Haworth and Oxenhope District Bridleways Group

Members' Tips



Rubber stable mat drainage

From Shirley Lillie



If you have rubber stable mats, there is usually a problem with drainage because the mats are non-porous. This results in quite a lot of wet bedding being produced, particularly at this time of year when grass acts as a diuretic. I have searched in vain to find porous mats but there are few and very expensive. So I drilled a pattern of holes with an electric drill in the most soiled areas, using wooden blocks underneath for safety. Most mats have a channel design underneath to allow wet to drain and are effective when laid towards the drainage. The holes were sized with a 7/16th bit, if you do them too big they will block with bedding, smaller than that and they will not be very effective. I spaced them approx. 2" apart in a grid pattern. Wonderful! Instead of a whole barrow full each day of totally soaked bedding (this is just from a small pony) it has been reduced to1/3rd volume. Obviously time and money will be saved, and it's easier to keep clean as you can hose the mats and they drain and dry much faster, I don't even bother brushing them now. Hope you find this useful.

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