When I got my barn, there were rubbermats in each stall. Except for one which is covered completely with rubbermats, there is one large mat in each stall towards the front of the stall.
I believe that there is a clay base under the mats. I do not really like the mats. there is always shavings getting under them and producing piles. Then I have to lift the mat (heavy) and remove the shavings. The stall with complete rubbermat flooring is not good either. It is always wet.
So some weeks ago I removed the rubbermat from one of the stalls. And that is really my favorite stall to muck right now. It looks more comfy for the horse to lay down as well, because there are always edges from the rubbermats in the other stalls. So is there any disadvantage if I remove the mats in the other stalls??
Rubber mats protect your base. No mats? Expect to have to redo the base yearly.
Mats should be TIGHT and even from stall wall to stall wall–a smooth surface that bedding and urine can’t penetrate. If bedding is getting under your mats, then the mats need to be relaid and the subfloor may need to be releveled.
I don’t know why anyone would use a single rubber mat at the stall entrance. Protecting the subfloor from pawing horses, perhaps? I’d much rather have the whole stall matted, or not at all.
I despise dirt floor stalls, especially if stall is used on a daily basis. They are uneven, get colder in winter with frozen ground, and can be #*^#% horrible to clean. Frozen poop stuck on frozen dirt is “difficult” to remove, to say the least.
As stated above, mats that stick up to catch bedding, not drain well, need to be removed so the dirt under is leveled again. Then mats need to be put back in stall tightly fitted so nothing will lift them up again.
Matted floors are warmer to lay on, since rubber doesn’t transfer cold into horse from the ground. I find matted stalls faster and easier to clean, with surfaces that STAY level and easy to clean with a broom. Pawing horse does NOT leave holes in the floor. Poop NEVER sticks to the mat, is easy to remove, and mats never have a muddy wet spot where horse always pees, like dirt floor has.
Our matted stalls have crushed stone under, not clay. Stone drains well, while clay gets mucky with time, seldom drains well though with good bedding you may not notice that as much.
Your stalls, your choice of using mats or not. If you are selling the mats off cheap, let me be FIRST in line to be their new owner!
Your problem isn’t about the mats. Your problem is about how the mats are put in there.
As said, mats need to be tight tight tight against each other and the wall, so there isn’t one iota of movement for anything, especially shavings, to get under.
If you have a clay base, then if the horses are in there enough hours every day, you will end up with holes in the clay that you will have to fill in eventually.
If you do decide to do mats the right way in the stalls, then you need to level the clay base and add a couple of inches of some screenings/bluestone/screened sandrock, whatever has fine enough particles to allow errant liquid to pass though, but will also pack hard as concrete.
You could put the mats right on top of the clay, but you’d better be extra super careful there aren’t any seams though which urine could flow. A single full coverage mat would be the best option for that.
Was the one large mat put in there to put feed and hay on instead of having the horse sort it out of the bedding?
Thank you for all your input. I think you are right. But I am not sure how I can change my situation without investing a lot of money. I have all these mats which are not covering the whole stall. Should I cut up some of the remaining mats in order to cover the whole stall?? should I buy new ones in the size of the stall?? right now I really consider to remove the mats from most of the stalls and to rethink what I want to do in the future… As I said the nicest stall right now is the one without mats. And as I am in Florida a cold floor is not an issue
I have a few mats in my stalls in FL; they are dirt floors, not matted wall-to-wall. I feed over my mats, so there’s less chance of ingesting sand. The stalls are supposedly clay floors, but they have attached runs so the horses are dragging sand inside anyway.
The mats are placed at the front of the stall, and in some instances at the rear. It helps with traffic at the stall door (and pawing!) and provides a safe place to eat.
I like having dirt floors, it saves a bunch on bedding. Urine drains right through, unless the horse consistently uses one spot (and then, only need much bedding in that particular area). Wall to wall mats look nice and are easy to sweep, but it takes a lot more bedding to soak up waste and they can be slick when wet if not bedded deeply.
I’m lucky that my horses spend a lot of time outside (in the field, or in their runs) and the floors stay fairly level without maintenance. I’ve known dirt floors in other barns that do get VERY uneven with huge holes; I’d much prefer mats in that case. My favorite stall flooring is the sturdy grid floors filled with dirt-- you get the benefits of natural absorption with the anti-dig protection. 
Thank you EventerAJ I think you described my situation. My horses do spend a lot of time outside as well (although they don’t have attached runs. and I do have a layer of shavings on the ground.
I have something similar to what EventerAJ describes - but only two stalls. I started with no mats, just a dirt floor, but bought a 4x6 mat for my old guy to eat on. All his meals were soaked into soup, and he was messy about eating - take a mouthful, lift his head, look around, head back down, start all over. I bought one mat, tucked it into the corner of his stall and put his tub on top of it, so he could make as big a mess as he wanted, and still go back and clean up what he’d dropped. It was much easier to keep up with (just swept the mats clean as needed) and I didn’t worry about him ingesting a lot of dirt. Also tucked a couple of mats into the run-in to feed him hay on - once again - less dirt ingested, and simple to sweep clean. After I lost him and got the new girl, I left the mats in place, and now use them to feed hay from. Also got the side benefit of encouraging her to pee in a different part of her stall (where the drainage is better), as she doesn’t like to pee on the bare mat (or outside, but that’s a different story).
There may be a small ridge where the mat meets the (sawdust) bedded dirt, but it doesn’t seem to be much of an issue for us - mare seems to prefer sleeping on the ground out in her attached run (or in the grass during the day) more than in the bedded stall.
WHY rubber mats ?
Simple because mats are more comfortable than the hard ground. If you had to stand or lay in a stall for many hours what surface would you pick ? The mats provide a nice barrier from that cold dampness & changes due to climate incurred by dirt floors.
From what you stated it does sound like your mats are not properly fitted to the stall sizes & that your base may need some work. Suggests to fix ONE stall properly & then reevaluate opinion of rubber stall mats
Pony Tales, the way the rubber mats are right now, I don’t think its comfortable. There is always some edge from the rubber mats
