The Perfect Floor for Your Horse Stable

When you’re in charge of building a stable for your horses, you need to make sure you are using the right materials for the flooring.

When taking care of your pet, cattle, or any animal, we need to be extra careful and mindful of their health and comfort. Taking care of small animals is relatively easy and cheap. But it can cost a lot when we are raising and taking care of animals such as a horse. To cut down the costs, we should take good care of our horse’s wellbeing so that we don’t have to spend extra treating it.

When building a stable for horses we need to be very mindful of the fact that they need to stand on a floor that is comfortable and that keeps them healthy.

Types of Flooring to be Considered

When opting for flooring material for a stable, there are various kinds we can select from.

Horses are known to stand still on the ground while staying inside. So, being considerate of their legs, we need to come up with flooring that will keep their legs at ease. This is exactly why floorings should be chosen with great care and consideration.

Building is one thing, but maintaining the flooring is another task to take into account. Some types of floorings are easier to maintain than others. Now, one might think of building the stable with two different kinds of flooring, in that case, we have to take care of both floorings in different manners. This might cost more in the long run. Another factor is the budget, which we need to look upon.

There are some great flooring options that can be checked out at Tom Bradly, that are affordable and effective. Below are a few options of flooring for your stable.

Soil, Clay, or Sand

Leaving the existing soil is a great option as a flooring of the stable. It is good for the horses and the soil feels soft on their hooves. However, daily cleaning is required if you keep the soil as it is. You may have to replace the soil, add more, or remove soil to maintain the ground level.

Clay flooring, on the other hand,  requires a lot of work and maintenance. As  it is soft, it can often get slippery and sticky while wet. And if the horses stand in one place for a long time, it is possible for the clay to sink down. To avoid this, a thick layer of gravel should be put underneath the installed clay floor.

Another common kind of flooring is sand flooring. It is easy to maintain and is great for the horse’s feet. It isn’t slippery and doesn’t require too much bedding. The drainage properties are great and can be replaced only when the sand becomes too dirty and muddy.

However, sand can also dry the horse’s hooves and cause sand colics if they are eating from the ground. This is a concern that needs to be considered for sand flooring.

Concrete Flooring

One of the most common kinds of flooring in stables is concrete flooring. It is very manageable and strong, easy to clean and take care of. Most importantly, it is hard to damage.

It is healthy for the horse’s legs. It might be cold or damp, which might make the horses reluctant to lie down, hence a rubber mat bedding can make a big difference and be better for them.

Wood Flooring

Wood is considered a great choice for the horse’s legs. It was once considered the most common material for flooring grounds in stables. The maintenance is low, it keeps the horses warm and is not slippery.

However, there are things that should be considered before installing wooden flooring. You should make the wooden planks at least two inches thick, and beneath it should be the bedding of sand or gravel for better drainage of their urine (or any kind of water spill).

This is comparatively a costly choice. What needs to be kept in mind, is that after urination or water spill there might be an odor or any kind of deadly infection.

Crushed Limestone Flooring

Crushed limestone is considered one of the best flooring materials because of its great drainage properties. It should be paired with a bed of sands for better results.

However, the flooring of the limestone can be hard like concrete which means it requires soft bedding, such as rubber mats, for the horse’s feet

Grid Flooring

Grid flooring has a lot of options available in the market. Honeycomb grids are placed over the sand or gravel and then filled with stone dust for the perfect draining benefit.

Asphalt Flooring

Asphalt flooring is comparatively softer than concrete flooring and is easier on the horses’ legs. When it is first installed, the asphalt isn’t sticky but becomes stickier with time.

It is considered one of the less expensive options out there for stable floorings and makes drainage easy. However, if the flooring isn’t laid thick enough, it might crack. It is easy to clean, but disinfecting it might be a challenge.

Find the Right Stable Flooring

With adequate information on flooring, we hope that you get to select the best flooring for your stable of horses. In terms of keeping your animals healthy and happy, you need to consider the best option for them and the stable.