The stall mat debate

[FraggleRock]

@JJ_85

We have concrete flooring. They are stalled from 3pm - 7am. My reason for mats is because we have recently had a huge shortage of shavings. With everyone trying to get their hands on shavings the price has gone up. So we pay a fortune for a bag of shavings and can only buy when it’s available. My old boy spends a lot of his time snoozing these days and i HATE the fact that his shavings are sometimes not sufficient for him.

Oh
well definitely sounds like stall mats are worth the investment!

[JJ_85]

I think i might just bite the bullet and invest in proper mats. My poor bank account is going to hate me :dead: but my horses are going to love me :congratulatory: (i hope). Thank you everyone for all your comments and advice xx

[Libera]

But even with mats you still need lots of bedding??

Unless you want to look into stall mattresses…

Regular rubber mats are not any ‘softer’ to lie down on

[JJ_85]

I’d love to have stall mattresses installed but we (South Africa) unfortunately haven’t quite caught on to that trend yet and they would be quite pricey to import i assume.

[jbonifas]

Tractor Supply has nice rubber mats in (2) sizes. I suggest the larger ones for stalls and do not trim to fit, just roll it up the stall wall (helps hold it in place). If you buy an entire pallet they will usually give you a 10% discount if you ask.

[Simkie]

@jbonifas

Tractor Supply has nice rubber mats in (2) sizes. I suggest the larger ones for stalls and do not trim to fit, just roll it up the stall wall (helps hold it in place). If you buy an entire pallet they will usually give you a 10% discount if you ask.

I don’t think they have Tractor Supply in South Africa :lol:

[walktrot]

@CFFarm

Bite the bucket and buy real “stall skins” type mats. They pay for themselves in the long run in saved bedding and time.

BO installed 4x6 mats in 2002 and almost all of them are fine, including the ones going down the center of the aisleway. It’s a ton of work to fit and install them but it is a worthwhile investment. She uses saw dust from a local lumber mill. Picking stalls is a lot easier. There hasn’t been a problem with pee accumulating under them in the stalls because they are butted up tight. The stall floors were packed hard with one of those vibrating machines. so they don’t need to be pulled.

[Calvincrowe]

I just did a conversion of Rands to usd and $337 per stall (6 mats each 4x6) is a bit more than we’d pay per stall but not hideously. At my local farm store it would be closer to $230 per stall. It will be worth it in the end. Good luck!

[Equibrit]

https://www.truco.co.za/rubber-flooring-specifications.htm

They have 10mm thick rolls for horse trailers that might work.

[Sellefrancais]

@walkinthewalk

I use 3/4" thick restaurant mats. They are a grid type. I use industrial zip ties to keep them together.

My first grid mats were from Tractor Supply and only 1/2" thick. They lasted nine years with the horses coming in every night.

I fully expect these new grid mats to last to the end:)

This is super old I know but I was thinking of getting the interlocking mats (the rubber ones with holes in them which I think is what you are talking about) for horse shows. Big mats are too hard for one person to transport from the truck to the stall… so I was thinking this might work? I just wanted to know if those were the kind you used with success

[walkinthewalk]

@Sellefrancais

This is super old I know but I was thinking of getting the interlocking mats (the rubber ones with holes in them which I think is what you are talking about) for horse shows. Big mats are too hard for one person to transport from the truck to the stall… so I was thinking this might work? I just wanted to know if those were the kind you used with success

These are the ones I bought at Tractor Supply but I don’t see them 9n the TSC website.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/janitorial-maintenance/mats-carpets/drainage-kitchen/ultra-mat-3-ft-x-3-ft-black?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrbP4orzB7AIVN__jBx0i4QlbEAQYBCABEgIHwvD_BwE

You can pick these up easily with one hand.

The 3/4” thick grid mats that I replaced them with are bigger and heavier. Even the guys had trouble jockeying them off the truck into the stalls.