Horse Mats For Comfort and Convenience

---

     Many little girls and boys dream of one day having a horse. Animal lovers, young and old, often spend hours doing research and learning how to care for their four legged friends. Whether you already have a horse in your life, or you're considering bringing one home, there are some important things you need to know. Along with feeding, watering and grooming, the stall in which your horse spends time needs to be well taken care of. The use of horse mats, in the stall, can make cleaning up more efficient and less time consuming.

These mats can be easily placed on the floor, allowing your horse a sturdy, comfortable surface to stand on. When giving birth they also provide cushioning and shock absorption to foals who are prone to falling over, and a bit of added comfort to mares who are laying on them. These mats can also be used on the walls and doors of the stall to help prevent injuries from an accidental, or purposeful run in.

Mats are also pretty easier to haul around. They can be put in trailers, or anywhere safe footing might be a concern. Carrying straw or chips can be a pain, loading and unloading wheel barrows can cause sore muscles and blistered hands. Using mats can considerably lower bedding costs. Most are made out of rubber and can be easily cleaned and sanitized, quickly, thoroughly and safely.

Whether you need one mat for a specific small area, or you want to have the whole stable floor covered, there is a design for it all. Using them in the bathing area, provides much needed traction for the smooth hooves of the horse being bathed. Slippery floors can cause painful injuries not only to the horse, but to the person bathing them as well.

Cleanliness of stalls is very important to prevent the many problems associated with a horses hooves. The bedding used in stalls, along with droppings will become caked in the hooves and need to be picked out daily. Horses allowed to stand for long periods of time in dirty stalls are very susceptible to developing diseases and problems in the feet that can lead to lameness.

Most horse owners know that a horses feet are one of the most important parts of a horse, and special care needs to be taken to ensure the health of the hooves. Picking, and trimming are things that definitely need to be done. Making sure the stalls are free from layers of packed up urine and feces is another must, in order to keep a horses feet healthy.

Dirt floors allow horses to "dig" creating an uneven and sometimes dangerous surface. Concrete floors might be easy to clean, but they are not comfortable for horses to stand on for any length of time.

By lining the floors with horse mats, you will not only decrease your work load, you will also be adding to the comfort and overall health of your equine friend. These mats will also pay for themselves many times over, by allowing you to use less bedding materials in the stall.