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Veteran
Posts: 195
 
Location: PA | Hi - I have a new Lakota slant load step-up. The mats that came with it are flat with no ridges or any texture. They can get slick pretty easily in wet weather or with moist poop. I don't use shavings when hauling. Is there anything I can do to create some traction so my horse doesn't slide when loading and unloading?
?Thanks! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350
Location: Penrose, Colorado |
tractor supply has soft mats and they have alot more grip than alot of mats out there, but I would use shavings and it will help your problem alot . |
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Expert
Posts: 5870
 
Location: western PA | Ditto the shavings. They will help with the traction and keeping the floor less wet. |
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Veteran
Posts: 102
Location: Waaaaay back Slaughter Hollow | Shavings are well worth it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
Location: Fort Madison, Iowa | I carry a can of cat litter or you could use sand too to put down on the floor over the wet spot. I have a mule the does a flying leap in and if the floors slick and she slides, she doesn't want to go in. Put some cat litter down and in she'll go. |
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Expert
Posts: 3853
 
Location: Vermont | Shavings will protect the life of the floor of your trailer |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 326
Location: central IL | We "double mat" our trailers to reduce wear and tear. We cut down a stall mat (Rural King or such) cut to size for extra padding. I feel it also reduces the fatigue on long distance trips. In addition to shavings, we use pellets on the places where the horse will urinate depending on whether we're hauling a gelding or mare at the time. They are super absorbent. I've observed that our horses have slid on mats ribbed or otherwise depending on if they're wearing shoes, frigid temps or whatever. Even our gelding that is super slow in loading/unloading, slipped on a ribbed ramp mat. We're no experts, but have been putting the miles on since retirement in '03. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
Location: Fort Madison, Iowa | I do ditto everyone on using shavings. On my long hauls I put heavy shavings downs and on my short 20 minutes away park I put a lighter layer. I have a area within the first step in and that can get a little slick if one of my critters urinate in the tailers and it doesn't bother my horses but it does my mule so i put alittle cat litter down and it helps. |
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Expert
Posts: 1989
Location: South Central OK | I'm going to say use any bedding material you are comfortable with...I personally bed the floor of my trailer with hay. The reason I use hay and not shavings is that I cut my own hay, so there is a good supply and I can rake it out in the yard and in two weeks it's gone. Hay is also very absorbant and I have yet to find a critter that won't happily load into a hay floored trailer. (I haul horses/cattle/llamas/pigs/etc.) You can pull your mats and have WERM flooring installed which is anti-slip. Mats are not meant to be used naked, they need to have some bedding material over them to absorb the animal waste. You may find that your horse has been holding their urine because they can't pee in the trailer where it will splash back up off the mats. Many horses will only urinate on a properly bedded floor. Make your trailer feel like home and bed it down! |
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Trailer mats
