Horse Stall Mat Flooring Systems
Horse stall mats are becoming increasingly popular, due to the advantages they provide over other stall floor surfaces.
Yielding.
The traditional concrete floor is very hard. Unless you provide a thick layer of bedding, this hardness can stress joints, possibly injure feet, and cause sore points where the horse lays down to rest or sleep. Horse stall mats provide a softer and more yielding surface which is more comfortable for horses and less likely to result in impact stress injuries.
Warmth.
The materials used to make horse stall mats are naturally insulating. This is both more comfortable and healthier for horses, especially in winter.
Traction.
Concrete and wooden floors can be slippery when wet; mats provide better traction and reduce this risk to horses.
Smooth.
Many horse stall mats have a smooth surface, which is much easier to clean than concrete or wood surfaces.
Sterilization.
Stall mats can be easily sterilized with a disinfectant, which is difficult with absorbent surfaces such as wood or earth. Especially in the case of a horse contraction a contagious disease, the ability to sterilize the stall floor is important.
Drainage.
Unlike concrete, mats allow urine to drain off. Usually this happens at the joints between mats, although a few types of mats allow the urine to drain through the mat itself.
Bedding.
Many owners find that stall mats require less bedding. Horse stall mats perform the function of bedding – insulation, soft and comfortable surface, shock absorption, and traction. Urine drains off which means less soiled bedding. This saves not only on bedding costs but the time and money associated with stall cleaning.
Horse Stall Mats Floor
A mat floor can be laid on top of any hard, non-moving surface such as concrete, asphalt, or wooden floors. As such, mats are more a floor covering, rather than a stand-alone floor.
Some horse stall mats, the thicker and stronger ones, can also be laid on compacted stone. The stones should exceed a certain size. Large stones can cause bumps or even tears in the mats.
Soft surfaces, such as earth or sand, are unsuitable as they can move under the mats, resulting in depressions in the mats. Eventually, this can lead to separations between the mats or even tearing of the mats.
Horse Stall Mats Types
Horse stall mats vary in type, quality, and performance characteristics. Consequently, selecting a stall mat for individual requirements requires consideration of a number of factors.
The important differences between various horse stall mats are:
Material.
The most commonly used material is rubber, although there are different types and qualities of rubber used. There are also non-rubber mats, made out of high-tech materials such as EVA.
High-quality rubber is more expensive but is more durable. High-tech materials such as EVA tend to have somewhat different performance characteristics. It is more shock-absorbent and lighter for a given size.
Size.
Mats usually vary in size from about a square foot to about 3 square yards. However, we have seen mats up to 12 feet by 12 feet, designed to cover an entire stall with a single piece (which weighs 600 pounds).
Large mats are heavier, the bigger ones weigh 200 pounds each, which makes placement more difficult. However, their weight and size are an advantage in that it makes them less likely to move once put in place and also less likely for edges or corners to curl up. Smaller mats are easier to work with. In the event of a tear or other damage, it is cheaper to replace a small mat than a large one.
Thickness.
The thickness varies from about 1 centimeter to over 2 centimeters. Thicker mats have 4 advantages: tend to be more durable, are less likely for the edges to curl, less likely for the mats to move, and thickness is usually an indication of quality. However, as thickness increases, so do both price and weight.
Weight.
The weight depends on the type of material (EVA is much lighter than rubber) and the thickness of the mat. Heavy mats are more likely to stay in place, whereas lighter mats are convenient if you travel with your horse often (e.g. between horse shows and competitions) and like to take a portable mat with you. One of the advantages of a mat made from EVA instead of rubber is that it weighs only about a quarter as much as rubber, so is more suitable if you need to move it often.
Interlocking.
Some mats interlock, while others have straight edges and rely simply on their weight to hold them in place. All else being the same, the interlocking mats stay in place better and are far less likely for edges to lift.
Some mats are designed to lock and unlock easily for transport if you move locations with your horse often. Others are designed to lock firmly in place making transport more difficult but providing better performance in static installations.
Quality.
Like any product, quality varies. A long guarantee (5 to 10 years) is an indication of quality. Thicker mats are usually of better quality than thin ones. Given 2 rubber mats of the same size, if one is substantially heavier it is probably of better quality. The lighter one is probably not pure rubber, but instead, rubber mixed with inferior and lighter materials.
None of these is an absolute mark of quality, but usually they are good indications. It is also worth checking if the manufacturer has a reputation for producing quality products. Also, ask if the rubber has been vulcanized or if the rubber has been bound with urethane glue which is lower quality.
Permeable.
The mats should not be permeable, which is to say that urine should not be able to enter the surface of the mat. If the materials or production methods are of low quality, the mats are probably partly permeable, resulting in urine entering the mat and producing odors.
Porous.
Some mats are porous, allowing urine to drain through. However, the majority are not porous, although urine can drain through the joins where the mats meet. With smaller mats, there are more joins, so the urine tends to run through more. This can either be an advantage or a disadvantage.
Flat, grooved, or footed bottom horse stall mats.
Many mats have flat bottoms. With flat bottoms, any urine that gets under the mats by draining through at the joints between mats will be trapped there. If you have a permeable surface under the mats (e.g. compacted stone) this may not be an issue.
If you have a non-permeable surface (e.g. concrete) under the mats, you do not want to have trapped urine releasing ammonia and odors. With groves or feet, urine drains off. Whether the urine drains off will depend on the slope and dips of the underlying surface.
Portable.
Some mats are portable, others are not. Factors to evaluate when considering portability include weight, size, and ability to roll up. If they are interlocking, check that they lock and unlock easily and without special tools.
Reversible.
Some stall mats have a top side and a bottom side, while others can be reversed (flipped over). The advantage of the latter is that when one side shows wear, you can flip them over to extend the lifespan.
Flat or textured top.
Some mats have a flat and smooth top, while others have a textured top. Smooth tops are easier to clean (the groves or bumps on textured mats tend to trap dirt), while textured tops provide horses with better traction.
Some people buy mats with a grooved bottom and then flip them over so that the grooved side is up. This is particularly good for high-traffic areas such as corridors or washing areas where the water and soap would otherwise produce a slippery surface.
Horse Stall Mats Cut to Fit
Stall mats come in a great variety of sizes. Cut the mats to get a close fit if needed. In this case, before buying the mats, check that they are designed to allow this.
Horse Stall Mats Price
Prices vary, but as a rough indication look at $20-$40 per square meter.
Horse Stall Mat Drainage
Urine that drains through the mats rather than resting on top greatly reduces soiled bedding. This reduces the amount of time required to clean the stall, reduces the amount of replacement bedding required, and reduces the amount of storage space required for soiled bedding.
Although all of these are important benefits, one must consider what happens to the urine after it has drained through the mats. If the surface underneath has good drainage (e.g. thick layer of crushed stone), then the urine can drain off.
However, if the surface underneath is impermeable (e.g. concrete), then the urine simply builds up under the mats. This build-up releases ammonia into the air. This is unhealthy for the horses, particularly for their lungs, and produces unpleasant smells.
Although you can lift up the mats and clean underneath them, the fact remains that cleaning urine under the mats is more difficult than cleaning urine on top of them.
Consequently, depending on the underlying floor surface you may prefer that urine drains through, or you may prefer that it does not. Depending on your preference, you should choose mats accordingly: small mats drain more than large ones.
The joins are closer together and there are more of them. Straight-edge mats drain more than interlocking, and porous mats drain more than non-porous.
If you decide to use horse stall mats that easily allow urine to drain through, you should consider the following:
- Choose a mat with grooved or footed bottoms, so that the urine flows off rather than getting trapped.
- Try to have a floor with good drainage. If this is not possible, allow the urine to run off by using a flat, smooth, slanted floor to allow for run-off and prevent pooling.
- Choose mats whose design and weight are easy to lift out, permitting periodical washing down of the floor underneath.
Cleaning Horse Stall Mats
Clean a stall with rubber mats the same way (hay fork and/or shovel) as any other stall. Many people use a water hose to wash them down periodically. If the mats have feet or groves underneath, this will help to flush out urine that has drained through between the joints.
Pressure jets are effective for flushing mats. Be careful not to hold the pressure jet immediately against the mat surface as this will damage the mat.
If your mat must be absolutely clean, other cleaning tools that are useful for cleaning: a scrub brush, soap, and disinfectant. Before using any chemical product on your mat, read the instructions provided with your mat to make sure that the chemical will not harm it.
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