Bedding

[Beccahope01]

I’m trying to find the best bedding for my mare before the winter months when she will be in a lot more. She urinates a lot and therefore makes her bed very messy, and doesn’t poo in one spot - instead she likes to kick it around?? I currently have her on shavings, but am going through bags and bags a month as I’m taking most the bed out everyday due to it being so wet and turning a horrible brown/orange colour where she’s kicking the poo around. Does anyone have any suggestions for good bedding that will be absorbent and longer lasting? I’ve been suggested to use pellets but again am not sure which is the best to go for

 

[holeymoley]

Pellets are by far more absorbent. I found strawmax straw pellets much better than any wood pellet. However if you chose a wood pellet then Sorbeo are the best I found.

 

[Firefly9410]

You have a messy horse. It is the box walking churning the bed up that causes it. There is no solutions unless it is happening through stress, when you can try to fix the cause. More absorbant beddings will cost more and still need to be thrown out due to the walking.

I think people do not budget enough for bedding. If you want a truly clean bed you will need more than a bale per week. I find most people's mucking out standard of cleanliness to be quite low.

My very wet, non-walking horse needed 3-4 bales of shavings per week or 2 bales of Aubiose (hemp). My less wet but occasionally box walking pony needed 2-3 bales of straw per week.

If you would prefer it may be easier to have rubber mats and use half bale bedding daily which is completely removed each day

 

[Melandmary]

I use a chopped rape straw bedding called simba. A bit like riveria, there are lots of different makes. I use about 6 bales a month in summer and 8 in winter. This is with an enormous bed almost right up to the door and a good 6-8 inches thick on top of matting. It is very absorbent. I do believe it is a combination of absorbance and stable comfort/stress that causes messy stables so you need to address both. The smaller and shallower the bed the messier it is in my opinion and I have mucked out alot of different horses in my time working as a stable hand.