Bedding - what do you use??

horse_lover

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As title really. I am moving to a new yard and they seem to allow everything but straw, which is a bit of a bummer as mine have always been on straw and I think its a lot cheaper than anything else :( There seem to be so many other types of bedding on the market I have no idea where to start, so what would you recommend?

What are your horses on? How much is a bag? How many bags does it take to start a stable and what does it take to maintain the bed? One of my boys is getting on a bit now so I do not want anything dusty as he has been known to cough, but he is usually really clean in the stable. My other boy is digusting. Advice would be greatfully received, thanks in advance :)
 

3Beasties

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Liver pool wood pellets, about £3.25 per bag. I used about 12 to start and tend to another in twice a week with the occasional big top up of 2/3 bags at a time.

It's my first Winter using them and I have to say I wouldn't go back, much cheaper and easy then shaving and a lot less smellier then straw!!
 

Holly Hocks

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I use easibed for the clean pony - I pay £5.90 per bale. I don't put her a full thick bed down as she has full rubber mats. I would only put about 4 in to start her bed and I top up with one bale per week maximum.

I use Equinola (chopped rape straw) for the big mare who is messier. She was on easibed, but a few weeks ago I bought a bale of Equinola from the feedstore and I've been topping up with a bale a week ever since. It costs me £6.90 per bale, but I was having to use about 2 easibed for her, instead of one of the Equinola, so it works out better for me on this. I'm finding it quite easy to muck out and I just sprinkle a bit of clean bedding on each day - and in fact last week I still had a third of a bale left at the end of the week. They're big bales and she is also on full rubber mats, but I give her a much thicker bed than the pony. I think to start off I would have put down about 5 bales of this.
 

Baggybreeches

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I use chopped straw, I was on straw but trying to pin down the farmer to deliver was a PITA so I bought a bale of the chopped straw and I haven't looked back. My gelding box walks and my mare is a stinky messy minger but it is so much easier, the beds are drier and because stinky mare doesn't eat it the bed stays full. At the moment I am really busy so I am deep littering through the week and mucking out at the weekend. Doing it this way I am using a bale between 2 horses every 5 or 6 days. I was using 6 bales of straw a week at £2 per bale, now I am using a bag (£6) and a bit a week (eg a quarter) costing £7.50 ish.
 
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Zerotolerance

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Shredding for Bedding - shredded bank note/security paper, has high cotton content so doesn't go soggy and heavy like newspaper. Stays white so always looks nice and totally dust free. From £6/bale inc vat, depending how many you buy.
 

Bionic Boy

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I ue snowflake shavings and find them very good. Easy to keep clean and not all clumped together when you open a bale. My boy seems quite clean on them too :)
 

Quantock-cob

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I use shavings from Countrywide - they are fine and I would never go back to using straw. My cob was so messy on straw - and he ate it - but on shavings he seems to be much drier and cleaner. Also easier to muck out ( actually I find it much easier because my OH mucks out for me every morning as I have a bad back! :)). We have rubber matting and I put in one new bale of shavings a week. If you buy a pallet from Countrywide it is cheaper - can't remember the discount, as long as you have plenty of storage at your yard. The first time we had a pallet we were surprised just how many bales of shavings it included!!
 

muddygreymare

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I use easibed and sawdust, and have rubber matting. She's relatively clean, was a lot messier on shavings! Now she poos all in one place so it's easier to muck out :)

Bales cost around £6 for easibed and £5.50 for sawdust but I can't remember specific prices. I put about 3-4 bales down to start the bed, with about half a bale of sawdust, which mainly goes into the bankings. I use about a bale of easibed per week, putting down new stuff daily, with some sawdust on top. Go through a bag of sawdust in about 6 weeks.

Have has my mare on shavings, straw and equinola before the easibed and she is definitely best on the easibed and it works out quite cheaply too :)
 

kerilli

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Ecobed cardboard on EVA matting. I've tried everything else, incl wood pellets from two different manufacturers, premium shavings, aubiose, paper, strawy... you name it! I much prefer the cardboard to every other bedding. It's dust free, doesn't break down to dust as it is used (unlike shavings), mulches easily, wormery worms love it, clean, doesn't get stuck in tails. And, from personal experience on extended foalwatch, it's very comfy too! ;) ;)
 

archiesmum

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Has anyone used Eco Comfybed? I'm moving my horse off of straw and have come across this in my local tack shop for £5.95 a bale, £2 cheaper than the Mendip shavings I would have chosen.
 

TallyHo123

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Used to use shavings but changed onto straw this Winter as trying to cut down costs. I hate straw! My boy is so messy on straw but it is cheaper.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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rubber matting

and comfy bed for the yard as you get more for your money and its cheaper than easibed

some liveries by soft bed
bedmax for my lami mare
 

Fellewell

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I use half bedding and half mats. I generally switch to straw in winter so they have something to nibble. I've tried most of the stuff on sale but usually return to shavings in summer if stabling is necessary.
 

starry94

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i was using hunter shavings but my bedding supplier has just got some new shavings called elite dream, havent used them for too long but they seem good, they are 7.40 a bale..
 

horse_lover

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Thanks everyone, I already have stables mats so I am part ready. For those that have wood pellets do they get dusty once they have been there for a while? I have made a list of everyones recommendations and am on a search to find out who stocks what locally and whats cheapest :)
 

tallyho!

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We were on pellets and matting... easy enough really can't complain.

On straw now. Costs £2 a week. Tried the deep litter method and is as clean as the pellets were. It costs £4 to start with as you need two bales to put down, then just clean out poo and leave wet - add on fresh. Deep clean once a month - a tenner.
 

digitalangel

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i totally adore straw pellets, much MUCH nicer than wood pellets that i used for a couple of years. they dont go that horrible color, they smell lovely, MUCH less dusty, dont have to wet/soak, rots down *so* quick..if im that bothered abot aesthetics i put a bag of shavings/rape straw on top.. i use much less bedding than i used to as straw pellets are more absorbent.

the only negative is the delivery - twice now ive had a number of broken bags, bad shipping, fallen off pallet etc. so may try another company for my next delivery.
 

Aoibhin

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im on shavings, used 4 bags to get started, i lift just the poo daily & once a week i turn the whole bed over & remove the very wet stuff before shaking out the rest over the entire floor for the day to dry out & iar before making the bed back up in the evening.
have a bag open out the front of stable with a large feed scoop in it & if it looks a little dark/damp i sprinkle some more on top.
my boy isnt too messy & always goes in the same place but i go through 1 ot 1 & a half bales a month in winter when he is in, but buy 1 bale every month even in summer when he lives out so they are stacking up ready for next winter.
 

digitalangel

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straw pellet bed after 3 months, with some shavings mixed in.

IMAG0612.jpg
 

loopylass

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Well I have used every bedding - hemp, rapestraw, shavings, straw, cardboard, paper...and the best by far is wood pellets! Very quick and easy to muck out, with very little wastage and the horses don't eat it! I've tried nearly every type of wood pellet too! Now I'm using Puffin Pellets - I find the quality equal to Aquamax (original, not the Yard stuff) but at a fraction of the price - just paid £290 for a tonne, including VAT and delivery! Don't know what that works out to a bag, but having researched and used quite a few different wood pellets now I can safely say you need to ask your supplier whether they use virgin wood or recycled wood. I'd recommend you avoid recycled wood pellets - they are nowhere near as absorbent and end up being a completely false economy. I find paying slightly more per bag for virgin wood pellets ends up meaning I need to add a bag less often - I use 1-2 bags per stable per week now instead of 3-4 bags. The muck heap is so much smaller too, so saves me money getting that taken away less frequently too! There's also great variety in bag sizes - so check the weight rather than just going on the price per bag - compare prices per kg or per tonne!
 
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