Many people underestimate the importance of having comfortable flooring in their horse stall systems. Some horses spend up to 23 hours a day in their stalls, and without some sort of comfort system, it can be a very long day for them.
Horses are meant to be roaming grazers. They are not made to stand on concrete or very hard surfaces for prolonged periods of time. This is exactly why we should try our best to emulate their natural environment. One of the ways we can accomplish this for our domestic equine friends is to provide them with top-quality rubber stall flooring on top of any hard surface they will be spending a lot of time on. The guide below will help you balance comfort with cost by providing you with a few ideas as to what to use in your horse stalls. All matting can also be used in a home gym, commercial gym, or anywhere you need some extra cushion.
Stall Mat Seconds
Typically a 4’ x 6’ x ¾” mat can also be sold as a second. Seconds have manufacturing defects that could include missing edges or corners, soft spots in the matting, areas with a crumbly texture, or tears. They are not a perfect mat, but if you are on stone dust, bed deep, or only have horses stalled for a few hours at night then they may work well for you. We would not recommend them for high-use areas such as wash stalls, grooming areas, or stalls with little bedding and horses in them for the majority of the day.
4′ x 6′ x ¾” Max Button Stall Mats
This mat features a flat top with a button bottom. There are two theories on how to best utilize these mats…
- Button side down, flat side up: This is without a doubt the best way for using these mats in horse stalls. The buttons on the bottom create something like air pockets that provide some cushion when weight is applied on top. Mucking is easy because you’re running your pitchfork or shovel on top of a flat surface and not constantly hitting the edges of the buttons.
- Button side up, flat side down: Some people believe that this provides more traction, but the reality of it is actually the opposite as there is less of the hoof touching the mat at any given time. Also, placing the mats this way makes them very difficult to clean as you cannot run a pitchfork or shovel along them without running into the buttons
4’ x 6’ x ¾” Textured/Grooved Stall Mats
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This is a very nice mat featuring a textured top, providing a great-looking consistent mat. The grooved bottom provides positive lock down into a stone dust floor which helps prevent the mats from moving. If being used on a concrete floor in a stall, urine and air can get trapped underneath which would likely result in undesirable odours. You can help reduce the likelihood of this happening by ensuring the mats are placed together and against the wall very tightly. Overall these are a great mat at the right price point.
4’ x 6’ x ¾” Flat/Flat Stall Mats
This is our top-of-the-line mat. They provide solid traction on both sides. They’re best used in aisle ways, wash stalls, or horse stalls. They’re easy to clean and nothing can get trapped underneath them if you’re putting them on top of concrete.
These should give you a rough idea as to what type of matting you should use where in your barn. For more information about our horse stall flooring, please browse our website or give us a call @ 1-866-284-677!
