Aubiose bedding

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Sandstone1

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Due to my horse having breathing issues have had to change bedding from wood pellets. I like Aubiose but its fairly expensive. Any other bedding recommendations? Horse is fairly wet but have rubber matting too.
 
Is aubiose miscanthus? I find miscanthus to be the best bedding I've ever used in over fifty years of horse ownership. I've had straw, sawdust, shavings and cardboard over the years but am now completely taken with miscanthus.
 
Aubiose is wonderful and is my preferred bedding; unfortunately, after I couldn't get any for a while I ordered a pallet of Cavianthus with Paypal pay-in-3. It's not AS good as the Aubiose, but it's pretty good in this damp weather and is easy to muck out. I find each bale goes quite a long way but I don't stable regularly, so I couldn't tell you what normal usage would be. My asthma pony is absolutely fine with it.
 
Aubiose is hemp, lovely stuff
A good alternative imo is Equinola which is chopped rape straw
I've also use chopped rape straw in the guise of Bedsoft Bio which is not nearly as nice - dusty and often had mouldy patches in the bags
 
There are other slightly cheaper brands of hemp bedding that are just as good.

I think East Yorkshire Hemp deliver countrywide by the pallet.

Also Harrison Spinks / Ecoshiv but think you may need to be local to West Yorkshire or willing to drive to Leeds to collect.

I used both when I was on DIY
 
I've just had the same dilemma and have settled on soft chip, it's slightly heavier than Aubiose as I don't want to deep litter and I am very happy with the results and ease of the bedding
 
I’m a recent convert to aubiose, also due to respiratory issues. The bale price is expensive but I find running the bed quite economical if you follow their advice to semi deep litter. I did try it years ago but I took out the wet every day then and found it too expensive so if you do try it definitely semi-deep litter.

I skip out during the week and take up the wet patches at the weekend, with this routine I use 2 bales a week in the winter and it maintains as a nice deep bed. On cardboard bedding it was 3 bales a week and a thin bed. Same for bedmax which I’ve also tried. My horse is a 17hh gelding who is quite wet and messy, my friends 15hh mare only needed 1 bale in every couple of weeks running her bed like this, so obviously it varies depending on the horse.
 
bluehorse said:
I’m a recent convert to aubiose, also due to respiratory issues. The bale price is expensive but I find running the bed quite economical if you follow their advice to semi deep litter. I did try it years ago but I took out the wet every day then and found it too expensive so if you do try it definitely semi-deep litter.

I skip out during the week and take up the wet patches at the weekend, with this routine I use 2 bales a week in the winter and it maintains as a nice deep bed. On cardboard bedding it was 3 bales a week and a thin bed. Same for bedmax which I’ve also tried. My horse is a 17hh gelding who is quite wet and messy, my friends 15hh mare only needed 1 bale in every couple of weeks running her bed like this, so obviously it varies depending on the horse.
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I used Aubiose for years, because I did not have space for a huge muck heap. Some beds were down a couple of years deep littered, I would take out the worst and it would dry out over to summer, as I never had to pay anyone to take the muck heap away, you could put it straight on the garden beds if needed, it worked out about the same cost as shavings.
I have had tried about every bedding, and unless there is another hemp brand that is as good,I found it the best. It reminds me of chipped balsa wood, and locks every thing in the chip and is best slightly damp, and I used to put a pony on it until the bed packed down.
 
I really like Aubiose but have changed to miscanthus bedding (I use ethos bedding) becuase Aubiose is just too expensive. The miscahnthus is really easy to muck out, makes a lovely bed and rots down quickly so really pleased with my choice. I use a semi deep litter system. I only take out the wet once a week, with my wet horse and once a fortnight with my extrtemely clean horse.
 
The local feed place is expensive and I can get it a bit cheaper if I drive further out. Can not find miscanthus locally at all . I use about a bale a week but its still pricey.
 
Sandstone1 said:
Due to my horse having breathing issues have had to change bedding from wood pellets. I like Aubiose but its fairly expensive. Any other bedding recommendations? Horse is fairly wet but have rubber matting too.
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Could you use wood pellets as a base and the Aubiose on top?

I've run my beds like this for 2 months now and am actually quite happy with it (I generally hate all bedding!).

The main things I disliked with wood pellets were the coldness of the surface, the dustiness, the smell, and the aesthetics of it, and with the Aubiose I disliked that it wasn't particularly absorbent, and the base never seemed to settle and compact much. The combination of the two seems to offer the best of both, with none of the downsides that I had on their own.
 
JenJ said:
Could you use wood pellets as a base and the Aubiose on top?

I've run my beds like this for 2 months now and am actually quite happy with it (I generally hate all bedding!).

The main things I disliked with wood pellets were the coldness of the surface, the dustiness, the smell, and the aesthetics of it, and with the Aubiose I disliked that it wasn't particularly absorbent, and the base never seemed to settle and compact much. The combination of the two seems to offer the best of both, with none of the downsides that I had on their own.
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Yes, maybe the answer is to mix it.
 
I use Aubiose for my boy who has breathing problems. I tried deep litter last winter but this did not help his cough. This year I take out the wet, sweep and leave to dry and he is not coughing at all. Aubiose is ridiculously expensive but then so are his cough medications/supplements, so if I can reduce the coughing by using it, it probably saves money in the long run. I wouldn't use wood pellets, even as a base, as they are too dusty.
 
I have changed to haylage which helps and he is only in at night unless the weather is really foul like today when he will come in early.
 
Sandstone1 said:
Has anyone used Burleybed?
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It was awful. The dustiest bedding I've ever seen. We had to leave at least 2hrs for the dust we could see to settle. Bought it specifically for the dust free claims they made.

Absolute bargepole bedding for anything, never mind horses with respiratory issues.
 
TPO said:
It was awful. The dustiest bedding I've ever seen. We had to leave at least 2hrs for the dust we could see to settle. Bought it specifically for the dust free claims they made.

Absolute bargepole bedding for anything, never mind horses with respiratory issues.
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Thanks, might not bother with that then!
 
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Sandstone1 said:
Has anyone used Burleybed?
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I moved to it when it 1st came out, was great stuff.... the next winter I recommended it to friends and on here too, really wish I hadn't. It had changed beyond all recognition and was exactly as TPO mentions. I took what I'd bought back to local feed store and exchanged it for good reliable Aubiose again.
 
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I've always used pellets but one of mine started coughing so I put megaspread or other large flake shavings on top. The shavings contain the dust and the pellets do all the absorbing.

Cardboard is the only truly dust free bedding I've ever used but I found it difficult to manage.
 
Chopped rape straw. I’ve used both Rapasorb and Burley Bed brands. Easy to muck out and absorbent, no dust. I couldn’t get on with miscanthus it really caught the back of my throat leading to coughing fits when I opened a new bale. Smelt funny too.
 
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We use aubiouse, both for our night stabled horses and our open 'shelter' stables. They all only have 1 a week each at £12.50 per bale at the moment. Red wet patches taken out weekly.
We were using straw and shavings before but I'm allergic to straw and we were going through so much more Hunters per week compared to the aubiouse. Our muck heap was also huge and it's costly now to get it removed. It's rotting down so quickly now that we haven't had to had it taken away this year.
 
Sandstone1 said:
Has anyone used Burleybed?
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I've used it for around 2 years now. Last year's batch was awful, really dusty.

I think they must have changed what they do to it, as it's much better this winter. I used to cough when I put a new bale down, I don't any longer.
 
Sandstone1 said:
Has anyone used Burleybed?
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Burly bed make a number of different products with miscanthus and rape and wheat straw.

I’m currently using the chopped rape straw as only yard choice apart from straw and it’s not at all dusty and easy to muck out.

I’ve never got on with miscanthus even if it doesn’t look dusty there is something about it that makes me cough badly when laying a fresh bale and I’ve no allergies of respiratory issues. It did the same to my sharers. Horses seemed fine with it though.
 
I’m a big fan of wood pellets in the usual pee spot and miscanthus (or if not rape) on top.

I use aubiose for the guinea pigs and love it but I’ve never been able to justify the cost for a horse 😅
 
I found burley bed really dusty and hated mucking it out.

I use equisorb for my asthmatic horse, I've found it to be really good, and use about 3 bales every fortnight. She's extremely wet as well, so gets through bedding quickly
 
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