# Stall flooring and bedding solution



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Does it hurt the horse to eat straw? Your horse tore up mats meant for horses? Those are some pretty heavy duty mats!
Is there any way to angle the floor some so that the pee (I assume that is what is making it wet in there) can flow outside?
I used to lease a horse that was in a barn with dirt floors and they were actually great because they DID absorb the excess moisture. However the horses were only in at night. They used PDZ that lime stuff also, to help absorb amonia.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_What about peat moss? It is essentially dirt anyways...._

_My grandparents love it as it does not dry the horses hooves out as much as some sawdust/shavings can._


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

OleHomestead said:


> Also what about keeping paddocks dry?? Right now snow is melted and it's PUDDLES MUDDY MESS! Driving me crazy!!:evil: Any suggestions? Maybe sand or something.It has to be something soft for her to lay on since straw is out of the question for bedding


Enough sand and gravel will help temporarily, but it won't take long before it's all churned back into the mud by those 1000 lbs beasties walking around.

The ideal solution, if you have more $$s than you know what to do with, is to have a professional dig up the paddock and lay a good drainage base and footing like in an arena. Many use Cow Carpet (Cow Carpet Geotextile - US Fabrics) to keep the base from disappearing into dirt.

Normal people like me just wear muck boots and live with the mud during the winter/spring. If you have multiple paddocks, rotating them around will let them drain/dry faster without having constant foot traffic.

Avoid adding any organic matter like straw, however. It does help at the start, but in the long run it retains the water and just makes it take longer to dry out.


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## OleHomestead (Sep 29, 2010)

Doesn't hurt her to eat the straw but she will eat it even if it's soiled *yuck* so I guess it could hurt her right? We aren't in any finacial situation to make such a huge purchase but would of been nice.Thanks for the suggestion.Peat moss I'll have to look into to.The mat wasn't real thick.Just a cheapy I wanted to see if it would work.I'm not sure if I can angle it to drain outside but it is a thought I'll pass on to my husband to see what he thinks about it.Good point on the sand.I guess it's just a grin and deal with the mud.We only have one paddock so no other choice.This is our first year with a horse so I'm gaining knowledge as I go.We raise dairy goats and use to their berry droppings so this is a bigger situation  I just like to keep a nice dry area for my animals to lay down and with Willow it's difficult unless I'm out their cleaning twice a day! UGH!


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_Try a mat that is fairly heavy and thick next time. The ones that need two people to lift. They will be harder for Willow to destroy. Even if you have a mat down in the stall, you should have some kind of bedding over it._

_I meant to say this in my previous post.... Some horses just keep a stall messy, no matter what bedding you put in it. Even if you change the type of bedding, she is going to be a slob. Maybe limit access to the stall just for the night so she doesnt have as much time to make it a mess._


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## csuebele (Oct 25, 2009)

We have the thicker stall mats, as mentioned above that takes two people to move. We cover them with a product call Pro Pick from Long Beach Shaving Co. (don't know what's available in your area), which is basically pine pellets broken up. Over that we put some shavings. This keeps them pretty dry. We do take out the pee spots daily.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I can't imagine a horse hurting a horse mat. They are very heavy and it took some time to cut it with a sawzaw. I would mix some lime in with the dirt and it will firm up. Some horses are just messy especially a pasture horse taht doesn't know how to keep a stall clean. Stay away from sand for fear of colic.
You might also try pellets instead they are firmer and handle differently than shavings. I sometime put them down 1st and shavings over the top


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

You need some thick stall mats. We have 2 in every stall and some under the awning, they're like 5x10 and about an inch thick, VERY heavy and impossible to tear by a horse or human. We need two or three people to carry them, or else we put plyers on them and have 3 people drag them together. No horse I know is going to tear them up.


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## OleHomestead (Sep 29, 2010)

Yep just need good thick mats then. I'm hoping I catch a good deal on some soon.Her stall is 10x10 so wouldn't need many


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## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

This is obvisouly not a stall where you are keeping the animal 24/7. If you want a good floor that is low maintence, pour concrete! This is a shelter or run in shed, not a 24/7 confinement. The concrete will not get muddy and will clean very easily. I don't know how many times i have been lectured about the ill effects of concrete by a horse owner who has their horses standing in a bowl where the floor has slowly been hauled out in the wheelbarrow. Lets see, nice flat dry surface, or standing in a wet bowl. hmmmm.


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