Wide Rib Rubber Matting for Stables, Yards & Trailer Ramps – 3mm & 6mm, 1220mm x 10m Roll

A wet concrete stable aisle, a painted trailer ramp on a damp morning, the slope from the wash box to the yard: these are the places where a horse hesitates, scrabbles, or goes down. Wide rib rubber matting gives a hoof and a boot something to bite into. It comes as a 1220mm wide roll, unrolls flat, and can be cut with a knife to fit an aisle, a ramp or a horsebox floor without calling anyone in. If you have a horse that will not load, or a walkway you have to salt every winter, this is the straightforward fix.

Why it works

Broad ribs grip in both directions

The surface is formed into wide, flat-topped ribs with grooves between them. A hoof gets a large bearing area on the flat tops, and the grooves give water, mud and urine somewhere to go instead of forming a film underfoot. Laid with the ribs running across a ramp, the profile gives a horse a series of ledges to push against on the way up and to brace against on the way down.

Easy to muck out

Solid rubber does not soak anything up. Soiled bedding sweeps or shovels straight off the surface, and a hose and a stiff broom clear the grooves. Unlike a loose-fill or rubber-crumb floor, there is nothing to sieve and nothing to top up.

Quieter and warmer than bare concrete

Rubber takes the ring out of shod hooves on a hard floor and takes the chill off concrete. On a ramp it also cuts the hollow drumming sound that puts some horses off loading.

Two thicknesses, two jobs

The 3mm sheet is a light, economical grip layer for boot traffic, tack rooms, feed rooms and light-use walkways. The 6mm sheet is the one for hooves: it is roughly twice the material, so it takes shod feet, resists gouging, and lies flatter and heavier on a ramp. Neither is a deep cushioned bed mat. If the job is a full stable floor that a horse will lie on without bedding, you want a thick stable mat; this matting is for aisles, ramps, walkways and washing areas.

• Wide flat-topped rib profile in 3mm and 6mm thickness
• 1220mm wide, supplied as a full 10m roll
• Solid black rubber, non-absorbent, hose-down clean
• Cuts to shape with a sharp trimming knife
• Also used for kennel runs, milking parlour walkways and vehicle floors

Where it's used

Stable aisles and internal walkways. Trailer and horsebox ramps and floors. Wash boxes, solarium bays and the slope from the yard into the barn. Tie-up areas, tack rooms and feed stores. Show trailers and lorries where a floor has to be swept clean between trips. Laid on benches and in the back of a pickup it stops kit sliding around.

Specifications

Choosing the right option

Pick 6mm for anywhere a horse will stand or walk: ramps, aisles, wash boxes and horsebox floors. Pick 3mm for boot-only areas such as tack rooms, feed stores and the walkway to the muck heap, or as a protective layer on a bench or a vehicle load bed. A standard trailer ramp is around 1.5m wide, so one roll cut into 1220mm lengths will cover a ramp with plenty left for the floor. For an aisle, measure the length in metres and allow for laying two widths side by side if the aisle is wider than 1220mm; a small offcut at the end of the run is normal.

Installation, use & care

Sweep and dry the floor before laying; grit trapped under the mat grinds into both surfaces. Unroll the matting and leave it for a few hours to relax, especially in cold weather, as it comes off the roll with a curl. Cut with a sharp trimming knife against a straight edge in two or three passes. In an aisle it can be laid loose with the ribs running along the direction of travel. On a ramp, fix it down: use a rubber-compatible contact adhesive over the whole area or screw it through with washers along the edges and at the top, and run the ribs across the slope so they act as treads. Hose down and brush clean. Avoid solvent-based cleaners and neat disinfectant, which attack rubber over time; dilute to the manufacturer's rate.

FAQ

Can a horse lie on it?
It is a hard-wearing grip surface, not a cushioned bed mat. Horses can stand and walk on it, but for a loose box floor where a horse lies down, use a thick stable mat with bedding on top.

Which way should the ribs run?
On a ramp, across the slope, so each rib is a small step. In an aisle or walkway, along the direction of travel, so water drains along the grooves and the mat is easy to brush out.

Will it stay put on a trailer ramp?
Only if it is fixed. A loose mat on a slope will creep. Glue it down with a contact adhesive, or screw and washer it along the top and both sides; many owners do both.

Is it suitable outdoors?
Yes for a covered yard or an open walkway. Bear in mind that any loose-laid mat can hold water underneath it against a concrete floor, so lift and dry it occasionally if it lives outside.

Does it smell?
New rubber has a mild smell for the first week or two that fades with airing. It does not hold the smell of urine the way bedding or a porous floor does, provided it is hosed down regularly.

Ordering

Choose 3mm or 6mm. Each option is one full 10m roll at 1220mm wide. Rolls are heavy, particularly the 6mm, so have two people and a level spot ready to receive the delivery.