I think the title says it all, I have 25 stalls to mat and I just dread it…wondering if there is anything else? Right now I have stone dust down, does one really need mats? Anything like a mat but not as bulky hard to cut?
You can sometimes get free or cheap belting from the rock quarries to use as mats though they don’t lay as nicely as stall mats and you need a couple of good strong men to move them. They also work nicely in hallways though can be slick when wet. They aren’t perfect but beat nothing at all. If you near OH, there is a place that sells stall mats for 25 bucks each, best deal I have seen so far. Hope this helps!
We just bought 3/4" 8’x8’ rubber mats in excellent shape, enough for nine 16’x16’ stalls, cheap, at a local auction.
Those came from a dairy that had the mats custom made and shut down.
They had whole stacks of them for sale.
You may want to check with your local auction firms and tell them what you are looking for.
There are lightweight stall liners/ stall skins- and one company selling them is based out of a FL track which has switched all their stalls to them. I think that’s a pretty good testimony as track horses spend so much time in their stalls. They say they last long and they are better than rubber because they allow urine to drain through- saving $$ on bedding.
I was thinking about doing it- but after getting the sample I didn’t think they would hold up to my shod draft who paws. Also- when I tested the water permeability in my sink- I was impressed with the water running through- but then I put it in my dish drain rack and it stayed wet all day- it wasn’t “insta-dry” like a pot scrub pad would be.
The reviews are very good- and the product costs less and weight less than mats… another bonus is that you can get it on a 12 ft. roll so no seams.
[QUOTE=Plainandtall;6977322]
There are lightweight stall liners/ stall skins- and one company selling them is based out of a FL track which has switched all their stalls to them. I think that’s a pretty good testimony as track horses spend so much time in their stalls. They say they last long and they are better than rubber because they allow urine to drain through- saving $$ on bedding.
I was thinking about doing it- but after getting the sample I didn’t think they would hold up to my shod draft who paws. Also- when I tested the water permeability in my sink- I was impressed with the water running through- but then I put it in my dish drain rack and it stayed wet all day- it wasn’t “insta-dry” like a pot scrub pad would be.
The reviews are very good- and the product costs less and weight less than mats… another bonus is that you can get it on a 12 ft. roll so no seams.[/QUOTE]
Are you talking about this product?
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=141fa4fc-8a79-4f20-979a-37f1256ad1bf
Interesting.
OP - you wanted light weith so equislover’s solution isn’t applicable, but I have used old coal belts - but as stated above they are heavy and mine were rolled up so had to be secured in order to stay flat.
I went with EVA mats from equimat for all the reasons listed: Traditional black rubber is such a pita and so heavy. These have a lot of cushion, you can see them compress when a horse stands on them, but are not lumpy like the mattress systems I’ve seen. They also interlock and are super light weight (I can lift them).
My only complaint is that in a 12x12 stall, I have the ‘teeth’ from the interlock along two sides and bedding falls in those little spaces.
Highly recomended.
Thank you everyone was looking at the stall skins, why couldn’t you just by the polypropylene fabric sold for landscaping from what i can see its the same thing???
Stall Skins
I have just recently installed Stall Skins in my stalls. I started with pitrun or builders loam which is a heavy coarse sand, topped it with 5/8 minus gravel and compacted it this has very good drainage. The fabric is tough and has a felt underside that adds a little padding and the trim that secures the edges looks great. I installed these myself they are light weight and I was able to move them. The installation was easy but time consuming, the trim is very hard I pre drilled the holes as I went. I have a lot of corners to go around so I used my heat gun to bend the trim at the corners. This is new construction and if I had known how much easier it would be to install the liners without so many angles I would have built with that in mind, the installation would have been a breeze. I don’t know how they will hold up but I will post again when I can give a review on that.
We have a nearby retread factory, so we got a huuuuge role of spare rubber from them, very similar to conveyor belts, but thicker and wider. I matted my horses’ shed with it. Super easy to cut with exacto knife and lighter than a regular stall mat. It does tend to move around just as much as regular stall mats do, but I found that staking down the corners of the outer ones helps a lot, as would having bedding over top, but since mine are in the shed, I keep them cleaned off.
Until the last few years, correctly installed and tamped/packed clay was the stall base of choice. (Gravel under the clay). We always had one 4x6 mat at the stall door, but not the whole stall. I’m talking about 30 to 60 race horses. Right now we have full stall mats in only 2 of 22 stalls with door mats in all the others. Well kept clay base stalls have worked for years!! Good drainage and a giving surface.
[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;7096538]
Until the last few years, correctly installed and tamped/packed clay was the stall base of choice. (Gravel under the clay). We always had one 4x6 mat at the stall door, but not the whole stall. I’m talking about 30 to 60 race horses. Right now we have full stall mats in only 2 of 22 stalls with door mats in all the others. Well kept clay base stalls have worked for years!! Good drainage and a giving surface.[/QUOTE]
That is what we had in our race training barn also, but we had to keep adding clay to the stalls, the horses would dig holes in it.
We also only had straw to bed with, no shavings to be had around here.
I think today adding mats is the standard, over most anything, for a bare cushion and to keep the stall fairly level and horses from digging holes in it.
[QUOTE=Bluey;7096591]
That is what we had in our race training barn also, but we had to keep adding clay to the stalls, the horses would dig holes in it.
We also only had straw to bed with, no shavings to be had around here.
I think today adding mats is the standard, over most anything, for a bare cushion and to keep the stall fairly level and horses from digging holes in it.[/QUOTE]
I agree, but OP was looking at doing 25 stalls…THAT would be a pretty pricey investment all at once. Yes, clay does take maintenance, but it is an alternative.
We have done the stall mat thing, at our previous farm. Mats were not too expensive at the time, in the area. But last year, here at our new farm, we have only a few stalls. Went with clay floors at first, but I have one who digs/excavates, so was forced to do something about putting a floor into her stall. Decided not to go with mats (already had one at the door, the REST of the stall was found to be able to be excavated once it was discovered that the mat was ONLY at the door). Mats here are expensive ($80 for 4 X 6). So went to the local lumber mill, and had rough cut 2 X 10s made, the right length. Placed some crossmembers into the clay/gravel base of the stall, laid the planks on top of those. Works well. Half the cost of rubber mats. People were using wood planks as stall flooring long before rubber mats were invented. They have good “give”, and drain well. If one is damaged, ever, it just pulls out and is easily replaced.
Thanks everyone! I grew up with clay floors but didnt want to deal with horses digging them up and the labor to re-level etc. I never really found a comparable alternative (bummer). so I ended up going with mats at around $34/mat with bulk pricing. I currently have 4 stalls left to finish. They are such a pain but I did discover I can cut them pretty well with my skill saw which makes life a bit easier. However, I do look like I came out of a coal mine when done.
I can tell you, if you’re ever looking into the stall skins in the future that I’ve had them in my barn for the last 10+ years. They still show very little wear and I’m very happy with them. Well worth the investment!
Could these Stall Skins be installed directly over concrete? Is it enough padding or would it need to have regular mats underneath?
I very recently got a 12’ square stall “kit” that has six interlocking mats from Tractor Supply. The kit was priced at $299. They are 3/4" thick, and weren’t bad to cut with a SHARP utility knife. The floor is concrete, and the mats, plus pelleted bedding, make the footing very nice and cushy. I could drag the mats into place and bend them out of my way if I needed to make a template. I’m happy.
But I didn’t have to do 25 stalls. :dead:
Hello Hermein,
I realize you posted this YEARS ago… however, I am now finally getting closer to moving my horses home! I too have a converted barn with a cement floor. The question I have is - did you seal your cement before laying down the interlocking mats? Do the interlocking mats allow urine to leak below to cement? I am asking because I fear urine will corrode the cement and also cause bacteria build up and I’m not interested in picking up those mats to disinfect…
Also, now that it’s been a few years, how have those mats held up?
Thanks!
I have always bought the Summit Rubber 3/4" interlocking mats and paid pretty for them out here on west coast – they lock together tight, you need a rubber mallet to pound them together. I have never lifted them up, I highly doubt any urine gets through. However, you have to have very flat installed base otherwise the interlock areas might lift up and you would catch your muck rake on them, a bit of shavings will oooze in and pretty soon they might lift.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE them.
I can’t say I have had them over ten years as when I have moved I sold them to the new stall occupant, but I have installed them 3x, I like them that much!
