Rubber matting for horses… where should you begin?
Numat’s range of equestrian matting is specifically designed to provide safer flooring surfaces for horses and humans. The benefits are well proven, but where do you start when considering equine rubber matting?
In this short article, we walk you through the various options and reasons why you may choose one starting point over another.
Float/Truck Matting
Rubber surfacing can be installed on all areas of your horse transport; walls, floor, and ramp.
Ramp mats are a great place to start as this can be an area of great frustration for horse owners. Particularly when it comes to getting horses off and on the ramp. A Numat Ramp Mat will provide comfort and grip which will give your horses more confidence when trailering, which means less hassle for you.
Most people who install a Ramp Mat will also install floor matting also. Floor matting for floats and trucks comes in a couple of different options. General high grip mats like Numat’s Flatmat provide good all-round grip and comfort and can be used in most floats and trucks. Ribbed matting, like Numat’s Wide Rib mat, are great for angle loaders as it can be installed with the rib running long ways to provide extra grip for your horse.
Wall matting tends to be thinner and lighter than floor matting, making it easy to affix to the wall surface. Numat’s Flatmat is designed specifically for this type of application.
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Stable Matting
Stable matting produces outstanding outcomes for horses and budgets. It’s warmer, quieter and more comfortable than concrete, and it’s easier to keep clean; saving time and reducing bedding costs by up to 80%.
While it is recommended that you cover as much of your stable and walkways with rubber matting as possible. But it can make sense to start with a small area, like a single stall, to begin with. This can keep costs down while delivering considerable benefits such as warmth, comfort, and reduced bedding costs.
Ultimately, you will want to cover all main areas to reduce the risk of falls and injuries, increase impact absorption, and improve tendon and joint health. Research has also shown that non-porous, vulcanised-sealed rubber surfaces, like Numat’s Kura and Unimat products, have lower microbial counts than concrete.
Wash Bay
Wash bays are an obvious candidate for rubber surfacing. Not only can they become wet, slippery and unsafe, they can also become muddy. For these reasons, installing wash bay matting can be a good starting point to providing safety for yourself and your horse.
For areas where drainage is important, a heavy-duty mat with holes will be needed. Mats like Numat’s SureFoot and H10 provide this as well as softness and grip underfoot. Water will drain away while the mat protects the surface underneath.
If drainage isn’t required, a solid interlocking mat, like Numat’s DoubleStud, is a good option as it provides excellent grip, comfort, and can be taken up if needed.