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A barn owner in Ohio made me question my stance on rubber mats
Had a chat last Tuesday with a guy who runs a 12 stall barn outside Columbus. He told me he stopped using rubber mats entirely because his farrier kept finding gravel and debris trapped underneath, causing thrush issues in three horses. I've always pushed mats for comfort, but he showed me how they can trap moisture if the base isn't graded right. He said "the ground should breathe" and I'd never heard it put that way. Since then I've been paying more attention to how clients prep their footing before I shoe. Have any of you switched back to bare stall flooring or started refusing to work over mats? Curious if this is just a one off or a real trend.
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adam18623d ago
A buddy of mine runs a small boarding barn and he pulled his mats out last spring for the same reason. Found black gunk and pebbles packed under there that he never would've caught otherwise. He poured a new base and left half the stalls bare, says the horses stand just fine and his farrier stopped complaining.
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