Arghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

[Flash_28]

Really sorry but feel I really need to rant!

I rent a whole yard for my horses and have been quite happily plodding along for about a year and half. I've looked after it and never been late with my livery. A simple thing such as asking to have some of the guys on straw and I'm ready to rip my hair out! Never have I had so much problem having straw! Had problems trying to keep 1 TB on shavings despite him being allergic to straw and vet reports! But never to go on straw!

I have rubber matting and kept them all on shavings last winter. My mare box walks and it was just a nightmare. I was going through so many bales of shavings it was ridiculous! I just couldn't afford to keep up. With the smaller bed as well she isn't weeing unless totally desperate and wasn't lying down so almost collapsing in the field so asked to have her on straw. Despite saying I would get rid of the straw myself as the farmer didn't want to put it back on the land he still says no as it doesn't break down! But I can have rape straw! Still won't be able to afford at least one bale at £6 everyday! ARGH!

Thinking of just moving my horses as they aren't happy with no bedding and I can't afford to fill all the stables with shavings!

 

[tinkandlily]

Ooo i was on a yard like that, right pain in the ass, my old boy had bad arthritis in his knees and needed a deep bed, i told the YO but the YOs OH was a right pr*k about it, said it's to hard to get rid of and doesn't break down, but i just couldn't afford it with shavings, like your's he was avoiding lying down because it was painfull on his kness and i had to move in the end.

I don't see what the big deal with straw at the mo, a yard i was on a few years back had no probs with the muck heap, it rotted down well and in the winter was a very good foot warmer

 

[Boxers]

Can you not build up a shavings bed with a base (deep litter) and then just clean out the poops. I use this method with my horse (whole yard uses this method) and I usually add one bale of shavings per week.

We're not allowed straw on our yard and no farmers will take it away.

 

[Flash_28]

It really is such a pain! And now I'm just that annoyed all I have in my head at the moment is that I should move. The mare is 21 and being unable to lay down isn't good for her as she is struggling in the field. Plus the fact that she is holding onto her wee for as long as she can obviously can't be a good thing. I was told that I couldn't have straw as they didn't want it on the land but if I could get rid of it myself then they would think again. But now I have found a way they just say oh no as people have said it before and then not gotten rid of it!

 

[Cuppatea]

what about paper? ive no idea how much it is but its more like starw than shavings and definatly rots down!

 

[Flash_28]

Can you not build up a shavings bed with a base (deep litter) and then just clean out the poops. I use this method with my horse (whole yard uses this method) and I usually add one bale of shavings per week.

We're not allowed straw on our yard and no farmers will take it away.

I've tried to deep litter her with shavings before and after 1 night the whole bed was black and smelt rank! I've also tried the hempcore and deep littered and that was no better. I seemed about the same amount of shavings with this method too. The only bedding that has really suited her is straw. I've deep littered her on straw and mucked out daily on straw and that was when she was at her cleanest. I've tried calmers and different routines but nothing has helped her. Last winter was a nightmare and dreading this winter with all the same problems.

Tried to only give her a small bed of shavings but the floors are uneven and the urine just puddles at the back of the stable until it is so big it comes out the front. I was lifting the mats every couple of days! I was unhappy and so was she. I feel like I'm totally running out of options.

 

[Flash_28]

what about paper? ive no idea how much it is but its more like starw than shavings and definatly rots down!

I did look into paper and cardboard but I'm not allowed either of those either! :'(

 

[Jesstickle]

Oh dear. That is so frustrating. My filly box walks too and there is no way I could afford to keep her on shavings! Can you explain that unless you can sort out some bedding solution you might have to move? Might scare them into acceptance if they think they're going to lose all that lovely money!

 

[Cuppatea]

Can you explain that unless you can sort out some bedding solution you might have to move? Might scare them into acceptance if they think they're going to lose all that lovely money!

/\ /\ definatly worth a go!

 

[Flash_28]

Thanks Jesstickle and Rowena. I think I will have to give this one a go as to be honest I don't have much more to lose really.

Thank you to all replies. I'm just so stressed with this as can see my horse is unhappy and I can't deal with another winter like last year.

 

[Echo Bravo]

Yes I can understand as I've gone back to straw after ayear on shavings for my 4 horses, one who is a box walker. And I hate shavings, they dont do the job the manufacturs say, I was going through 30 bales a month at the lest and they dont break down as they say I'm still having problems with it.The horses love being on a nice thick bed of straw and it takes my less time to muck out, my mares stable (who was the reason I went on to shavings) use to take me an hour to muck out as she use to bury all her droppings and the boxwalker I'd just clean out the whole bed, but now she's happy and he's happy and I'm certainly happy. Tell them you are thinking of moving.

 

[Crazydancer]

WHat about wood pellets? I've never used them myself, so can't say how good or not they are, but some friends just moved onto a yard where they use them, and so far so good, they like them. They are supposed to be pretty good with 'wet' horses...

 

[depurple1]

Could you get a contract in place with somebody to remove a straw muckheap so you could prove to the YO that it would be taken away regularly?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I've never heard such rubbish!
Straw breaks down much more quickly than shavings. However have you tried bigger shavings e.g. Bedmax? We find them much better than small shavings and about the same price. We deep litter and use roughly 2 bags per horse per week once the bed is established.

 

[Rose Folly]

Think your farmer has a hidden agenda! As Pearlsasinger says, straw rots down far better than shavings. I have a tiny livery business (4 horses) and the locals take all our manure for their gardens. They complained this year 'cos one of the liveries had used shavings!!

There's a lot of movement of horses from yard to yard this winter, and you may well be able to find somewhere far nicer for your horses. Our local farmer-supplier is selling beautiful barley straw at £4 per bale. We're feeding it...

 

[cronkmooar]

My 23 yr old has stable comfort matting - its like a mattress with a top sheet.

I used to use just a sprinkle of megazorbe - but this started to get expensive as with age he pee's more.

Now use the wood pellets - i have put down enough to generously cover the whole floor with unsoaked pellets where he pees and it is working really well.

he always lies down and is a big horse in a 12x12 box and sadly now does get up from a sit.

The mattress is very expensive to start with but mine have been down 8 years so far and are the best things ever bought. you can put sand down before the mattress to make the stable more even/drain in another direction it can also be put straight down on an earth floor. This is the type of mat that you do not lift (unless you want to take it somewhere else!) and I think is equivalent to 4 inches of bedding.

Unlike some who use pellets i remove poo and all wet every day but still only use two 10kg bags a week (about £5)

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

I dont know if you can get them in England but Rice Husks (made by CopRice here) are an excellent bedding.

 

[Flash_28]

Thank you for everyone’s replies. I do really appreciate it.

I haven’t heard anyone complaining that straw doesn’t break down either! I have one TB who has to be on shavings as he is allergic to straw and rubs himself bald if he goes on it. I have had trouble in previous yards to keep him on the shavings as no farmers wanted them. But never have I had a problem with straw. Luckily he is such a clean little guy that it takes 10 mins to muck out. He just leaves me one mountain of poo and that’s it!

It sounds so silly that just as I can’t get one of the guys on straw that I’m thinking of moving. I did have a look on the internet last night for yards in my area and nothing has come up. I don’t want to say that I’m thinking of moving when I can’t really find anywhere else and then end up stuck with no stabling. I have 5 horses, one of whom is a colt and nowhere near ready to be gelded, which is yet another problem that I will have trying to find alternative stabling for them. But I honestly can’t deal with another hard winter of trying to keep all 5 on shavings. It was too expensive for one thing and secondly the box walking mare was just so unhappy. I’m worried how it is affecting her mentally and physically and I know it isn’t doing me any favours either. I am quite OCD about my horses beds and walking in to find urine coming out the front of the stables and puddles under all the mats is just so depressing. The smell is rank and all I want to do is provide her with a bed that she feels comfortable to lay down on and go to toilet on.

Ideally I would love to have the box walking mare for def on straw and then possibly the young colt (very unsettled in the stable sometimes and will trash the whole lot) and my pony as he is dirtier on shavings but so clean on straw. Then keep my TB and lami prone pony on shavings as found Megazorb suits them well. But even that was £5 per bale last year and now £7.30 at a reduced rate as I’m a loyal customer at my local store. It’s £7.90 to everyone else.

I have tried all types of bedding and different types of shavings for the box walker and nothing just seems to suit as well as straw, including Bedmax, Beddown, Aubiose, Hempcore, Hunter, Woburn, Megazorb to name a few. Straw is the quickest to muck out and the cheapest to replace as I have to replace the whole floor of her bedding every day. The only bedding that I haven’t tried yet is the wood pellets which I have looked into and to be honest I’m not so sure about them either or spending the £70 if all that will happen is lasting a day. I have also been told no to paper and cardboard which I was asking to try. Although I have been told that I can have rape straw as bedding that he gets at £5 a bale but I can’t see much difference between straw and the rape straw! Well other than the price! I would be spending £5 a day at least to bed down my mare!

I just don’t know if I’m blowing this all out of proportion. I am lucky in that I rent a yard as a whole and it is just my horses on the land and that is it. I have had so many problems previously being in livery yards and love being by myself and having no one to deal with. But then my mare is unhappy. As suggested I was thinking of also drawing up a contract saying that I agree to remove the straw bedding and if I don’t then they can charge me or something. I won’t be using a contractor as my local dump accepts to take the used straw bedding to be disposed of correctly. I have double and triple checked with the dump and it is fine. So it will cost me the petrol and the boxes to stick in the boot of the car to dispose of the bedding. I did explain the straw would be disposed of daily but all I was told was no.

Cronkmooar I would LOVE to have them all on the comfort stable matting as it is lovely but so expensive! I used to muck out a horse that had it down on the floor and loved it. It was just like walking on a spongy mattress. Also as I’m only at a livery yard I’m not sure if I would purchase it just yet. In the future I would love to get my own land and have them there so I don’t have plans to start indefinitely. Currently saving for a mobile stable so that all guys have a home of their own which must come 1st.

Felicity I haven’t heard of Rice husks being used as bedding here. But it won’t hurt to do some research. Thank you for the tip!

Thank you again.