Best bedding for a wet horse

[Hairy Horror]

My gelding is very wet in his stable. He has a deep shavings bed on rubber matting. I use 2 sometimes 3 bales of shavings a week
and every day get one and a half wheel barrows out. He is in from 3pm till 6am. How would you manage this bed?

 

[rachyblue]

Straw with a bit of shavings in the wet spot if necessary. Miles cheaper

 

[poopickingslave]

I use Bed Soft Bio mixed with shavings - my gelding is really wet too, but these hold together well and I've found that I can get this back down to one bale per week.

 

[Hairy Horror]

Straw with a bit of shavings in the wet spot if necessary. Miles cheaper

Thank you, I have been thinking of straw, he has full pure white feathers (well in the summer) slight shade mud at the min! Do you think straw would dry his legs quicker to?

 

[LaMooch]

Straw with a bit of shavings in the wet spot if necessary. Miles cheaper

I would agree with this too. My friend does this for her wet horse and it does make mucking out easier too

 

[Hairy Horror]

I use Bed Soft Bio mixed with shavings - my gelding is really wet too, but these hold together well and I've found that I can get this back down to one bale per week.

Thank you for your reply, is it like easi bed? I tried easi bed and he made a real mess, I used three bales a week.

 

[L&M]

I also have a wet gelding and have found a base of shavings with straw on top works best.

The straw is also fab for drying/cleaning his legs - when I come home fron hunting I brush the worst of the mud off and the straw takes off the rest!

 

[Hairy Horror]

Sorry to sound daft, how thick is your shavings base? Is is just a inch or so with a deep straw bed? Thanks.

 

[Tiffany]

I've always used shavings but last year when we moved to another yard the YO insisted on Fitch bedding so had no choice. Having said that I wouldn't use anything else now. My girl's bed is always clean and dry now http://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/animal-bedding/horse-bedding.html

 

[L&M]

yes about an inch or so - the good thing is that the straw stays mainly dry so have less wastage.

 

[Hairy Horror]

yes about an inch or so - the good thing is that the straw stays mainly dry so have less wastage.

Thank you.

 

[jam14]

I put a layer of wood pellets below my shavi.gs ontop of the matting and lift it out end of the week and its great.

 

[L&M]

No worries - hope it works for you too.

 

[Angus' yard]

Layer of wood pellets in the centre sections where he wees. Deep straw bed with banks. The wood pellets suck up the wee and makes a good firm base and the top straw stays nice and dry and just needs skipping out. About every ten days the grot gets taken out. We've been doing this for about a month and really pleased. Our white horse stays pretty clean and his legs dry out in the straw overnight too.

 

[NellRosk]

Have you started off your deep litter with enough bed? First time I tried to deep litter it was a disaster because I didn't start with enough bed. Started again this year and put loads of shavings in and now the wee soaks to the bottom and the top layer stays dry and clean. My 2 are filthy and now I only top up with 1/2 to 1 bag of shavings a week

 

[Hairy Horror]

Have you started off your deep litter with enough bed? First time I tried to deep litter it was a disaster because I didn't start with enough bed. Started again this year and put loads of shavings in and now the wee soaks to the bottom and the top layer stays dry and clean. My 2 are filthy and now I only top up with 1/2 to 1 bag of shavings a week

I am not deep littering but I was wondering if I should start too so the base gets solid. How long did it take to establish your base?

 

[horseygin]

I used to HATE deep litter... because the ammonia stank. Now I use bedwell, and yes , you do need 6/7 bales to start( and water to water it down a bit) but it has been the cleanest cheapest way of keeping a horse on a deep clean bed. The urine is pulled down to the bottom, it doesnt just drop through like easibed - which i really didnt rate. The bales fluff up so i use 1/2 bale every 2 days and keep some in the banks so every day he has a covering of fresh clean bed. Every weekend i scrape the top off , reserving the dampish stuff to fill the hole in where I dig out the concentrated urine which is red in colour and in concentrated areas. Dont waste any half wet stuff, put it onto the floor first into the hole, then pull some dry on top. Usually no smell until you start to dig it out so quick and easy.

 

[NellRosk]

I am not deep littering but I was wondering if I should start too so the base gets solid. How long did it take to establish your base?

Took about 2 weeks? It's so much easier now, I take out poos and then flick all the dry loose shavings up so the little droppings fall out. Then I level off the base, it can build up and become 'uneven' so if there's any humps in the bed I scrape it off and bang it down with a shovel in another part of the bed then put the clean dry shavings on top. Quick and easy!

 

[Corner Mad House]

Don't think anyone has mentioned this but I found some stuff called Megazorb. Sounds corny I know. It is absolutely bloody fantastic. I put a bag down where I know they are going to tiddle and then put bedding on top of this. It soaks it all up and gives you a good firm base under your bed, so I only have to take wet out once a week. Not wishing to offend or seem to be advertising, here is the link http://www.northerncropdriers.co.uk/product/megazorb so you can read what the stuff is. It really has made a huge difference to my stable management and its not that expensive!

 

[rachyblue]

My stable slopes so I just put a sprinkle in the corner where it collects and remove it when I muck out, too much and it just becomes a pain. I did start from shavings though and just wound it down, putting straw on top.

 

[Hairy Horror]

Thank you all for your replies. Over the weekend I cleared his shavings bed and made a very deep straw bed with big banks. So far so good. I do a full muck out lifting his bed and I have found it so much quicker than hunting round for broken up droppings. Fingers x it's stays good. I used 4 fluffy bales to start the bed and put half a bale in every morning.

 

[Elsbells]

I've tried everything possible but the best so far has been a dirt floor and a deep straw bed. Mucking out takes minutes and her bed is always nice and dry.

 

[Corner Mad House]

Personally if I were to use straw I would still put a bag of Megazorb down to soak up the wet if on concrete or matting flooring. It really is amazingly absorbent stuff.

 

[Megibo]

Nice deep wood pellet beds for me. Collects in a nice little 'circle' of pee which is taken out daily and keeps the bed that lovely white colour too. Oh and dries wet muddy legs off!

 

[Vetwrap]

Personally if I were to use straw I would still put a bag of Megazorb down to soak up the wet if on concrete or matting flooring. It really is amazingly absorbent stuff.

Yep, another vote for Megazorb. Now on a yard where I pay for the straw that I use, I am going to be buying a bag to save some of the straw. It is awesome stuff!