I feed a good bit of oil in my horses’ feed. They inevitable drop stuff and oil gets on the rubber mats at their feed spots in their stalls and run ins. Over time the mats warp and buckle from the effects of the oil. I’m about to replace (again) several of the affected mats. I get them from TSC and it’s usually only one mat per stall that the feed gets onto. Is there something I can coat the mats with at the feed stations that will protect the rubber from the oil? Any other ideas? We have sandy soil so I don’t like to feed over that as they will pick up sand when cleaning up and dropped food.
There is a product sold for garage floors that will soak up oil, but not sure it is safe to be ingested < as horses might do eating dropped grain.
How about some pelleted bedding?
Sprinkle dry pellets or spritz them to fluff & they s/b plenty absorbent.
Horses probably would not eat enough of the pellets to harm them if they ate any at all.
Horse lips are like an elephant snout - a single grain of feed can be picked from bedding.
We do have pelleted bedding in stalls, but it won’t work for the run situation. Still happens both places over time.
I have put down (partially soaked) pellets in my trailer so the mats would stay drier/cooler.
Why would the pellets not work on the mats in your feed stations?
2Dogs: the oil still gets through the pellets to the mats and the contact eventually effects the mats.
Bluey: those tubs being rubber are going to be affected by contact with oil too.
I am wondering now if I can find something with traction that is safe for the horses that I coul place, tape, bolt on top of the rubber just where they eat, that is easy to remove/replace as needed but protects the mats underneath.
Not it sure if EVC (I think it’s known as foam rubber but isn’t really rubber) is resistant to oil, but they do make exercise mats out of them. Garage flooring has some vinyl stuff with traction nubs that withstands chemicals, but not sure how they would be with shod hooves.
I hope y’all can help me solve this puzzle.
Bedding. A lot of bedding. My horse is a slob and eats oily soup. My cheap TSC mats are 5 years old. They have no oil damage because no oil has ever touched them.
Outside, buying cheaper mats and replacing more often, or putting pavers in the feed area might be the best bet.
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That’s really odd. I also feed quite a bit of oil and the horses drop feed, and the mats have never done that. I have no/very little bedding under the mats. Is it possible the cause is something other than the oil, like pawing in anticipation of grain?
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It’s defintely the oil on the mats. It may have something to do with the heat in the south, too. It only happens to the mats that have replete contact with the vegetable oil.
Those short flat tubs come in metal also:
https://www.behlencountry.com/produc…d-stock-tanks/
Poly ones may not be affected:
https://www.behlencountry.com/product-category/tankswaterers/poly-round-end-stock-tanks/
Even if poly or rubber, they would be much easier to replace than rubber mats?
