bedding

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Naturalhorse

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hi, Wondering what bedding people use, so far been told straw is best, shavings are best and paper is best. Kind of confused. any suggestions?
 
It depends on the flooring ime, we use very cheap shavings on earth floors, they work well, stay dry and smell free. Straw was less dry and got smelly very quickly, plus there are storage problems with big bale straw.
 
Depends on your horse.

I personally hate mucking out straw, mare is wet, it isn't absorbant enough, it STINKS and she eats it and colics.

Paper, well, I just ended up with a soggy mess stuck to the floor.

Shavings, better, more absorbant, doesn't bulk out a muck heap so much, the bed stays looking nicer for longer.
 
Chopped rape straw. Very absorbent, easy to handle, rots down quicker than shavings & can be spread on the land. Only problem. My supplier has let me down & doesn't respond to my messages so I'm struggling to find another supplier!
 
If money is no object my absolute favourite is shavings, the hoofs stay dry and thrush free, the bed can be mucked out daily or semi deep littered depending on time, shavings are available everywhere, don't smell unless you're digging out a few days worth of wet, and they absorb wet from poo so there ends up being less poo stains on the horse even if it lays in one. The expense is the only downside for me with shavings.

For economy, a small muck heap and savings on time and effort Aubiose is my favourite, but not everywhere sells it.

Straw is ok if you've got a horse who isn't too wet and you're skint, but the smell is the major downside for me, plus if your stable has no drain in the corner and your horse is wet then I just don't think it works well at all.

I've used chopped cardboard too, which worked similar to shavings but worked out cheaper. No idea where you buy it from though, it was sold by the yard I was at.
 
You can't beat a good, deep straw bed for me.

Both of mine are on rubber mats with straw beds a good foot deep.

My mare is very clean so a doddle to do.
My gelding is awfully dirty and wet so gets through a lot more straw but neither bed ever smell.

I find the straw works well to dry wet and muddy legs too.
 
Aubiose all the way. Whilst most people think its 'too expensive', it actually works out cheaper as you skip less out. Was previously on shavings and doing light skip out during the week, full at weekend. Having to get rid of most of it as was gross! On Aubiose taking less than a barrow out at weekend and topping up half a bale each for both stables. Definitely won't use anything else now!!
 
Shavings.

I've tried straw - wet and she was eating it and it was making her cough.

I've tried paper - blew everywhere and wasn't very absorbant

I've tried wood pellets - I did like these but was spending £18 a week on it and my bed still wasn't very deep.

Then I went on shavings and I love them (hunters are my favourite) I do 1 bag a week, it's absorbant, smells nice, quick to muck out.
 
I use Snowflake Softchip which is very cheap for decent weight bales, every now and again when the bed gets a bit grubby looking I throw half a bale of Aubiose on top which freshens the bed nicely
 
Rubber matting and straw/wood pellets. I use straw pellets because they don't need wetting and gardeners/allotment owners take my muck and wood based products aren't good for gardening.

If the size of the muck heap is an issue for you, pellets are the best way to go, super absorbent too.
 
It depends on you and the horse - I have thick rubber matting and shavings because she eats straw and I just hate mucking it out
I get either unlimited straw or one shavings bale a week included in my livery, so she has the shavings and it doesn't cost me anything extra, she's not a messy pony any way so one bale a week works
 
Mine is on straw and rubber matting. He's not too wet or he'd be on shavings. Straw is cheaper and seems cosier haha- nothing's better than a deep straw bed in my opinion! :)
 
Honestly, if you ask three different people, you'll get four different answers!
(Much like any other question in the horse world in fact)

I use a mixture of different beddings now depending on whats going cheapest where- so at the moment he has a mixture of mostly easibed, with snowflake and lay-soft mixed in and the odd bag of auibose.


(I was previously being stingy with straw and my pony and his bed was disgusting- changing from straw and to a big bed did wonders.)



Big beds are best, as opposed to a certain type of bedding imo!
 
Wagtail said:
Best thing by far I've found, is sticks.
Click to expand...

They can make nice nests with them, burrow in deep. But you need a fair few to let the wee through and tbh not the easiest to much out :p

At least with the Egyptian cotton sheets you can fire them in the washing machine :D
 
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