The July Hay Steamer arrival was 2021’s second Haygain experience for the Molonys. That January, they swapped out mats in their four patient stalls at Georgie Equine Veterinary Hospital to install ComfortStall Sealed Orthopaedic Flooring. Since finishing the hospital construction in 2015, the Molonys and, perhaps more so, their staff, were fed up with the laborious and time-consuming process of pulling out the stall mats to deep clean them and the stall base below.
Even with well fitted mats, fluids, bedding and manure bits can seep through to the stall floor, Dr. Molony explains. Bacterial growth and build-up of harmful ammonia off-gas, urea, are likely without vigilant, frequent maintenance. The veterinarian had seen Haygain’s ComfortStall in several clients’ stables and spoke with a fellow veterinarian who’d been happy with the flooring at his facility.
“It’s like night and day since we put them in,” says Tim, the hospital’s operations manager. “Our staff is beyond thrilled because of the ease of cleaning.” The regular mat haul-outs are a thing of the past and sanitization between patients is easy.
ComfortStall consists of a layer of high-density foam covered by a single-piece, durable rubber TopCover™. Sealed to the stall wall with anchor strips, the TopCover™ creates an impermeable surface that can be disinfected.
A logistics guy, Tim was especially impressed with the ordering process, delivery and ease of install. While it can be done as a DIY project, the Molonys hired a professional installer and saw the four-stall assignment completed in less than half a day. “I deal with logistics all the time, and this was easy, painless and the flooring has been fabulous.”
Dr. Molony recognized her patients’ settling in immediately on the ComfortStall. “The name says it all: it’s comfortable.” Lameness brings many of Dr. Molony’s patents in for brief stays. “They just look more comfortable standing on it. They are quieter and happier and have a softer look in their eyes while on it.” None of which surprises her. “We all like to go in those stalls and stand on it ourselves!”
Because ComfortStall’s orthopaedic foam eliminates the need of bedding to provide cushion, shavings savings are a typical benefit. As a veterinary hospital, Georgia Equine uses minimal bedding to begin with, but Tim estimates the savings would be substantial for individual horse owners. Only enough bedding to absorb urine is required and that soiled bedding is easily pitched out. Second to hay, bedding is the biggest source of inhalable irritants in the horse’s breathing zone. Using less of it helps maintain healthy barn air quality.
