Bedding for Box Rest?

mahorse

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I normally bed my mare on Cushionbed (woodchip) but I'm pulling my hair out as its costing a fortune! Its 6.50 a bale and I'm using about 3 a week as it always seems damp!! She drinks loads and is always peeing, and I just wondered if there was an alternative other than straw as it is just not absorbant enough.
Has anyone used the wood pellets?
With her being in 24/7 as she stirs it up quite a bit when she gets a bit hyper due to the box rest....
Any suggestions, perlease?
 
wood pellets good, as are shavings. if she is getting hyper during box rest you could get her some sedalin from vets and give her 1 to 2 mls in the morning to keep her relaxed? you could steam her hay then she wont drink as much (tho drinking and weeing is good health wise just not so good mucking out and bed wise) i hated when mine were on cushionbed as the wet does run through it. you could add a bag or 2 of dry pellets and mix through (they will swell from the moisture in the bed and dry it up a bit) or add a bag of fine shavings to help dry up and fluff the bed up. always hard when in 24 hours a day. i would muck out properly and make the bed big!!
 
When I had a very wet horse in on box rest I used Hemcore which worked very well for him.

Sprinkle it with water when you first put it down and try and leave the wet in unless it comes to the top of the bed.
 
90% of the time she is quite calm, just sometimes things set her off and she has a broncing moment in the stable! To be fair she has been pretty good for the last few weeks...
With the wood pellets, is it a deep litter thing or do you take wet out each day?
 
Mines on box rest and I use Snowflake Supreme shavings. Shes got a deep bed on rubber mat and I do a muck out on a morning, then skip out a night with a lunchtime skip out if Im at the yard. We go through about 2 bales a week and she does pee a lot too. I found that the deeper the bed the cleaner she is.
 
my very messy gelding is on new forest shaving (we get them from mole valley) and they are about £5.80 a bale i think and last about 5/6 days. they are big flakes and a bag goes SO far, and are extreemly absorbant - highly reccomend them
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