Bedding -May be a thick question but...

[nikCscott]

A while ago we were at the yard when some new rubber chips were being delivered to top up the school and non horsey OH asked 'why can't you just put those rubber chips in the stable instead of those expensive shavings?'.

And I couldn't really answer him i suggested maybe they weren't as warm, but I only use the shavings at the back on the rubber matts so that doesn't work.

I've googled and not found any for sale as bedding, but wonder if any HHO could help as now I'm actually thinking about it it could be very cost effective. Although i realise you'd have to be careful not to get any chips on the muck heap.

Hope i don't get shot down in flame because something horrendously dangerous hasn't occurred to me. It just a thought...

 

[ThePony]

I don't know why you would use rubber chips - they won't be absorbant at all?

 

[martlin]

Simply, rubber will not absorb any urine, so the stable would be wet and rather smelly, probably quite slippery, too.

 

[nikCscott]

I don't know why you would use rubber chips - they won't be absorbant at all?

My boy goes on the rubber matt and it drains away (think he likes to keep his shavings clean)- so exactly the same concept...

 

[trickivicki]

Me and Dad had exactly the same conversation not so long ago!

It would be dust free, drain well, they wouldn't want to eat it, you could hose it over if it got mucky....

 

[Naryafluffy]

I suppose as long as the stable ws on a slight slope and drained ok, but this of the cost and it would need topped up from time to time as well, think it would be rather expensive.

 

[nikCscott]

Me and Dad had exactly the same conversation not so long ago!

It would be dust free, drain well, they wouldn't want to eat it, you could hose it over if it got mucky....

Exactly my stable drains rapidly so I'd imagined just carefully collecting dropping as not to get any chips and then hosing the chippings weekly to keep any funky smells a bay. And as you wouldn't be removing the chipping and they wouldn't turn to dust- less/no need for top ups(???)

This is all hypothetical just collecting opinions...

 

[FairyLights]

so long as the horse doesnt eat them and you pick them out of the muck heap they sound a good idea.

 

[BorgRae]

Although he wee's at the front of his stable, does he currently lie on his bed? If so I would imagine that lying on rubber chips would be very uncomfortable ...not quite the same as a straw or shavings bed!

If he wee's at the front, and you want to save money on bedding, if he has rubber mats, some people just don't have a bed at all and use a sprinkle of shavings? I probs wouldn't use the rubber chips though, they're a bit hard!

 

[kerilli]

they'd be comfy enough, but they'd stink, and you'd have to have a way of hosing them clean, and then you'd have a wet bed... ugh. sorry, i love clean dry beds that are nice enough that i can sleep on them (as i did this summer on foalwatch!) i do half a bed of Ecobed bedding on foam/rubber mats, best of all worlds imho - quick, easy, warm, dry, very absorbent.

 

[nikCscott]

I'm not thinking of changing, my boy is happy on his mats with the shavings at the back so if he's happy then so am I.

It's just that it's never occurred to me and I wasn't able to give the OH a good answer as to why not when he asked.

I shall now tell him 'they will stink' although can't think that they would smell any worse than when I lift the mats now.

Thank you

 

[sychnant]

I wouldn't have thought they would bed down very well, it would be too easy for a horse to scrape through to the concrete... especially if they scuff around and fiddle about like my lot do

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Just imagine how time consuming mucking out would be!