Effects of Poor Stall Conditions on Horse Health
The Effects of Poor Stall Conditions on Your Horse's Health
Posted: August 8, 2010
Anyone that has invested the time and effort into owning a horse, let alone the dollars, will tell you the last thing they can afford is for their horse to be injured or ill. Should this happen, then the purpose for which you purchased your horse could be affected dramatically, and may even exclude it from completing the role for which you expected of them. The health of a horse is dependent on many different variables, but there are some conditions that we are able to control and regulate to ensure that we minimize the risk to the equine’s health and wellness.
One of the areas that we can control is the environment that the horse is stabled in. If you have the opportunity to keep your horse stabled for any length of time, you must ensure that you have covered all of your bases when it comes to keeping your horse fit and healthy in that environment. One area that must be addressed when you are looking at your horse’s stall, is not only the ability for you to be able to secure your horse within the stable, along with reducing any sharp or protruding edges where the horse may harm itself, but the floor with which your horse will spend its time on.
Choosing the correct flooring is imperative to your horse's health and wellness. A poorly thought out stall will have a floor that is hard and compacted and can cause stress to the horse's tendons, will also encourage the lingering of odors from the ammonia rich urine and require constant maintenance to refill, due to those horses that like to paw at the ground, especially around feed bins.
Ammonia has its own set of problems, and these issues are not restricted just to the smell. When the ammonia is allowed to build up in the horse stall due to improper cleaning, it can cause an upper respiratory complaint such as pneumonia and heaves (similar to asthma in humans). When you have a mare with foal at foot in an improperly cleaned stall, studies have shown that the foal will be especially susceptible to a respiratory illness that can affect its growth, as well as its overall health.
Regardless of whether you use products like barn lime to “soak up” the ammonia and its odor, you will not be able to remove the trace remnants of the ammonia itself, and therefore you still are at risk of harming your horses health.
So, how can you combat the fact that there will always be horse urine in stables, for as long as there are horses kept in stables? The answer is quite a simple one; you must address the flooring and its ability to be cleaned free of the harmful ammonia and its left over traces. Rubber mats are the most efficient way to ensure that your horse stall is cleaned thoroughly of any lingering effects of ammonia. Care should be taken with the cleaning agent used on the rubber mats, as some oils and chemicals can negatively alter the rubber compound. Oil, grease and solvents should be immediately cleaned with soapy water as soon as possible and all residue removed. Advice is also given to avoid petroleum based cleaners as they can cause deterioration of your mat.
Rubber matting can be cleaned with a rough brush and hosed clean. The mat will not absorb the odor or the ammonia compound; therefore your horse will not be susceptible to respiratory illness due to unclean flooring. A harsh brush will not damage the mat in any way due to the fact that the most durable of rubber mats are made from revulcanized rubber. This is the same rubber that is used on the tires of our cars, but has been chemically bonded and subjected to extreme heat and pressure in order to create the most durable of rubber matting. Revulcanized rubber mats, therefore, and can withstand the toughest of treatment. They will not swell in heat or with excessive water use. Even when the mat is at its wettest, it is non slip which means that your horse is able to have a safe, clean stall to return to after you have cleaned it.
Rubber mats will not absorb any of the smells that a regular floor would absorb. Less bedding is required in each stall when you lay rubber matting. This means that you can expect to spend less time cleaning stalls considering the reduced volume of bedding required. The rubber mat provides a cushion for your horse to stand and lay upon. Because of this cushioning effect, the amount of bedding should be reduced to simply consist of a light covering on the ground. Your costs from bedding supply as well as time in cleaning will be reduced considerably. Your manure pile should be at least 50% less than it was with other floor surfaces.
The typical size for a rubber mat is 4' x 6' and can come in a straight edge or interlocking design. Depending on the customer’s budget, the mats can be fitted wall to wall to fit snugly within the confines of the stall. Revulcanized mats are the most durable of the rubber horse stall mat varieties. They are made from chemically bonded rubber that has been subjected to extreme heat and pressure in order to produce the most durable and dense mat available. The revulcanized mat will outperform a polyurethane bonded mat which is simply glued and pressed with moderate pressure. Choosing a revulcanized mat means, regardless of the treatment you and your horse give to the rubber mat, the wear and tear is kept to an absolute minimum. Most of the reputable rubber mat suppliers will offer a five to seven year guarantee on your mat wearing out. Many mats, if kept in good condition, will last for decades.
The length in which a mat will last is especially good when you have a horse with a stable problem like pawing. Rubber mats can withstand the harshest treatment from a horse with this habit, with shoes or without. And because rubber mats are best laid on top of asphalt, concrete or limestone fines the chance of your horse affecting the footings below are highly unlikely, with the least amount of risk to your horse’s feet and legs.
Finding a rubber mat specialist is effortless thanks to the internet. Shipping is arranged for nationwide delivery to your property and comes with a solid warranty. Installing the rubber matting is straight forward and can be done by the purchaser with minimum hassle. It is easy enough to maneuver which means that it can be installed by the customer with ease. When you consider the money that you have invested into your horse and equine career, you cannot afford to get the most basic of issues like the surface of your stall wrong. Rubber flooring is not only great on your horse’s feet and lungs; it's an environmentally friendly option as it is made from fully recycled rubber.
Click the following link to see our rubber horse stall flooring.