Best bedding

Limbo1

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What do people find best these days? Been a while since I bought bedding. We have rubber matting and using up some straw given to us. So this is running out what is the best most economical bedding?
 

HappyNeds

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I'm very interested in this thread, we've literally just bought and laid rubber mats, and now trying to decide what bedding to get - as will be stabling this winter for first time in a decade!

Have you tried things other than wood pellets before you went to pellets? Can I ask why they are so good?

Can I ask also please - how much do you need to build the bed to start with, and ongoing? I've found a place that sells 15kg bags near me. Trying to decide if these or shavings are better, and then how many I should get to start with.

Thanks
 

Casey76

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Depends on lots of things ;)

I had to give up on wood pellets due to cost and unsuitable mucking out by yard staff. She is now on shavings and it's working well. I had to give up on shavings with my gelding as he is just such a messy boy, not helped by no drainage and a small box for his size, and I was using 4-6 bales a week. He is now back on straw (*cries*) as it is cheap (included in my livery) and the best option (unless I could suddenly increase his box size by 4x!)
 

glamourpuss

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I've got 4 on rubber mats, they have a wood pellet base & then (because I think wood pellet is ugly & dingy) bankings & a thin top bed made of straw.

The wood pellet base is firm & absorbs wet lovely. I take out the poo every day & tidy up the straw bed using the bankings as a supply to freshen up the bed.
Once a week I muck out the straw bed & throw the clean up onto the banks.
I take out the wet wood pellet bed & stick 1/2 bag of pellets back in.
Straw bed back down & 1/2 bale into the bankings as my weekly fresh supply.
Easy peasy, warm & comfortable, dries legs beautiful & cheap as chips 😊
 

9tails

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I tried quite a few things before I went to wood pellets over 5 years ago. Hunters shavings, other types of shavings, Bedmax, Nedzbedz, Hemcore. Then I found wood pellets and couldn't believe I'd been wasting my time sifting through all these other types of bedding when these are so simple, absorbent and smell-free. I do mucking out for others on different bedding, I particularly dislike straw as it stinks to high heaven. I love love love White Horse Platinum wood pellets.
 

9tails

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HappyNeds, don't buy Verdo. Most places that sell bags singly sell Verdo and it's not very good at all. I start a half bed in a 12x12 box with 8 15kg bags, well soaked until they're completely broken down. They go on for a long time before needing to add more pellets.
 

Lintel

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I have bedded on straw, shavings and pellets.
I changed from straw to shavings because I hate mucking out straw.. the smell... it goes everywhere and my boy eats it. Makes a gorgeous looking bed mind you! I changed from shavings to pellets for economy.. to be fair it hasn't worked out as well as expected but everything else is great!
I put in 8 bag(10kg)s initially to a stone floor(no mats) 12x12(half the stable). It created a bed around 4-6inches deep. I have used no bags of pellets during the summer been out mostly 24/7. I use about 2/3 per week in the winter. It works out per bag around £2.80 so I'd say monthly my bedding costs are around £25 in the winter. Its £7 for shavings here so I'm saving a bit as I would go through a shavings per week. But the smell......... and the time...... wow. It takes me around 5 mins to muck out my boy-(who has now taken to squishing all his poo's into his bed!) I take out the wet once a week sometimes less, this takes me about 20 mins as I disinfect the floor too. I can go into the shops after mucking out and not get the look of... "Ew I wonder if she knows how bad she smells?!" .. and I can go to work after mucking out! Don't get me wrong they are not for everyone your bed isn't as pristinely white as shavings but you get used to that quickly because it smells and feels so much cleaner!

Story over.
 

Lintel

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HappyNeds, don't buy Verdo. Most places that sell bags singly sell Verdo and it's not very good at all. I start a half bed in a 12x12 box with 8 15kg bags, well soaked until they're completely broken down. They go on for a long time before needing to add more pellets.

Yeah don't buy verdo. I have woodlets at the minute they are fab!
 

HappyNeds

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HappyNeds, don't buy Verdo. Most places that sell bags singly sell Verdo and it's not very good at all.

In my research and reading old threads on here I've noticed that Verdo doesn't have a fan club! Thanks for the tip - but please can I ask what brand/supplier pellets you do use?
 

Kezzabell2

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I was on straw
then swapped to shavings
and this year I am going on to the soaked pellets, as my horse seems to think he's a dog and hides his muck under the shavings, so hopefully they will be better! have been recommended by quite a few people at my yard! they seem much cheaper! I've been stock piling them! have 40 bags ready for the winter, getting 10 in a month at the moment
 

9tails

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No, Platinum Plus. Look at White Horse Energy site and they're the second option in clear bags with big blue box on them.
 

oldie48

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I liked wood pellets but didn't feel they made good compost for the garden so switched to straw pellets about 18 months ago and I really like them, the main thing I feel with both wood and straw pellets is to have a thick enough bed to allow the stale to be absorbed and make a solid base. I buy mine from Agripellets.
 

WelshD

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One of mine has rubber mats and Snowflake Softchip which I really like, I tried a minimal bed last winter which was very easy to muck out but I felt it looked a bit sparse so this year he has a full bed of the softchip, its firm so the poo doesn't vanish in to it, the bedding falls through a fork very easily and it always looks a nice clean bed. Its very cheap too

The other pony has Snowflake Softchip with straw on top as otherwise the poo gets scattered in all directions

My husband and I mucked out together this evening and both remarked that there is nothing as 'good looking' as a straw bed though!
 

ILuvCowparsely

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What do people find best these days? Been a while since I bought bedding. We have rubber matting and using up some straw given to us. So this is running out what is the best most economical bedding?
As comfy bed is hard to get hold of I use bed soft or for my own I use bedmax


don't like things like aubiose or wood pellets etc and bedmax offers a lot of cushion and comfort
 

Ms.Cameo.22

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I have rubber mats too and what I did the best is if you put shavings at the bottom to act like a base because they are absorbent so can absorb the pee, then put straw on top so they have something nice and soft to lie on
 

eggs

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Rubber mats and a deep bed of either five Star a Professional or White a Horse Platinum Plus wood pellets. I buy a pallet at a time which lasts a month in winter for nine horses. Takes about 5 minutes to skip out a stable.
 

Myloubylou

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Mats in front half of stable with deep flax bed in back half - don't see the point of mats under bed unless minimal bedding. Semi deep litter taking out wet patch every 10-14 days. Fairly tidy mare though pees a lot!
 

BarneyTheChestnutOne

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I am using Aubiose this year for my mare. Big bed, deep littering and using 1/2 to 1 bag of aubiose to top up each week. I love it. It's clean, dry, horse stays cleaner and it's not smelly. Quick to skip out. I have another on straw who will be going onto aubiose too.
 

pokeynokes

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Must say that rubber mats + wood pellets = easy to muck out, economical, non smelly, ultra absorbent & absolute no brainer for me. IWe get ours from White Horse Energy. They now do unbranded pellets in a plain bag & are loads cheaper. I also have a discount code for 5% off your 1st order - FloJul9563. Every little helps!!!
 

marmalade88

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Mats in front half of stable with deep flax bed in back half - don't see the point of mats under bed unless minimal bedding. Semi deep litter taking out wet patch every 10-14 days. Fairly tidy mare though pees a lot!

Which flax do you use, I can source Eurovezel locally and am considering changing to this. Any advice greatly appreciated.
 
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