# Stall mats - new user



## nmc19 (Apr 27, 2015)

The riding/boarding facility that I have been at for close to 36 years is closing at the end of May and I have been searching for a new place to board my horse since late last year. All of the places that I have visited use stall mats in their stalls. This is completely different than what I and my horse are used to - right now she is in a stall that is deeply bedded in shavings (so deep that the sub-floor can't be seen/felt). She is turned out daily, but when in the stall, she can lie down in comfort if she wants to. I notice that all the potential new places that I have visited use a minimal amount of bedding on top of the stall mats - shavings only at the back end of the stalls. I know that stall mats are supposed to be better for horses (easier on the joints, better for respiratory health, etc) and easier for barn maintenance, but will horses lie down on the mats if they are not covered in some of bedding in an adequate amount? I am just wondering if the minimalist approach to bedding with stall mats is normal or am I just not finding the right places? Any help/advice is much appreciated.


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## CaliforniaDreaming (May 8, 2011)

Is it possible for you to get your own shavings to add to the stall if you feel thr barn isn't providing enough? Or would that end up being too much work for anyone cleaning the stalls?

I don't use bedding on my mats at all. Granted, my horses are in large corrals and their shelter has a platform underneath it so they don't have to stand in the mud in the winter rains, they rarely spend time under the shelter and go lie down in the warm sandy spots in their corrals during the day. My gelding won't poo on his mats, but my mare does and it's easier to clean the poo up without bedding since I can just sweep it off and rake it up on the corral ground. I will put bedding down if it rains (which is only in the winter) since I don't want them slipping when they step up to the platform, so I guess I take the super minimalist approach there.


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

My horse has been stalled on dirt, and then on stall mats over gravel with 2-4 inches of bedding, and he's never hesitated to lay down on either even with pasture turnout half of the day. So my guy is happy with them with minimal bedding. n=1.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I have noticed that horses with stall mats and minimum bedding have urine stains on them because they lay down in the wet and they really smell bad. If there is more bedding in the stall they seem to be a lot dryer and don't have as much of the urine stains on them. 
I have never used the stall mats so can't say how well they work. I do know that people like them because the stalls are easier and faster to clean.
For myself, I like more bedding in the stall. When my mare comes in she likes to lay down for a rest and she rarely has stains on her and doesn't stink of urine.
I once rode a horse for someone and this mare was on mats with very little bedding, she always needed a good cleaning and really smelled of urine and so did I when I finished cleaning her.


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## Shosadlbrd (Nov 3, 2013)

I am installing stall mats in my new stalls, but I still plan on bedding it as well as I did the other stalls. The only thing that the mats mean to me is easier to clean and no holes dug in the ground.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I too see so many places with just a tiny amount of bedding. They do it because it's cheaper & faster to clean, two shovel fulls & they're done. I wouldn't board my horse at any place that didn't have the best interests of the horse in mind.
As stated the horses get smelly, dirty wet spots & also are prone to hock sores. 

I use some mats & some stall skins & I still bed very deep. Sure it takes me longer to clean but not that much.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

mats also will get slick without bedding and the horse can slip.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

For a few days I looked after the horses at the place where they had mats and minimal bedding. The mare I rode always smelled so bad because she lay down in the urine. I noticed the other horses didn't smell so bad, but when I was there for a few days caring for them, I found out why. The other horses didn't lay down. I guess they found it slippery to get up or just didn't like having to lay in a puddle of urine.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Yuck!!!

Mats are _not_ my favorite but if you must have them you must.
You better bed that stall though and bed it well in shavings.
Because you put in mats does not mean you cut the expense corner and skimp the shavings. _Not where it concerns my horses nor would they be kept..._

Aside from what others mentioned about slippery and smell of urine....
The urine burn to the skin makes for the horse to be uncomfortable and increases the risk of skin irritation and that = a possible infection brewing.. :-x

Nope, if stalled my horse has a clean bed of dry shavings to pee, poop, lie down on or just take a darn good roll in and be a mess for me to brush them out of mane & tail...
Love my horses, I do I do!! :wink:


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## BrucieB (Apr 29, 2015)

Some stall mats are manufactured to retain warmth and gives the horses great traction. We've found that a lot of stables are using rubber stall mats in addition to shavings, obviously cutting down on the amount of shavings needed without the rubber mats.

The guys at Rubber Flooring | Rubber & Foam Mats | Treadall Inc. have some mats that don't even really have much of that rubber smell!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

BrucieB said:


> Some stall mats are manufactured to retain warmth and gives the horses great traction. We've found that a lot of stables are using rubber stall mats in addition to shavings, obviously cutting down on the amount of shavings needed without the rubber mats.
> 
> The guys at Rubber Flooring | Rubber & Foam Mats | Treadall Inc. have some mats that don't even really have much of that rubber smell!


_I looked at that site....not a price to be seen.:sad:
Nothing special did I see when looking at their product over anyone else I researched on the market in the past....:???:
Their mats look no different, nor blurb written read very different to me than the ones I can purchase local at Tractor Supply or most farm stores. __:???: :shock: 
I will save my money.......
_
So.....
_I stand behind this from my previous comment..._
The urine burn to the skin makes for the horse to be uncomfortable and increases the risk of skin irritation and that = a possible infection brewing.. :-x

As soon as you do rubber mats, you decrease drainage because of the material...sorry mats _don't_ drain off urine like it would into soil...
So the urine can and it does pool if not absorbed by adequate shavings on the floor....
Those barns that do mats and then skimp the shavings, I refer to those that bed half the stall floor_ {usually the back half} _in 2" - 3" of bedding...
_I will gladly refill a "pee hole" when or if necessary..._

Add the smell of urine now trapped under the mat and fermenting...having to strip the stall, remove the mats, clean and disinfect the mats, the stall base and then "remake" the stall to liveable and habitable...
Can't convince me it is cost effective, softer and better than a well-bedded stall...
My horses quickly tell me what kind of stall they prefer and I have the luxury of giving them what they want....
_I *love *having my own place and having the ability to do what I want for my horses.:wink:_

_jmo..._


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I've lifted rubber mats that were down for over 6 years, never picked up during that time. No smell at all, nothing funky growing, the ground looked the same as when they were put down. These were mats with only one center seam & perfectly fitted to the stalls. 
They only reason I removed them was to install a permeable stall covering due to throwing out so many shavings due to the wet spots.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

natisha... all I can say is you are very lucky as I have had the stink, stench and grossness when lifting some mats. YUCK!!!
I guess it has to do with better stall prep done......IDK.

But with your removal and replacing with a product that will now allow better drainage....well, that was and is the issue at hand we all face with horses and stalls.

_"Keeping our horses dry and comfy, less odors and a cleaner environment."_
:wink:


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I think another really good reason to use adequate bedding, preferably on top of a permeable material, or just river sand and no concrete slab etc, is that manufactured rubber and most "cushy" plastic contains volatile additives that will end up in the bloodstreams of anyone breathing it in, horse or person. Think "sick building syndrome."

Of course, I also personally avoid lock-up stables for horses. I think it's better for them to free range with equine company on suitable pasture or at least on an extensive lot. In those situations, walk-in-walk-out shelters or rugging in cold, wet, windy weather are fine for keeping horses happy. No stable vices, less colic, less behavioural issues, better quality of life...


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