorbent and takes on the cold in the winter months

*Shavings*
Pros: easy to get, absorbent, insulates against cold floor and provides some cushion.
Cons: expensive to do a complete clean out a couple of days a week (if you use the bag types) when the horse is spending a lot of time there, a thick amount is needed to provide significant cushion. 

We have hard gravel base under old Ghost's stall and put down about a 6" layer of sand, topped with about 4" of shavings; He seems to like it.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I'd go with rubber mats, well fitted to the stall so they can't shift, therefore no need to clean under them-once & done. Deep shavings will hold urine so no pooling can occur.
If you move the mats go with you.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

About rubber mats. 

Would doubling (2 layers) have any advantage?

Are there different types? 

So maybe a softer/cushier/springier one on bottom, topped with a harder/firmer one.

Also, are there any available that one single piece would cover then stall floor?

I asked because I replaced the roof on the large porch of my house trailer with a single piece of rubber. However, it was very thin and tore easily. There was a tear just from the handyman walking on it.


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

I've never used mats, but found this site that has every type and size imaginable. 

Horse Mats - Horse Flooring, Animal and Dog Flooring : Greatmats


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

anndankev said:


> About rubber mats.
> 
> Would doubling (2 layers) have any advantage?
> 
> ...


I have 1"Linear Rubber mats, some are 30 years old & still in great shape. There are 2 pieces per stall, anything bigger would be too heavy to move.

Lots of places sell 4' X 6' mats which can be easily cut to fix stall dimensions.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

It looks like doubling up would be price prohibiting. LOL

Only found one that is 1" thick (it is in 4x6 pieces: 1 inch Horse Stall Tiles - Equine Floor Mats. Seems very expensive.

Found a 'foaling mat' claimed to be extra cushioning with waffling on the bottom, 3/4" in 4x6 interlocking pieces. On sale $274 for an 8x12 stall kit: Foaling Stall Mats - Interlocking Foaling Mats for Horse Stalls . Looks affordable. Wondering about shipping though.

Then there is this 3/4" in 4x6 pieces, with nice draining channels underneath: "Horse Stall Mat" Heavy-Duty Rubber Mat


Have used broken aggregate conveyor belting in the past, which have dug out of quarry junk piles myself. Still have some of it, a line up of 12' long pieces goes down the center of the dirt aisle at Daughter's leased facility now. That is all that is left of it.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

If you can find some good mats, it will be just fine to keep him on concrete. 

I also like to put down lots of shavings, so that there is something there to absorb urine. Then you'll have to lift/clean under your mats less often.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

anndankev said:


> It looks like doubling up would be price prohibiting. LOL
> 
> Only found one that is 1" thick (it is in 4x6 pieces: 1 inch Horse Stall Tiles - Equine Floor Mats. Seems very expensive.
> 
> ...


I boarded at a place that used conveyor belting in stalls. My horse got a leg caught under it while sleeping & broke her leg in the struggle. She turned out fine but I'd never take that chance again.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

4' x 6' x 3/4" stall mats + pine shavings is the standard around here.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Thank you everyone. I need to get in there, measure and find some locally or order them asap. I'm kind of liking the waffle bottom ones due to their claim of extra cushioning, along with Chief's history of injury.

And Natisha, about the belting. I never had a horse hurt by them but have a lot of trouble otherwise. They have been a good value in the past, though now most quarries have an employee who gets and sells it.

It came in narrow or thin widths, and either could be thin or thicker. If there were staples from previous repairs they had to be cut around. And they seemed to shift a lot, or even curl.

However, when I was a young gal I could take a thermos of coffee, a dozen doughnuts, let my hair down long, and wear my best fitting jeans - and the men there would load it in my truck and everything. LOL


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

If you were willing to go with a double layer of rubber mats (which I agree is not the best idea) you might consider rubber pavers. Some of the better ones are fairly thick.

I don't know how much extra protection they would provide for your situation, but they are used in some high-end barns. Plus, they look really nice. 

For a single stall, the cost might not be too bad.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

The 1 inch thick 4x6 ones I found here: 1 inch Horse Stall Tiles - Equine Floor Mats

look a lot like pavers, Is that what you are talking about?










Oh boy, I found the pavers from the same site. 2'x2' squares, the 1&3/4 thick ones at $35.96 per tile !! Paver Tiles - East Coast - Rubber Ratio Pavers

As it happens, I will not be going into the cement stall. At least not at first. I will be going to one of the self-board stalls, as one of those boarders will be leaving at the end of the month making a stall available. At the same time someone is interested in moving in for full board and will get the cement stall in the barn.

The facility has an old barn with 11 stalls, a shedrow behind the barn with 4 stalls, and a large indoor arena with 6 stalls along one short end.

Those 6 stalls are the ones available for self-boarding. So now instead of matting a cement floor immediately, I need to mat a dirt floor.

I'll get my son to help level it and just get the regular type mats available at TSC or Rural King. The stall is almost 10 ft wide x well over 12' deep.

I've boarded before at a place where the stalls lined an indoor arena and hated the dust, also hated that the riding area was right up next to the stalls.

At least here the horses are turned out as much as possible. Weather and ground conditions permitting they are just brought in twice a day for hard feeding and turned right back out. Day and night. With summer coming on that should be good. 

Also they (daughter and son) put up a barrier wall providing a nice wide aisle in front of the stalls, and keeping the riders well away.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

I see that the pavers are no longer necessary. To answer your questions...

Based on the photos (small) it looks like those are similar to what I was thinking. That pricing seems way out of whack. (edit: the cost at that link is $8.99/sq ft. The $35.96 is for 4 sq ft. Still expensive, but it can be done for less).

There are some on the BarnPros website that go for just under $7/square foot. Those are the highest price I have seen, but they also seem to be "high end" tiles.

I have seen some "dog bone" shaped tiles on many websites. They look to be $5-6/sq foot. Maybe cheaper (I didn't look to hard at pricing because I decided to go another direction).


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

The info is very useful whether the horse in the stall belongs to me or not.

Thanks


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

PaintHorseMares said:


> 4' x 6' x 3/4" stall mats + pine shavings is the standard around here.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


That's what I have in my stalls.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

If you have a dirt floor that is packed already you don't need mats honestly....
You will bed the stall with shavings.... a 12x12 box will take 3-4 bags of shavings {depends upon cubic foot of the bag} to give you a plump cushioning across the entire floor surface.
Cleaned daily of manure & urine there is _no need_ to strip a stall and incur the cost of labor {your back} or new shavings completely replaced.
I've mucked thousands of stalls during my lifetime, literally.
Never, ever did I strip just to strip a stall without a good reason.
_Cleaned properly_, even with a dirty horse kept in for 20 of 24 hours a day it is not needed.
What is needed is a good cleaning and replacing of bedding either daily, once a week or twice a week as needed...lightens the color and fluffs the bedding and if you know how to do it, bank new and pull down and in a small amount daily and always have a really nice looking clean stall...

Save the money you were going to spend on mats for now..._truly, you don't need them if on dirt flooring._

For shavings I prefer fine flake and or medium flake combined.
If doing 4 bags I do 2 fine and 2 medium....
I do _*not*_ like large flake as I find them not as absorbent and actually more thrown away with cleaning.
Not dusty if that is a concern either and they smell so good when top-dressing your stall with them. 
If loose shavings are what the barn has, 2 _*huge*_ oversized wheelbarrows of them and then add as needed... harder to gauge how much you are putting in but you will know in a few days time if the amount is right or needs tweaking of more or less for your guy.:wink:
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Gosh, I really like your your post HLGuy. I also do not strip my stalls, rather keep them very clean and go through, fluffing and turning it all daily. 

The bulk bedding available seems to get 'heavy' and pack down, so I add fine and medium bagged shavings to it to keep it lighter to handle, and 'softer' for the horse.

Chief has been in one stall for 2&1/2 years and I have never stripped it. It still looks nicer than the others (this is at the barn I am moving away from). There is only 1 other person who cleans their stall daily, the rest go 2-3 days or even a week. These are stalls with a great base of limestone findings over clay (I think), level, with mats on top. The aisle however is cement, which I do not like.

The self-board stall, with dirt floor, I will be moving into has not been leveled. So I want to do that. I also like mats on dirt floors as is seems easier to me, I can tell the bottom easier, else I tend to dig out wet spots too deep, thereby creating new holes. LOL

I discovered last night that Cashman's is having a sale on 6 x 4 x 3/4 mats for $19.99 each. For the entire month of April, a 'limited supply' though, so I suppose they will be gone this late in the month. 

Going to TRY to get my son to take me there with daughter's truck today. Wish me luck.



P.S. Cashmans ad also says they have rolled rubber in 2', 3', 4' and 6' widths, I will be checking that out. Doesn't say the thickness. If I can afford it, I will get some for daughter's 2 cement stalls. One 11 ft length each of 4ft and 6 ft should do each stall, and they can be taken with her if she moves away, so not something she would have to leave behind like a permanent improvement.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

If Tractor Supply is in your area....
_http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rubber-mat-black-4-ft-x-6-ft?cm_vc=-10005_

OK...so in the past if I had proof by a printed ad or stores online sales ad Tractor Supply by me would match the price on identical items.
Not sure how that works with stall mats..but can't hurt to ask.

TS also puts these on sale for that same price or for $24.99.
They have 2 different sizes at the store by me.
The "cheaper" mats are same quality, they may be a smaller size or not quite as thick but thy are more than adequate and last in a stall setting.
I have the smaller size under my stall feeders as my horses search for any morsel they may have dropped {not likely}....
I also have the larger size under my barn where my horses eat their hay so not as much sand do they ingest {I hope}...4 mats that make up 2 8'x6' squares they normally can keep their hay on...
These mats are heavy and don't easily move.
I have actually back-bladed with my tractor under my barn overhang where they are and they did not budge an inch with the bucket going over them...:wink:

_BTW...I don't have my stalls matted. 
I am on dirt floors with just shavings and have "0" issue keeping my stalls neat, clean and smelling fresh._
:runninghorse2:...


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Yes, we do have TSC in this area. I am a frequent customer LOL.

Yes, my son did take me to Cashmans, Giant inventory, very rural setting. I did get enough 4'x6'x3/4" mats to do 3 stalls (intentions are to cover the 2 cement stalls for my daughter, plus whatever stall I end up getting).

Inquired about the rolled rubber, too thin for stalls, 1/4". Many people use it in the aisles, he said. About $100 for a 22' roll of 2 or 3' wide. Didn't price the 6' wide rolls. Did not get any, the old conveyor belting from the quarries was sometimes thicker than that. Besides spent all the money I could that day on mats.

My old BO did give me some worn out stall mats, soft, with cracks or holes. No doubt daughter and son will find a good use for them, too.

Supposedly moving Chief tomorrow.


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