Choosing The Best Rubber Stable Mats For Horses
By Created: August, 2023 - Modified: December, 2023
Related Product: Horse Stall Mats Kit Cobblestone 3/4 Inch x 12x12 Ft.
Reasons to Choose Rubber Stable Mats for Horses
Rubber stable mats offer excellent durability, making them a long-lasting investment in your barn. The matting acts as a barrier between your horse, cow, or other animal and the ground. A quality mat can enhance your horse’s comfort and offers traction to help prevent slips and falls.Rubber stall mats are versatile, too. You can lay them over a concrete, dirt, or stone dust floor. The mats help to prevent your horse from digging holes in the stall floor, and they also prevent your bedding from mixing with the subfloor material, like sand. As a result, mats make stall cleaning easier, and they can reduce the amount of bedding you need to throw away. You can create a more efficient stall cleaning operation and can save on bedding and labor costs.
Stable mats have other potential uses in and around your barn. You can install mats in grooming and wash stalls for extra traction, and add them to a barn aisle to create a safer working and walking surface for humans and horses. Stable mats are also ideal when used in a trailer, where they can maximize traction and act as a barrier between the horse’s hooves and the hot trailer floor.
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Rubber Stable Mats for Horses
As you shop for stable mats, consider the following factors to help identify the mat that’s best for your needs.Thickness
The mat thickness plays a major role in its performance. A mat that is too thin can curl up at the edges and will be easy to shift. A mat that is too thick will be heavy and difficult to move.
Many stall mats start at ¾ inch and go up to 1 inch. That thickness offers plenty of durability and results in a mat that is heavy enough so that it won’t often shift around during use.
Straight Edge or Interlocking
Consider the edge types of your mats, too. Mats with interlocking edges can be connected together, reducing the chance of the mat pulling apart during use. These mats are ideal for use in stalls, since the interlocking edges help to prevent bedding from working its way under the mat edges.
Straight edge mats are useful for many applications, too. They’re popular in grooming stalls and aisles, since it’s easy to sweep along the straight edges. They’re also used in stalls, too, but it’s important to make sure that the mat edges but up firmly against each other to help keep them in place.
Permeability
While most rubber mats are waterproof, if you’ll be using the mat outdoors or in a wash stall, then a mat with drainage holes will be the best choice. Solid mats are better suited for use in stalls and aisle ways.
Stable Mat Type
As you shop, you’ll be able to choose from several different types of rubber stable mats. Certain mat types are best for particular applications.
Single Mat
Single mats are available in multiple thicknesses, and are typically 6x4 feet in size. You can use these mats when matting a stall, but you may have to cut a mat or two to fit. Single mats are also often used in aisleways or grooming stalls.
Single mats are often available with straight edges, so it’s important to fit them together tightly when matting a stall.
Kits
If you want to avoid cutting mats to fit them into a stall, then a mat kit is the best option. Stall mat kits are available for common stall dimensions like 12x12 and 12x14 feet, and at Greatmats, we offer these kits in custom sizes, too.
When you order a stall mat kit, you will receive mats that will fit into your stall without being cut. You’ll also get a diagram of how to install the mats, which simplifies the installation process and can save you time. Stall kits may be an excellent choice when you have multiple stalls to mat and are looking for a quick solution.
Large Single Mats
We also offer large single mats in common dimensions like 12x12 and 12x14 feet. These mats can be installed as a single piece, which helps to avoid individual mats shifting over time and needing to be repositioned and reinstalled.
Large single mats are often ideal for veterinary stalls or medical treatment areas, since their one-piece construction makes for easier cleaning and disinfecting. The mats are available in a solid black color, which makes for a professional look for veterinary facilities.
Perforated Mats
If you plan to use your mats in an area like a wash stall, then perforated mats are the best choice. These mats still offer increased traction and comfort, but their large perforations will quickly channel water away to make the space safer for horses and humans.
Our perforated mats feature interlock edges that allow you to connect them together. They are waterproof and can be used both indoors and outdoors.