Bedding for filthy gelding

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IsabelleJ

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My boy is a complete MINGER and trashes his bed. He is very wet, but also seems to walk it all around - basically, everything except the banks needs to be taken out every day.

We are just switching over from shavings (getting through three bales a week - which is why we are switching!) to Bliss - where we should be able to use two a week. He can't go back on straw as I hate it (doesn't soak up wee) and he eats it.

At my local feed shop I have the choice between Bliss, Comfybed (is that the same as Cushionbed?), Bedmax and Aubiose. It can't be deep littered, needs to be mucked out every day. Would any of these be any better (and cheaper!) than Bliss?

Silly messy horses
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Isabelle
 
could you use rubber matting? Or is that not a option because of the money side of it? I had a pony onloan that was same as yours a complete minger in the bedroom (sorry couldnt resist)

and she had rubber matting and a small 6ft square of straw which I just removed every day because she never weed on the matting.
 
My yearling is as you describe, and I moved to wood pellets - FANTASTIC! Still trashes the bed, but easier to muck out and fraction of the cost.
 
one of mine is very dirty and the only thing that works is rubber matting and shavings and ive tried all bedding, I tried bliss and it was horrible. I stick to shavings for my lot.
 
I've used Bliss for around 18 months as my mare is very wet and messy. It is very absorbent and much easier and more economical than shavings. I know that some people don't like it but I really haven't found any problems with it. I use a bale a week and then a spare one to cover up any saturated bits. I also have rubber mats but the stable floor is over three-quarters covered with bedding and I have banks too.
 
Grass? I'd chuck him out and leave him there
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Sorry, not a very helpful answer as I do actually realise that turning out isn't always convenient, possible or preferred.

I haven't used anything but minimal straw or shavings on soil floors for years so can't advise on bedding materials.
 
I use wood pellets but add 25% Aubiose to give absorbency a lift and give the bed a bit more fluff. Great and quick to muck out. Another tip - bigger stable, seems odd but if you can big messy horses tend to be a lot cleaner if they can keep separate areas for sleeping/walking round/pooing
 
I use wood pelletts for cheapness but mix in half a bag of shavings a week, otherwise if your horse is wet I find that just WP on their own go very heavy and like sand, also better if you prefer to muck out daily. Adding the shaving fluffs up the bed & works really well.
 
Oh, I am a big dummy, forgot to say rubber mats over the whole of the stable, and I have tried wood pellets and really didn't get on with them. Also, would have to have them delivered at home, so a lot of palaver really!

I did find that I used a lot less Bliss than shavings which is why I am thinking of swapping at the moment. I know someone who mixes in a bale of megazorb with her Bliss and swears by it for absorbing the wet, but Megazorb is not too easy to get for me
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OK, back to the Bliss! It is, incidentally, a fairly large stable, and he has bed at back, and hay/water/feed at front. I think he just likes being as messy as his mum
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Thanks for the help all!

Isabelle
 
I would suggest just a small pile of shavings (about a 1/3 bale) spread out to absorb the pee a bit and then just sweep the whole messy lot out every morning. Oh and sleep in turnout rug to stop it soaking into the stable rug if he lies down.
 
My 18 month old gelding is GROSS and im talking, 4 or 5 inches of soaked bedding if i leave him at 6 o'clock at night and im back for 4 the next evening. Not only that, he walks around, kicks his poo about and generally makes a complete mess, so as you say, all the middle goes and bankings are all that i can save.

I use chopped straw, and ive only just managed to work out a routine that works (sort of). I take out poos and scrape off whatever clean i can salvage (which isnt usually a lot) and throw it in the bankings. This means any poos that have escaped my fork will roll down to the bottom.. i find really going through and getting all the poo out helps with the general cleanliness of the bed. What i do is i do this in the morning and take out ALL the saturated bedding, sprinkle a bit of clean down to wee/poo on. That way your clean bedding stays clean and your not losing as much. Then, evening, all thats left on the floor comes out and i pull down the stuff ive flicked up earlier. I then mix 1/3 of a bale of chopped straw with this and bed down as normal. I use a 1/3 of a bale a day.
x
 
My big mare is also a complete poo/wee machine in the stable, I have her on rubber mats and Bliss, am going to change to Unibed, which is also rape straw but about 50p a bale cheaper.

TBH I have been using rape straw for about 18mths now and would not go back to shavings if you paid me. I did try wood pelletts on one of mine and absolutely hated them.
 
As an update, we seem to be doing ok on the Bliss. I get 2 bales a week. Every day I have to take out about 2/3 of the bottom, but can save most of the banks. He is much muckier on one side of the bed than the other, so almost all of one side has to go. He is also a poo burier, which is infuriating as I always manage to find a few after I have got rid of my barrow!

Isabelle
 
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