January 2007

                           

 Happy New Year !  
Our warmest wishes for happy and prosperous new year,
and

Anchoring Horse Stall Mats

Do your stall mats shift and bulge?

Here's a simple way Richard designed to make horse-proof anchors that will help keep even a four-corner junction in place, excerpted from Stablekeeping.

Why they're handy: Stall mats, especially those thinner than 3/4 inch, have a tendency to bulge along seams and intersections of corners. Bulging corners can be chewed or pawed by horses, and the uneven surface makes cleaning the mats more difficult. With their rounded stake heads, these anchors sit tightly against a mat, allowing a broom, shovel or hoof to slide over them without catching the edge of the mat.

Materials:

• 1/4-inch diameter steel rod approximately 12 to 18 inches long (the softer the soil, the longer the rod)
• 1/4-inch steel washer
• 1 1/2-inch diameter fender washer with a 5/16-inch center hole. (Fender washers are relatively thin and have a large outer diameter compared to a small center hole; available at hardware and auto stores.)
• 1-inch-diameter pipe (See step 2).

Instructions:

1. Weld the 1/4-inch washer flush with the end of the rod and then weld the fender washer on top of the smaller washer. Weld the center hole of the fender washer and two or three spots around the smaller washer on the underside.
   
   
2. To round the head, insert the stake through a piece of 1-inch diameter pipe so the head of the stake sits flat on the pipe. Bend the perimeter of the large washer down over the edge of the pipe using light taps with a hammer. (Always wear eye protection whenever striking metal with a hammer.) Remove the stake from the pipe.
   
   
3. Clean out debris from under the corners of the mats so they lie flat and even. Insert the mat stake between the corners of the mats and use a hammer to drive it to the surface of the mats. Keep the stake vertical so the head will sit level.

 

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