Rubber Stable Floor

The most common type of stable floor isthem curling up.
concrete. However, many stable owners areWith liquid rubber, there are three components.
covering their concrete floors with rubber, whichThe first is the liquid rubber itself, the second is a
offers a number of advantages:chemical 'hardening' powder and the third is rubber
- Yielding. A concrete floor is very hard and cangranules (chunks of rubber). The hardening
cause various types of injuries. For example,powder is mixed with the liquid rubber to cause
when getting up from a prone position, a horsethe rubber to harden into a solid. The granules are
can scrape skin off against the concrete. Also, ifmixed in so that the resulting floor is rough rather
the bedding is thin, walking on the hard concretethan smooth (a completely smooth floor would
can stress joints, potentially injure feed, or causehave poor traction when wet). One mixes the
sore points where the horse lies down to rest orthree components together, spread the resulting
sleep. A rubber surface provides a softer andmixture on the floor, smooth it (e.g. with a trowel)
more yielding surface, which minimizes the rick ofand then wait for it to harden.
such injuries.One can either hire a professional to lay a liquid
- Warmth. Rubber is naturally insulating, which isrubber floor or do it oneself. If doing it yourself,
more comfortable and healthier for horses,some key points to remember:
especially in winter.- Thoroughly clean concrete floor. The liquid
- Traction. Concrete and wooden floors can berubber is normally placed on top of a concrete
slippery when wet; rubber provide better tractionfloor. It is absolutely critical that this floor is
and thereby reduces the risk of injury to horses.completely clean; failure to do this is the most
- Bedding. Rubber performs some of thecommon cause of poor performance. One should
functions of bedding (e.g. insulation, traction, shockuse a water pressure jet sprayer to clean the
absorption, softer surface), reducing the amountfloor of all dirt, dust and so on; then remove all
of bedding required. Stable owners, on average,the water; then clean it again. If the floor is not
report that they require only half as much beddingabsolutely clean, the rubber may not properly
with a rubber stable floor as with concrete floors.bond to it and subsequently lift.
This results in a considerable saving in bedding,- Thickness. The thicker the rubber is, the
labour and storage costs. There are two solutionsstronger and more durable it is. For horses, a
for providing a rubber stable floor. One is rubberminimum thickness of 1.2cm is recommended as
stall mats which one lays on top of an existingthinner layers are not only less strong but also
floor (e.g. on top of a concrete floor) and joinhave a tendency to 'bubble'. As a guide, for
together to form a rubber floor. The otherelephants and rhinos, zoos use a thickness of at
solution consists of liquid rubber which is pouredleast 2.5cm. Personally, I would suggest a
onto the concrete floor and then allowed tothickness of 2.0cm if you can afford it.
harden (this takes one or two days) to form a- Two people. It is useful to have a 2-person
single rubber surface which covers the entireteam for this task, so that one person can mix
floor. The term 'liquid rubber' refers to the factand the other person focus on pouring and
that the rubber is in liquid form when it is initiallysmoothing the mixture. This task is somewhat
put onto the stable floor, but it then forms a solidsimilar to working with self-leveling concrete, so if
rubber floor. Both solutions have advantages andyou know someone who works in the building
disadvantages.trade and has experience with producing smooth
Stall Mats versus Liquid Rubber Flooringconcrete floors, they may be a good person to
The main disadvantage of stall mats is that urineask.
can run underneath them. This occurs at the- Quality. Make sure that you purchase a
seams where the mats join (one normally useshigh-quality product. In particular check that the
multiple mats to cover a stable floor) and also atrubber is 'non-porous' as porous rubber will allow
the gaps between the mats and the walls. Thisurine to enter the rubber.
urine builds up under the mats, releasing odours- No second chances. The liquid rubber forms a
and harmful ammonia. Although one can partlyvery strong bond with the concrete floor and is
compensate for this by periodically lifting the matsextremely difficult to remove, to the point that
and cleaning under them, this takes a certainremoval may cause significant damage to the
amount of time and is not easy (rubber stall matsunderlying concrete. Furthermore, the product is
are heavy).expensive, so from an economic perspective one
With liquid rubber, the floor is in a single piece anddoes not want to have to redo it. Consequently, it
joins with the wall (in fact, one would normallyis important that you carefully read and follow the
apply the rubber onto the wall as well for a heightinstructions, with particular attention to the points
of at least several centimeters). Consequently,above.
there are no seams or joins which would allowFinancial Considerations
the urine to enter. Furthermore, the rubber bondsThe price of rubber mats is about $20 to $40 per
with the concrete floor, so there is no space forsquare meter (depending on quality, thickness and
urine or dirt underneath the rubber. This is aother considerations) and the price of a liquid
major advantage over stall mats, as it is not onlyrubber floor is about $30 to $60 (depending on
healthier but also there is no need to periodicallythickness and whether you use a professional to
clean underneath it.install it).
An important advantage of stall mats is that theyAgainst this cost, there are a number of
are not fixed to the floor, as they rely on theiradvantages in terms of horse comfort and horse
weight to hold them in place. Therefore, one cansafety (see top of this page). In addition, most
remove them and use them elsewhere. Thispeople find that they can use less bedding as the
makes them convenient if you are just renting arubber provides much of the bedding function (e.g.
stall for a period of time. One would not want toinsulation, shock absorption). On average, users
use liquid rubber in a temporary stall as it bondsreport a 50% reduction in bedding with a rubber
to the concrete floor and cannot be removed orfloor as opposed to a concrete floor. The resulting
reused. Another consideration is that rubber stallsaving in bedding, plus the associated savings in
mats tend to be less expensive than liquid rubber.labour and storage, will over time pay for the
Consequently, liquid rubber is a superior solutioncost of the rubber floor. Consequently, a rubber
for a permanent stall, while stall mats are morefloor is not only better for your horse, but it is
appropriate for short to medium term installations.also economic over the longer term. The time it
Installationtakes for the rubber floor to pay for itself will of
Rubber mats are simply laid on top of a hardcourse depend on your local costs for bedding
surface (e.g. concrete stable floor). They may orand labour, as well as the percentage reduction in
may not be interlocking. With lower quality mats,amount of bedding required.
one may need to fasten the corners to stop