# Horse stall mats



## horselover665544 (Nov 29, 2015)

The place I board my horse at has a huge hole in the middle of the stalls. It's a 10x12 stall. I was wondering how big the stall mat needs to be? Also what is the cheapest way to buy these mats? Would buying more then one small mat be cheaper? Or how should I do this?


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

The barn owner needs to fill in the hole with something substantial like sand or limestone crush before your put mats down


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Glad to see you are investigating some ideas and solutions you can do...

So, if there is a hole you need to fill it in, pack the fill tightly and then put mats over it.
Honestly, if it was me doing the stall with mats I would not even consider only a mat but cover the entire stall floor is needed.
Mats can shift around from the horse walking on them....
If you cover the floor space, there will be minimal movement and maximum protection...
Holes are made because your horse urinates in one spot,.....then dug out and the depth of that pee spot gets deeper and deeper.
Mats are not cheap nor are they terribly expensive either.
Sometimes you can buy them used....watch your local Craigslist {Farm & Garden section}
I have bought some at Tractor Supply near my home....they come in 2 sizes, thickness and of course price.
Depending upon which mat you pick would depend upon how many you would need to purchase if you did the entire floor of the stall.
If money is tight....just do the pee spot with dirt.
Fill it, pack it tight then bed the stall well.
Clean it as needed.
The secret though is if enough bedding is in the stall it will absorb the urine and less "base" {dirt} will be dug out.
I use fine wood shavings nothing else as these are most absorbent I discovered. Horse animal bedding approved, baled and packaged or loose from a reputable source.
I am not a fan of pelleted bedding, I prefer wood shavings. My horses also do not try to eat the pellets as I have seen happen.
I use pulverized lime on wet spots, cover that spot carefully and sparingly with it and then pull the bedding back in place. Keeps the stench to a minimum...I have also NEVER had a burn from lime occur and it is cheap to buy...like $3.00 for 40 pounds is enough for probably a year or more.

Personally, I would be concerned with mat shift and travel to only use one.
I would either do the entire stall or not use one at all...
Oh... get yourself on the mailing list for Tractor Supply {online site}. You will be sent coupons regularly with discounts that can save quite a bit of money!!
Good luck.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


----------



## horselover665544 (Nov 29, 2015)

walkinthewalk said:


> The barn owner needs to fill in the hole with something substantial like sand or limestone crush before your put mats down




The barn owner is never going to do that. She doesn't care at all.


----------



## horselover665544 (Nov 29, 2015)

horselovinguy said:


> Glad to see you are investigating some ideas and solutions you can do...
> 
> So, if there is a hole you need to fill it in, pack the fill tightly and then put mats over it.
> Honestly, if it was me doing the stall with mats I would not even consider only a mat but cover the entire stall floor is needed.
> ...



I'm on a tight budget when it comes to filling up the hole. What would you recommend the cheapest but most effective method be?


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

You know that arena you mentioned is in bad shape...
Usually right next to or under a fence/wall is heaped soft dirt...
Wheelbarrow, shovel, sweat and muscle power...
If there is grass scrape it off or dig below it to the dirt line...
Do not dig deep but along the ground and take the crest off of that berm....
Several "free" wheelbarrow loads of dirt put in that hole...between each layer of dirt dumped you pack it as tight as you can with a tamper, your feet, a pipe or shovel handle so it takes the air out and solidifies that ground as best you can...
Adding a _small amount_ of moisture {water} can also help pack dirt...
Free dirt costs nothing but muscle power.
I see "0" reason to spend money when you have what you need readily available.
I would not add anything that would take away the porous nature of the dirt as it is...you want that pee spot to drain not hold the water or make the hole a bigger mess expanding looking to seep away...
You may get some mixing of dirt and shavings....why having a deep enough shavings bed is important.
Over time as the horse urinates and walks across that spot you will need to re-fill and pack the indentation to level again....
_Nothing _with horses is easy labor.
They _*are*_ a labor of love....literally, figuratively and we as owners will do whatever we must to make them most comfortable.
Wear good fitting work gloves so you hopefully _not_ get blisters when doing this kind of work....
:runninghorse2:... 
_jmo..._


----------



## horselover665544 (Nov 29, 2015)

horselovinguy said:


> You know that arena you mentioned is in bad shape...
> Usually right next to or under a fence/wall is heaped soft dirt...
> Wheelbarrow, shovel, sweat and muscle power...
> If there is grass scrape it off or dig below it to the dirt line...
> ...



Thank you so much! That was very helpful!!


----------

