Selecting the Best Stable Matting: Kura, Karera, or DoubleStud?
As a horse owner or stable manager, choosing the right matting for your stable boxes is a significant decision. At NumatAGRI, we understand that the comfort, safety, and health of your horses, as well as the convenience for those working with them, are top priorities. Let’s take a closer look at three of our top offerings: Kura, Karera, and DoubleStud, and explore how they cater to both equine needs and handler convenience.
Origin and Quality
Kura and Karera: Proudly made by Kraiburg in Germany, these mats are the epitome of European quality and craftsmanship. When you choose Kura or Karera, you’re investing in a product known for its durability and reliability. These mats come with a 10-year warranty but are known to last much longer.
DoubleStud: This mat, sourced from Asia, offers a more budget-friendly alternative without compromising on basic quality. It’s a practical choice for diverse stable needs.
Comfort for Your Horses
Kura: With its 25mm thickness and 5mm studded base, Kura is like a luxury mattress for your horse. This design ensures maximum comfort, reducing the stress on joints and hooves, which is vital for your horse’s long-term health, well-being, and performance.
DoubleStud: Although slightly thinner at 23mm thickness, DoubleStud provides adequate comfort, helping to ease the strain on hooves and joints, especially in active stables. However, it is difficult to clean which is something we will go into below.
Karera: At 20mm thickness, Karera offers some comfort and is easy to clean. A great option for stables where a balance between comfort and budget is needed.
Performance
Kura and Karera: The precision water jet cut interlocking edges on these mats ensure a perfect fit. This reduces the chances of mat movement, thereby decreasing the risk of trips and falls for both horses and handlers. It also reduces the likelihood of urine and dung getting under the mats.
DoubleStud: DoubleStud has moulded interlocking edges which are not as precise as Kura or Karera’s water jet cut edges. This can lead to material getting under the mats.
Ease of Cleaning
Kura: The mosaic grip top pattern is not just comfortable for horses; it’s also easy to clean, saving time and effort for your stable staff.
Karera: The grid grip top also offers ease of cleaning, which means more time can be spent on horse care rather than stable maintenance.
DoubleStud: The high penny grip top of DoubleStud, while excellent for grip, poses a unique challenge. The design can trap dirt between the grips, making it difficult to brush out. The most effective cleaning method is hosing it down, but this isn’t always feasible in stable boxes, leading to increased maintenance efforts.
Recommendation for the Best Stable Matting for Your Needs
Based on our experience of 30 years installing rubber matting in the equine industry, we highly recommend the Kura mat for those seeking the ultimate in quality, comfort, and ease of maintenance. Kura, with its superior European craftsmanship, provides unparalleled comfort with its 25mm thickness and 5mm studded base, ensuring optimal joint support for your horses. Additionally, its precision-cut interlocking edges and easy-to-clean surface make it an excellent long-term investment for your stable.
However, we understand that budget considerations play a crucial role. For those seeking more affordable options without significantly compromising on quality, we suggest considering either DoubleStud or Karera. Your choice between these two should be based on your specific needs in terms of cleaning and comfort:
DoubleStud: While this mat is practical and budget-friendly, it presents a challenge in terms of cleaning. The high penny grip design, excellent for traction, can trap dirt and is best cleaned with a hose – a method that might not be feasible in all stable boxes. If your stable setup allows for easy hosing down of mats and you’re looking for a cost-effective option with decent comfort, DoubleStud is a solid choice.
Karera: If you’re looking for a balance between comfort and budget, and prefer a mat that’s easier to maintain than DoubleStud, Karera is an excellent option. It offers a good level of comfort with its 20mm thickness, a higher durability, and is easier to clean compared to DoubleStud, making it a practical choice for many stables.
In conclusion, while Kura stands out as our top recommendation for its all-around excellence, both DoubleStud and Karera are viable alternatives for different budget and maintenance scenarios. At NumatAGRI, our goal is to ensure that you find the perfect matting solution that meets the needs of both your horses and your stable management team. If you would like to discuss the best option for your stable boxes, give us a call on 0800 686 119.
