Changing bedding to straw with mats- how to stop smell

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Spiderpig2009

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Hi there,

My horse is at a livery yard, but I also have a stable at home and my horse sometimes comes to stay for a weekend. The stable is quite close to our house, and I have previously used shavings and have zero smell wafting over when we are in the garden.

He is very big at 17.2, and doesn’t like laying on shavings. He now has straw at the yard and his current stable is quite small for him so the staff bring his bed to the front or he doesn’t lie down. My stable at home is much bigger.

I have rubber mats and was thinking of changing the home bedding to straw to make it more comfortable for him. I do find straw beds with mats do smell - has anyone tried using a small amount of shavings under the straw and does this work to stop the smell? I just want to make sure before I put a straw bed down.

Thank you
 
I was going to try shavings as I have about 20 big bags of white shavings here already- if anyone has used that?

Or is it better to not put mats where the bed goes and just leave that as concrete? I have dug out all the old bedding so stable is empty I could do that with the mats if that’s better?
 
I think long straw does smell more than shavings.

I have mats and they don't smell. At the moment they are on chopped rape straw. It is easy to dispose of and seems to hold smells like shavings as it is very absorbent. I have a thick bed and remove any wet once a week.
 
I have rubber matting and use wood pellets under straw. As the wee gets soaked up and the mats are so tightly fitted together it stops the usual gunk which can build up under mats. I usually put 2 bags in, don’t soak them and take them out every 3 weeks so they are quite economical. I tried straw pellets once but they had a weird smell which I didn’t like and didn’t seem as absorbent so went back to wood ones.
 
I’d personally take mats away from the bedding area, use pellet base (wood or straw) and then the straw over top.

I’ve managed straw beds going back many years this way and it’s great. I’d generally semi deep litter and take out wet every few days (horse dependant), then scatter stalasan before replacing the pellets
 
I have straw on rubber mats and I make sure there is a really good deep layer of straw and I muck out daily. I lay the mats in a way that there is an inch channel up the middle to allow the wet to drain away. Stables are direct on an earth base so that possibly helps.
Have never tried pellets or shavings as a base, bit it's worth a try as you have a load of white shavings to use.
 
I have large (12' wide x 18' deep) stables and have switched most of the horses over to straw. I took the mats out of the back half of the boxes where the bed goes but left the ones down at the front. I have very thick beds and take the wet out every 3 days or so whilst they are in during the day for approx 6 hours but in winter when they are in over night I will take the wet out every day and leave the straw banked up during the day so that the floor gets a chance to dry. I also use Green Gloop once a week on the floor.

I have got chopped rape straw on top of rubber mats with a couple of the other horses and that does work well. I take the wet out every weekend.
 
Thank you to everyone who has replied- I will just put two mats across the front, and sprinkle shavings on the floor toward the back so the wet goes onto that and concrete. I think if I do as suggested by one poster I will chuck the bed up when not in use and hopefully that will minimise it. There is zero smell from shavings on concrete at the moment hopefully it works!
 
The other thing is to get fitted mats. As someone said on here the urine turns to amonia, and mats are really hard to get lifted up often and cleaned under - we've had great success with fitted and sealed mats, just get it done properly!
 
I moved my mare onto straw from shavings last year, she has rubber mats underneath. I don’t find it any smellier than the shavings but I do a full muck out every morning. And I bank everything twice a week so it can all fully drain and dry. I had shavings under when I first moved her across (to use the the shavings as much as anything) and didn’t notice any difference.
 
If you’re using just straw, I’d ditch the mats as the wet will just go under and stink. Then muck out and leave the bed up when the stable isn’t in use to help the floor dry.
If you need the mats then use wood/straw pellets underneath the straw.
 
SpotsandBays said:
If you’re using just straw, I’d ditch the mats as the wet will just go under and stink. Then muck out and leave the bed up when the stable isn’t in use to help the floor dry.
If you need the mats then use wood/straw pellets underneath the straw.
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Thanks I think I am going to take out the back mats leaving the straw bed on the concrete part and sprinkle some shavings under it. I think it’s the combination of wet straw and rubber that brings the pong!
 
We switch to straw for when the mares foal down. The foaling boxes are very close to our garden/backdoor. I leave rubber mats down and sprinkle some shavings over them, then put a really thick straw bed down. This has really reduced the smell. Even the smell sensitive husband commented it didnt smell as bad.
 
I oust a layer of swish under my mats and clear it out every two/three weeks and it keeps my straw nice and dry and stops any smells and also the urine running under the mats and into other stables.
 
Wood pellets, shavings or similar on top of mats and lots and lots of straw on top. Deep bed. Remove droppings daily and wet bedding once a week.
 
Ammonia is t just a horrid smell it can cause lung damage to horses. I think rubber matting causes a lot of problems unless the floor is super smooth underneath. Otherwise you get pools of urine. I’d ditch rubber matting or put a layer of wood pellet under the straw. It’s definitely worth sorting. Not just because it’s offensive!
 
pistolpete said:
Ammonia is t just a horrid smell it can cause lung damage to horses. I think rubber matting causes a lot of problems unless the floor is super smooth underneath. Otherwise you get pools of urine. I’d ditch rubber matting or put a layer of wood pellet under the straw. It’s definitely worth sorting. Not just because it’s offensive!
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There won’t be any urine on it as the mats will be the front so shouldn’t be a problem
 
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