Keep your paddocks and fields free of muddy gateways this autumn and winter

We are all aware of the mess in our paddocks, fields and gateways following long periods of rain in the autumn and winter months. Autumn might seem quite a way off, but putting down mats NOW is good planning. Muddy gateways are avoidable with good-quality rubber matting in place. Fieldguard has a superb range of grass and field mats, which are perfect for this task.

Our Ground Stabilisation Mesh (M9 – pictured above) makes a perfect reinforcement for embankments or as an underlay for honeycomb mats. An open weave green-coloured plastic mesh is supplied on a roll of 30m x 2m x 2-3mm (98’ x 6’6”).

Quick and simple to install, it is designed as both an underlay for our M5 family of honeycomb grass mats and, on its own, a perfect reinforcement for embankments.

22mm Regular Honeycomb Mats M522

Our regular honeycomb grass mats are hard-wearing and, due to their design, totally non-slip in all weather, including the iciest and wettest conditions. If laid as grass mats, depending on conditions, they are amenable to all heavy animals and occasional vehicles up to 7.50 tons. Laid on hard sub-strata, or our M9 Ground Stabilisation Mesh, they can withstand most normal vehicles in all weather conditions.

They are available in two sizes;

• 1.20m x 0.80m x 22mm thick (4’ x 2’6”) (Brown or Green)
• 1.50m x 1.00m x 22mm (4’11” x 3’ 3”) (Black, Brown or Green)

Being flexible, these grass mats rely on grass roots to support them while, in turn, they protect the roots from depredation from sharp hooves. This means they will be less effective if laid onto deep mud. They should either be laid when the ground is able to support them or use the M9 mesh as a stabilising agent. They work as well on light mud but will still appear to sink. However, the mud will get no worse with the covered area remaining flat. In the Spring, lift them, knock out the earth and re-lay and re-seed.

Note: These mats are supplied with free pins and (black) ties.

Gripper Mat Mover

Help to clean your stables with the Gripper Mat Mover from Fieldguard.

The Gripper Mat Mover Tool featured in Horse and Rider, is a single-hand positive grip, positive release handle that is ideal for moving flat, heavy objects, such as rubber mats, carpets, sacks, heavy bags, tarpaulins and covers where a finger grip is usually the norm.

If used with rubber mats up to 25mm thickness with minimal profiles on each surface, the tongue is spring-loaded to give a firm grip automatically. If either profile is not smooth, then the gripping arm is activated to produce a firm mat grip. The Gripper is also perfect for moving soft or slippery items such as carpets, sacks or plastic bags. Using two Grippers makes the work doubly easy.

Because the Gripper allows full hand grip rather than finger grip, it is an invaluable tool to enable even the slightest person to manoeuvre heavy, often wet and smelly, mats with relative ease. It is an invaluable tool when cleaning messy stables, for it makes single-handed manoeuvring of the mats possible. No more strained backs or painfully tired hands as you struggle to keep a grip when moving them on your own.

The Gripper has a pull strain of 200 kg, so is capable of moving the heaviest of mats and carpets.