Bedding for stable on bare earth?

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HelenMac

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We’ve just had a stable and field shelter built. They are movable, on metal skids so they rest on bare earth.
How would you manage the flooring?
Bedding onto bare earth?
Mud control mats to make a base with bedding on top?
Rubber matting plus bedding? (I’m not convinced of this idea as the earth is soft enough already, not like concrete.)
Or something else?
I’m planning on Aubiose bedding rather than straw.
 
I'll be interested to see what other people say as I also have a field shelter on bare earth. My horse loves it. He's in a lot of the time and especially when he wants a wee. Now the floor has a stinking wet patch in the middle! It never dries out in the winter and I guess pulls water in from the saturated ground around it. Currently thinking of putting a layer of wood pellets in. It was damp in summer but not wet and deep like it is now.
 
I have done rubber mats and shavings. Also straw straight onto the earth (my preference) which is then deep litterered. If you don’t use the stables in the summer you never have to dig it out - it rots into the ground. For both, you need a slight slope away or generally dry ground.
 
maya2008 said:
Also straw straight onto the earth (my preference) which is then deep litterered. If you don’t use the stables in the summer you never have to dig it out - it rots into the ground. For both, you need a slight slope away or generally dry ground.
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This is what I used in my stables many moons back. Beds got quite deep and I just dug out as needed. Used them for about 16 years till we left the farm.
 
We have one shelter directly on the ground. Last winter we put a kind of rug covering the ground, but that didn't quite dry up the urine so for this winter, we decided to take that away. They are now on bare ground with chopped straw bedding and I'd say it works well. I add more straw daily to keep it dry as they think it's a great toilet and extra eating space.
 
Errin Paddywack said:
This is what I used in my stables many moons back. Beds got quite deep and I just dug out as needed. Used them for about 16 years till we left the farm.
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This is exactly what my friend did back in the 80's. 4 earth floored stables. All semi deep littered with straw. I wouldn't waste money on expensive bedding alternatives unless horse has health issues.
 
Our first wooden stables had a bare floor, and I used shavings straight onto the floor. worked well until they flooded (they were built into a hill) and we dug it all out and laid a waterproof membrane down and up the walls and then concrete. We dug a gutter out round the side of the stables to divert the water - worked really well.
 
nutjob said:
I'll be interested to see what other people say as I also have a field shelter on bare earth. My horse loves it. He's in a lot of the time and especially when he wants a wee. Now the floor has a stinking wet patch in the middle! It never dries out in the winter and I guess pulls water in from the saturated ground around it. Currently thinking of putting a layer of wood pellets in. It was damp in summer but not wet and deep like it is now.
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A Facebook dealer called Trina’s Cobs recently did a trial of wood pellets and Aubiose. Her account has the videos.
She loved both. And although both are expensive to set up initially the weekly cost is low and muck out is swift.
Her stables are concrete so slightly different experience.
My husband did a google search for what to use and it came up with aubiose being a really good option. So I think that’s what I’ll go for
 
We had stables on bare earth and deep littered with shavings through the winter then cleared it out in the summer so it didn’t get high. My gelding was easy because he wee d in the middle so I could take the wet out weekly, my mare wasn’t easy as she went all over the place . When i cleared his wet out I put stable boy powder down before putting shavings back.
 
I have very old, patchy concrete, so it's not great. I have been using wood pellets, lots, dry and deep initially, they soon firm up with moisture in air and from ground, horse. Then I top up with miscanthus and really like this
 
Sanversera said:
I dug deep litter out by hand. It's heavy, horrible and terrible to do. A tractor scooping it out is the way to go. Never again will I deep litter without a tractor available.
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That’s why I only deep litter onto bare earth! We would remove the little patches of straw that bubbled up but generally if you are on dry bare earth you end up essentially on a nice warm compost heap that rots itself down, staying dry on top too. Much nicer than the horrors of deep litter onto concrete that does indeed need tractor removal!
 
summer shelter i think straw on bare earth is fine

winter shelters i think you need to do mud control mats then sand or shavings to stop slip and then straw on top to keep it dry
 
Hallo2012 said:
summer shelter i think straw on bare earth is fine

winter shelters i think you need to do mud control mats then sand or shavings to stop slip and then straw on top to keep it dry
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My stables (not shelter) were on bare earth and used all year round. Lowest field of the farm so not the driest and on clay too. Just used straw, picked up droppings only and topped up straw daily. Once it developed a base I took out the wettest bit each day. Ever so often I would take out more to lower it a bit. Worked really well for me. I mucked out into plastic feed sacks and eiher stacked them and sold the muck or dragged them to close by muck heap and emptied. Wouldn't suit everyone but did me.
 
maya2008 said:
That’s why I only deep litter onto bare earth! We would remove the little patches of straw that bubbled up but generally if you are on dry bare earth you end up essentially on a nice warm compost heap that rots itself down, staying dry on top too. Much nicer than the horrors of deep litter onto concrete that does indeed need tractor removal!
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Do you remove the compost heap though? Doesn't it just get higher and higher over the years?
 
Are you stabling them overnight? If not, if door is permanently open so they choose, and if you only shut them in for up to an hour at a time, then I wouldn't bother with bedding, just put rubber mats down, so that you discourage urinating and it's easy to pick up poo.
 
Shetland just has 3 sided shelter on bare earth next to stables. Sloped down to drainage channel. Straw pellets and old hay on top. Take out poos and wet if any. She free ranges when mine are stabled so only goes in when weather bad but lays down in it. Clear it completely in spring once all out 24/7.
 
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