if u have a stall mat should u still use bedding?
yes use shavings, sawdust, manger and loft chaff, or what ever u can for bedding. Horse manure composts pretty well without bedding added, but I have found that it is even better with some coarse or woody material.
Yes you need bedding.Not only to offer the horse a place to lie down but to help absorb the horses urine. High absorbing bedding will absorb urine better and reduce the level of ammonia odor in your horse's stall. The more absorbent the bedding is, the less bedding required, which means you use less and don't have to dispose as much The bedding should be low in dust. A horse's respiratory system is not well suited for high volumes of dust. A horse bedding with a high level of absorbency allows liquid waste to be contained in small areas so less bedding becomes dirty. The smaller amounts of contaminated bedding is quicker to clean and makes the bedding less expensive by reducing the amount of bedding required, and saves on the time and effort required for mucking out. Rubber matting is a fairly new innovation providing a warmer, softer and more comfortable stable floor for your horse than concrete, brick, dirt, or wood flooring. Rubber matting also greatly reduces the amount of bedding required. A downside is horses don't like to lie down on bare mats. They prefer the comfort of a bedded area. So even though mats cut down on the amount of bedding needed, be kind to your horse and provide him with enough soft bedding to make him feel comfortable enough to lie down. I think its really up to you to decide how much bedding to put in your stall. I would put enough to absorb urine and,enough to offer your horse a confortable place to lie down.
Apparently not totally necessary, but I think a wedge of straw or some woodshavings would be warmer and encourage some shyer horses to lie down and to have a pee. It is true that you would need far less than you need without the rubber matting. I have never seen rubber matting, but I am sure that a little would help the horse relax.
I have seen stables that don't use bedding, instead using a mat. But I don't think it was very nice for the horses. I would suggest using sawdust as a bottom layer (to absorb pee!) and then a layer of straw on the top to keep the dust levels down. That's what I do, anyway. And they love to lay down in it!
Yes they still need bedding - if for nothing else then it soaks up urine and poop. I usually have a full bed ontop of my mats as it's much more comfortable for the horse than to lie on the mats.
