Horse stall mats are getting to be ever more well-liked, because of to the positive aspects they provide in excess of other stall floor surfaces:
Yielding. The classic concrete flooring is quite tough. Unless of course you give a thick layer of bedding, this hardness can stress joints, probably injure toes, and cause sore details the place the horse lays down to rest or slumber. Mats offer a softer and far more yielding floor which is a lot more cozy for horses and much less very likely to consequence in influence anxiety injuries.
Warmth. The materials utilised to make horse stall mats are naturally insulating. This is both a lot more cozy and much healthier for horses, specially in wintertime.
Traction. Ultimate mats and picket flooring can be slippery when moist mats provide far better traction and lessen this chance to horses.
Sleek. Many mats have a easy area, which is much less difficult to clean than concrete or wood surfaces.
Sterilization. Stall mats can be effortlessly sterilized with a disinfectant, which is hard with absorbent surfaces this sort of as wooden or earth. Specifically in the situation of a horse contraction a contagious illness, the capability to sterilize the stall flooring is important.
Drainage. As opposed to concrete, mats permit urine to drain off. Generally this happens at the joints amongst mats, although a few types of mats let the urine to drain by means of the mat alone.
Bedding. Several homeowners discover that significantly less bedding is essential with stall mats, partly since the mats perform the perform of bedding (insulation, soft and relaxed surface, shock absorption, traction) and partly simply because the capacity to drain off urine implies that significantly less bedding is soiled. This will save not only on bedding charges, but also in terms of the time and funds associated with stall cleaning.
A mat floor can be laid on best of any tough, non-moving surface these kinds of as concrete, asphalt and wood floors. As these kinds of, mats are more a floor masking, fairly than a stand-by itself ground. Some mats (the thicker and more robust types) can also be laid on compacted stone, presented that that stones do not exceed a specified dimension (big stones can lead to bumps or even tears in the mats). Gentle surfaces, this kind of as earth or sand, are unsuitable as they can move below the mats, resulting in depressions in the mats. At some point, this can guide to separations in between the mats or even tearing of the mats.
Stall mats fluctuate in types, top quality and efficiency attributes. Consequently, selecting a stall mat for individual specifications calls for consideration of a variety of variables. The critical variances in between various stall mats are in terms of:
Materials. The most frequently utilized substance is rubber, although there are distinct kinds and attributes of rubber employed (largely dependent on maker). There are also non-rubber mats, manufactured out of high-tech resources these kinds of as EVA. High good quality rubber tends to be much more pricey, but is much more resilient. High-tech resources this sort of as EVA tend to have considerably distinct overall performance qualities (e.g. a lot more shock absorbent) and are likely to be lighter for a provided measurement.
Measurement. Mats typically differ in measurement from about 30cm sq. (a square foot) to about two sq. meters (three sq. yards). Nevertheless, we have seen mats up to 12 feet by twelve feet (practically 4 meters by 4 meters), designed to protect an entire stall with a one piece (which weighs 600 kilos or almost 300kg). Massive mats are heavier (the larger ones bodyweight one hundred Kg. or two hundred pounds every single) which make placement more difficult. Nonetheless, their bodyweight and measurement is an benefit in that it makes them significantly less most likely to go after put in location and also considerably less most likely for edges or corners to curl up. Smaller sized mats are less difficult to operate with. In the event of a tear or other harm, it is cheaper to substitute a little mat than a big one.
Thickness. The thickness may differ from about one centimeter to above two centimeters. Thicker mats have 4 advantages: are inclined to be far more sturdy, are less probably for the edges to curl, considerably less likely for the mats to go, thickness is usually an indicator of good quality. Nevertheless, as thickness boosts, so do equally value and fat.
Excess weight. The excess weight depends on the type of substance (EVA is much lighter then rubber) and the thickness of the mat. Large mats are far more most likely to stay in area, whereas lighter mats are hassle-free if you are frequently travelling with your horse (e.g. between horse displays and competitions) and like to just take a transportable mat with you. One particular of the benefits of a mat manufactured from EVA instead of rubber is that it weighs only about a quarter as much as rubber, so is more appropriate if you want to move it usually.
Interlocking. Some mats interlock, even though other people have straight edges and rely merely on their fat to keep them in area. All else currently being the identical (measurement, weight, thickness), the interlocking mats remain in location greater and are much significantly less likely for edges to carry. Some mats are designer to lock and unlock effortlessly (for easy transportation if you shift locations with your horse frequently) although other individuals are developed to lock firmly in area (producing transport more difficult, but offering much better performance in static installations).
Top quality. Like any item, good quality differs. A prolonged guarantee (5 to ten many years) is an indication of top quality. Thicker mats are usually of greater high quality than thin ones. Presented two rubber mats of the same size, if one particular is significantly heavier it is most likely of much better good quality (the lighter one particular is possibly not pure rubber, but alternatively rubber combined with inferior and lighter materials). None of these is an absolute mark of good quality, but generally they are great indications. It is also value checking if the producer has a popularity for creating good quality goods. Also question if the rubber has be revulcanized (which is very good) or if the rubber has been bound with urethane glue (decrease quality).
Permeable. The mats must not be permeable, which is to say that urine need to not be able to enter the floor of the mat. If the materials or generation techniques are of reduced high quality, the mats may be partly permeable, resulting in urine moving into the mat and producing odours.
Porous. Some mats are porous, enabling urine to grain by means of. Nonetheless, the greater part are not porous, even though urine can drain via the joins the place the mats meet. With scaled-down mats, there are much more joins, so the urine tends to operate by means of much more. This can either be an gain or a drawback (see discussion beneath).
Flat, grooved or footed bottom. Numerous mats have flat bottoms. With flat bottoms, any urine that receives under the mats (for instance, draining via at the joints between mats) can be trapped there. If you have a permeable area below the mats (e.g. compacted stone) this may possibly not be an problem, but if you have a non-permeable surface (e.g. concrete) beneath the mats, you do not want to have trapped urine releasing ammonia and odours. With groves or toes, such urine might be able to drain off (whether or not this transpires in practice will depend on variables these kinds of as the slope of the fundamental floor and no matter whether there are dips in the fundamental area).
Moveable. Some mats are designer to be portable, others are not. Factors to assess when considering portability contain: excess weight, dimensions, capacity to roll up. If they are interlocking, check out that they can be locked and unlocked simply and without particular tools.
Reversible. Some stall mats have a prime aspect and a base side, although other folks can be reversed (flipped more than). The edge of the latter is that when 1 aspect demonstrates wear, you can flip them more than to extent the lifespan.
Flat or textured leading. Some mats have a flat and sleek top, while other folks have a textured prime. Sleek tops are easier to thoroughly clean (the groves or bumps on textured mats tend to lure filth), although textured tops provide horses with greater traction. Some folks buy mats with a grooved bottom and then flip them over so that the grooved facet is up this is notably completed for substantial-visitors locations these kinds of as corridors or washing regions (the place the h2o and soap would otherwise create a slippery surface).
Cut to in shape. Stall mats come in a wonderful selection of sizes. Nevertheless, to get a close match, you may need to have to lower the mats. In this circumstance, just before acquiring the mats, examine that they are created to enable this.
Price. Prices range, but as a rough sign seem at twenty-40 euros for each square meter.
For images of distinct sorts (interlocking, textured), see horse floor mats.
Drainage
If the urine drains through the mats rather than resting on prime of them, the amount of bedding which is dirty is greatly reduced. This lowers the quantity of time essential to thoroughly clean the stall, decreases the volume of substitution bedding necessary, and minimizes the sum of storage room necessary for soiled bedding.
Though all of these are important positive aspects, one particular must take into account what occurs to the urine right after it has drained through the mats. If the area underneath has great drainage (e.g. thick layer of crushed stone), then the urine can drain off. However, if the area beneath is impermeable (e.g. concrete), then the urine just builds up underneath the mats, exactly where it can release ammonia into the air (which is unhealthy for horses stabled there, in certain for their lungs) and produce unpleasant smells. Even though one particular could from time to time raise up the mats and thoroughly clean underneath them, the truth remains the cleaning urine under the mats is much more hard than cleaning urine on leading of them.
For that reason, dependent on the fundamental flooring area you could favor that urine drains through, or you may possibly desire that it does not. Dependent on your preference, you must selected mats appropriately: modest mats drain a lot more than larges kinds (joins are nearer jointly and there are far more of them), straight edge mats drain a lot more than interlocking, porous mats drain a lot more than non-porous.
If you make a decision to use mats that effortlessly let urine to drain by way of, you need to think about the adhering to:
Decide on a mat with grooved or footed bottoms, so that the urine can circulation off relatively than becoming trapped.
Consider to have a ground with good drainage. If this is not attainable, enable the urine to run off by employing a ground which is flat (no dips exactly where urine can pool), sleek (so that liquids run easily) and with a slant so that liquids run off.
Take into account selecting mats whose style and fat permit them to be effortlessly lifted out, permitting periodical washing down of the ground beneath.
Cleaning
A stall with rubber mats is cleaned out in much the identical way (hay fork and/or shovel) as any other stall. A lot of men and women also periodically use a drinking water hose to wash them down periodically. If the mats have ft or groves beneath, this can also help to flush out urine that has drained via between the joints (see previously mentioned dialogue about drainage).
One particular can also use a force jet. While this is quite powerful, be mindful not to maintain the strain jet quickly in opposition to the mat floor as this may injury the mat (your strain jet guide ought to condition the minimal length to maintain the force jet away from surfaces currently being cleaned).
If your mat have to be definitely clean, other cleansing resources that could be valuable are a scrub brush, soap and disinfectant. Just before employing any chemical merchandise on your mat, just the recommendations presented with your mat to make positive that the chemical will not harm it.
