Stall Mats - Which Kind?

[MikePA]

There are at least two types of stall mats and the manufacturers claim each to be the best.

1. Solid mats - These claim that the 'right' stall mats keep the urine on top of the mat where it's soaked up by the bedding, then removed when the stalls are cleaned. They claim that when urine is allowed to soak through into what ever is below the mat (ground or a prepared base) creates a cesspool.

2. Mats With Holes - These claim that the 'right' method is for the urine to drain beneath the mat and away from the bedding.

Why am I asking? I put Type 1 mats in the stall I recently dug out (see here) and my wife wants me to put Type 2 mats in the other stall I have to dig out.

I sure don't want to create a 'permanent cesspool' in the other stall! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Who's right? [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

No way on the earth I'd go with #2. You want that urine soaked up by your bedding adn out of there. Imagine leaving a corner of your house open to dirt and peeing there all the time. Even the ground would soak it up it would make it pretty smelly. [img]/forums/images/icons/ooo.gif[/img]

I sure don't baby my horses but no way am I going to make them stand in it like that when they're in a stall. With the shavings they will soak it up and then you can remove it every day and night. When it soaks through it's in the ground permanently and it's not a good health situation either.

[wingnut]

Not that Richard needs an echo ... but I'll echo him anyway. Not only do I find the solid ones much better, but I also but the embossed side down and the smoother side up to make it MUCH easier to clean out the stalls. The Holy" ones are best used to cushion your walking space in the shop!

pete

[MikePA]

Well, I have the second stall dug out and my wife and I had this discussion. [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I finally remembered the mat system her riding instructor recommended (the same system the riding instructor installed in her new barn). It's called Groundmaster. What do you think?

[GERARD]

We're in the process of adding three more stalls. We have the solid rubber in the other stalls, both interlock and non interlock. For the solid 3/4 inch rubber the interlock is far superior to prevent shifting and keeping bedding from getting under the seams. I wouldn't like the idea of urine seeping into the ground with the perforated types, as stated the whole point of bedding is to absorb the urine so you can get rid of it. All that said we're trying a new type of mat that we just saw recently, time will tell if it works. It's a pretty soft expanded foam product made by mixing some chemicals in a form and letting them expand. It's 3 1/2 inches thick and 5 1/2 foot x 6 foot wide. Cuts easily with a reciprocating saw or a handsaw. You can cut the size 1/2 "fat" all around and force it into position so all the seams are right tight up to each other. Oh and each mat only weighs about 20lbs, and only cost $20. ($100 per stall vs $300). The dealer we got them from has them in his horses stalls and they are shod and haven't torn it up which is my only concern going forward. I guess due to the inexpensive cost we were willing to take a chance. Time will tell but it's annother option out there now.......

Mike,

I think they contradict themselves badly. They say, "First of all, with no drainage the urine will pool on the surface, therefore soaking up in your bedding. Besides the excessive ammonia vapors remain in the stall which causes among other things respiratory problems for people and horses. Eventually the edges of the rubber mats can curl allowing the bedding to accumulate under the edges making the floor unleveled, requiring the mats needing to be constantly re-laid to keep level.

The solid flooring also does not allow for the floor to breathe, so the urine that runs down between the cracks stays wet and breeds odor and bacteria. The rubber mats are very heavy and must be taken out frequently to be cleaned properly."

Ok I buy this but where does it go in their system? It just goes into the ground. The urine is still there. With a solid mat system yes the urine is abosbed by the sawdust which is what you want. You don't want it getting into the soil where it can never be gotten out, save stripping the mats and underneath. With the solid mats and the sawdust you take the urine out everyday.

Gerard,

Couldn't agree more with everything you said. I like the idea of your new mats. Do you have a link for that?

[Spitz]

My wife spends a lot of time on a forum called Chronicle of the Horse. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it is very well populated and seems great for all horse-related subjects.

Anyway, there are several threads there about stall mats, with testimonials and links to every supplier you can dream of. We have researched extensively and decided to go with concrete and rubber mats. Not terribly inventive, but it should be durable.

Good luck!

[Justaplain]

Bet you get something started with that post. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Lets face it bedding is the bottom line and cleaning at least daily. A lot depends on the horse, some can wreck a stall even with diapers on, others use one spot and half the bedding others use. Don't keep them so dry that you have to end up packing feet for moisture [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] . Good Luck

[MikePA]

Well, sometimes you have to do things to keep the peace. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

I installed the Groundmaster stall system in the second stall. I finished it up last night. So, I'm running an experiment of sorts.

To review...in each stall, I dug down 12 inches to remove the clay the barn builder recommended (bad recommendation). In the center of the stall, I dug down even further and installed a 30 gallon plastic drum with large holes drilled in the top and bottom.

STALL 1
1. Layed in 8 oz geotextile cloth
2. Replaced the clay with 2A Modified (3/4" down to fines) limestone in 4 inch lifts.
3. Tamp, tamp, tamp
4. Put in interlocking solid rubber stall mats from Summit Flex. Cost for mat - $365.40

STALL 2
1. Layed in 8 oz geotextile cloth
2. Replaced the clay with limestone rock screenings (1/4" down to fines), in 2 inch lifts.
3. Tamp, tamp, tamp
4. Put in the Groundmaster Stall Flooring System. Cost for mat - $546.09.

We use pine shavings as bedding

Despite all the tamping, there will be some settling over the winter and next spring, so I will have to pull the mats next year and level things out. We'll see how each of these solutions work.