The improvement in the development of new products by recycling different raw materials and their use in farms has been thoroughly studied and their advantages have been extensively demonstrated. It has been scientifically proven that keeping animals on hard surfaces, such as concrete floors, entails certain degree of stress, and that the use of rubber matting improves livestock’s living conditions and their health in general.
These improvements are being introduced into the equestrian world for different purposes: for safety, to reduce stress, for an easier and cheaper maintenance of stables, and for a better disinfection and healthier conditions.
Different products and solutions, with multiple origins, have been developed to cover stable aisles and the floors of stalls, hospital boxes, horse walkers, paddocks, wash areas, and many others. In the market, we can find products with two types of manufacturing: those that are made with grinded rubber, whose tiny pieces can clearly be seen and are blended together by means of a process of gluing, heating, moulding and compressing, and those that consist of vulcanized rubber mats or tiles..
The main feature of grinded rubber products is that they are all porous (permeable). They allow liquids to pass through to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the pressure with which they have been moulded. This type of product has experienced a great development lately since it is being used to increase the safety of many surfaces, such as those of children’s parks. When acquiring this type of flooring, it is important to know if it has been designed and produced specifically for horses, whose shoes are made of metal and may present sharp edges or even protruding nails. Not all tiles, for example, will have the same density and wear-resistance. Drainoflex and Pavesafe pavers have been specifically designed for use with horses.
Vulcanized rubber mats, such as those offered by BELMONDO, are waterproof. This solution is the most modern and non-generic, i.e., it has been designed taking into account the circumstances and needs for each specific use. For stalls, there are mats with different thickness, depending on the insulation needs of the area where they are going to be installed; there are also specific mats for wash areas, paddocks, horse walkers, trailers and vans…
For example, there are specific aisle mats which take into account if there is going to be heavy machinery rolling over them or not. Small machines like Dumpers and Bob-cats, are very helpful and widely used. They are very manoeuverable precisely because they turn nearly in place, but to do that, they block the wheels on one side while the wheels on the other side turn. This could wrinkle and/or pull up or disassemble floors with not enough specific weight.
LUPA offers a selection of products to cover the floors of: barn aisles, stalls, hospital boxes, wash areas, grooming areas, horse walkers, trailers and vans, paddocks… taking into account the rubber floor’s features, its specific or preferred use, its manufacturing process, its layout, the manufacturer’s professionalism and guarantee. This will all help choose the most appropriate floor. We sell other types of mats, but we present the most common ones; some we usually have in stock and others can be supplied upon request.
Take a look at the different models of rubber flooring and their prices in the Store section of our website.