Bedding this winter . . .

[Montys_Mum]

I was wondering what bedding people are using this winter? ive been on straw for the last 3 winter on rubber matting but would like something easier but theres a few problems : starting college in sept, so need something quicker and easier to muck out. Horse eats the straw (even though he has lots of hay). It smells abit and doesnt really absorb much wee.

Shavings i think are too expensive. What are the other options?

Ive seen a few posts about pellets and they look good, has anyone used them? if so whats your feedback, are they comfortable (horse likes to lie down and i like nice beds ) ? how much would you use with rubber matting?

Any advice/feedback very welcome pleasee

 

[Chestnut mare]

I use shavings but deep litter throughout the whole winter. They come in November time and go back out April time. I poo pick the bed and put in a bale in once a month. I have a clean horse. I dig the bed out once they are turned back out for the summer in April.

 

[NOISYGIRL]

Have a look at these threads, they may be of interest

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=477806
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=466629

 

[Montys_Mum]

Thankyou there heplful but i dont know if they look very comfy because i know my horse likes to lie down :/

 

[Bettyboo222]

I put down shredded newspaper under the straw to help with absorbing wee

 

[NOISYGIRL]

Thankyou there heplful but i dont know if they look very comfy because i know my horse likes to lie down :/

Oh mine loves his lie downs lol, if you put water on them to activate them they come up lovely and fluffy, if you take any wet out just replace with the pellets and mix them through a bit and they soon fluff up, I really liked them when we had them on our yard, we just had problems getting them delivered cos they couldn't get a big lorry to turn into our lane. Everythings just so expensive now, everyone is keeping an eye on their purse strings and I think these are a good option if you can afford the initial outlay, they work out about £3.50 a bag which is brilliant. Even if you put 2 down a week, these companies always say 1 but maybe 1 one week, 2 the next, still cheaper than £8 bale of shavings

 

[claireandnadia]

I use shavings from a wood yard. Massive bag for about £4.

 

[Xanty]

I used wood pellets last year. They are super quick to muck out don't smell like straw does and worked out much cheaper than shavings. I don't have much time to muck out on a morning and found them excellent will be using them again this year.

 

[Wagtail]

I like megazorb bedding the best. I find it is easier all round. The cheapest I can get it is £6.70 a bag (buying a pallet of 60). I also use wood pellets which I find work out cheaper (around £3.45 per 15 kg bag) and are just as easy to muck out but pose a problem due to freezing in the really cold weather. I like to fluff them up in a wheel barrow frist rather than topping up the bed dry as I find too many of the pellets stay hard if you just put them down without dampening first. I use around 3 bags on rubber matting and take out all of the wet every day. It only takes an average of 4 minutes each stable, so very fast. But I would say that my cleanest horse uses 2 bags a week, and the dirtiest, up to five!

It is the same with the megazorb, though you get more out of each bag. My cleanest horse uses one and a half and the dirtiest - three and a half.

 

[kirinsam]

Wood pellets are really quick and easy to use , make a fantastic bed which doesn't move like shavings and straw , cheaper than most options and I can store a whole winters worth in the same space I used to get 10 bales of straw or shavings so I can buy in bulk and get the best price. Even my huge bony TB didn't go through them when she layed down as the bed is quite compact. Dont work for anyone who makes them (wish I did) just think they are great.

 

[Megibo]

yep we used wood pellets the last time our horses had to be stabled at all, really absorbent not smelly. if you use the correct fork you waste hardly any bedding and ours got by on a bag a week even less if done effectively. fab stuff.
using rubber mats underneath is best my mare likes the odd lay down for a kip in the stable and still loved them on her pellets and mats

 

[Samantha008]

I use a shavings mixture that smells like ecalyptus, which i love. and they cpst me £4 a bag. Its a huge back aswel...and will use one bag a week in winter.

 

[FairyLights]

I use straw

 

[clopclip]

Wood Pellets are awesome provided you don't want a bed that looks uber fluffy!

Good video on youtube showing what the bed looks like here: http://youtu.be/M3Yro0mtT-8

Cheapest wood pellets I've found are from the energy side of the guys above -
www.whitehorseenergy.co.uk

Cheapest shavings I've found are from Arden - if you go and collect they'll give you a pallet at a time - worth a trip in the trailer if you're not too far away - www.ardenwoodshavings.co.uk

As soon as i can afford a groom again we'll go back to straw though - i don't mind if they spend all day smelling like wee!

 

[HHfly]

I think if your horse lays down a lot like mine then pellets aren't the nicest bedding for over the winter, i had also heart that it can freeze come some of the colder nights.
We now have unsoaked pellets on the bottom of the bed and a normal shavings bed on top, and deep litter, taking the wet out once a week.
I really dont think this is much more expensive either, we use one bag of shavings a week at £5 and one bag of pellets about £2.50.
When I dig the wet up I leave the floor to air and then put the new bag of pellets in then.
The bed never smells and the wet never shows through the shavings, so your just taking the poo off the shavings the majority of the time which only takes 5 mins.
The pellets on the bottom absorb soo much that even after a week of being in at night I only get 1 extra wheelbarrow out when i take the wet out.
Just for a comparison I was using 3 bags of pellets a week when I was using them alone as the horse is resonably messy and very wet.

 

[Lotty]

I used to have a lovely thick straw bed. I have now put rubber matting down and use shavings, taking the wet out every 3rd or 4th day.

 

[Montys_Mum]

I use a shavings mixture that smells like ecalyptus, which i love. and they cpst me £4 a bag. Its a huge back aswel...and will use one bag a week in winter.

Whats the name of these and where do you get them?