Cost effective bed management and the messy horse

[Caol Ila]

Hermosa in her stable overnight, out all day, and she likes to make a stew out of her bed. Just a nice general mix of pee, shight, and shaving mashed together. She leaves the outer edges of it clean, but the middle needs clearing out every day. I bank it up and pull in the banks, but even so, she is burning through bedding at speed. I currently have her on Bedmax shavings, and she is going through about two bags per week.

Do I (a) just accept that I have to eat the cost of her being a slob and cry a little. Why can't you just poo in one corner like all the conscientious horses??????

(b) Change her bedding to straw. Fin is on straw because he is a clean, neat lad (talk to your sister!!!!!!), but I put Hermosa on shavings because I knew she was none of those things and thought shavings would be easier to muck out. However, straw is £4 per bale. Shavings are almost £10. Two bales of straw per week still works out as a damned sight cheaper than shavings.

(c) Any other suggestions.

 

[ponynutz]

I was on a yard who quite successfully had a deep litter of wood pellets that soaked up the moisture and then a shavings bed on top. They then just took out the surface level poo every day and replaced any shavings that did get wet and then every week clear out and repeat the wood pellets.

 

[meleeka]

EVA mats and minimal bedding works for the one we have that mushes it all in. He goes through a bale of shavings per week.

 

[Wizpop]

You have my sympathy- I have her brother- smaller bed as in a smaller area , and I use straw pellets which are more absorbent and cheaper than wood pellets. I buy a pallet but you could share the cost by splitting with others.
it’s made a big difference since I’ve reduced the area too. should say I have matting down too.

 

[rextherobber]

Aubiose works brilliantly for mine. She was on Bedmax but swooped to Aubiose recently and it's so much better. It seems to create a surface or crust which is firmer so less likely to be ploughed into her ridge and furrow style bed. I pick up the poo with rubber gloves and a bucket, which takes about 5 minutes, then dig out the wet once a week. It's lots more absorbent than Bedmax and stays looking smart and clean.

 

[Roxylola]

Pellets as a "deep litter" base and either straw or bed max on top

 

[BBP]

Random thought but do you think there are any factors that make her more restless in the stable than others? Boredom, lack of view, neighbours stressing her out, anything like that? Anything that you can change so she is more restful and less busy in there?

 

[SEL]

Aubiose works brilliantly for mine. She was on Bedmax but swooped to Aubiose recently and it's so much better. It seems to create a surface or crust which is firmer so less likely to be ploughed into her ridge and furrow style bed. I pick up the poo with rubber gloves and a bucket, which takes about 5 minutes, then dig out the wet once a week. It's lots more absorbent than Bedmax and stays looking smart and clean.

I have the same for my messy mare. I left last winter's bed down all summer because she likes to hold all her wee in until she comes in for breakfast (!) and I'm just digging it out now. No smell which is so much nicer than straw.

 

[MissTyc]

Random thought but do you think there are any factors that make her more restless in the stable than others? Boredom, lack of view, neighbours stressing her out, anything like that? Anything that you can change so she is more restful and less busy in there?

This is worth looking into. And can be quite simple. My gelding was super messing and was known for digging up his beds. He's only in 9 hours overnight in winter. Turned out he liked having his haynet and water buckets on opposite sides of the stable door (inside) with no other nets in the stable. With that he now poos in a single pile, wees in one spot and had a lie down on a clean patch and that's that. Just moving the haynet changed everything and he's settled.

My mare is messy if hey bed is too small; tidy if it comes all the way to the door. Go figure.

I use aubiose which is magic, but too expensive for me this year so have taken my chances on a pallet of miscanthus. It did quite well for my friend's messy mare in a small stable + there was a leak in the heavy rain and the horse herself remained mostly dry lol

 

[Barton Bounty]

My boy is disgusting most nights he is in, to the point its 3 barrows a day…. I use sawdust now and it definitely cut down how much I throw away, he just box walks and mushes it all in, ??‍

 

[Sanversera]

I find very deep straw ie hock deep when fluffed up is the most economical. it tends to stay cleaner than a thin bed and you can remove the sodden wet bits every other day or twice a week instead of every day. uses less in the long run looks better is warmer and deeper for the horse, a win all round.

 

[Abby-Lou]

I changed from Bedmax to Blue Frog Shavings much more absorbent and slightly cheaper. I do minimal bed on mats and scrape wet out each morning, just over one bag between two a week

 

[Goldenstar]

For cost effectiveness I would put her on straw it is best for mucky horses .

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Mine is the same I’ve kind of accepted my fate and empty bank account. I have tried everything ! Chopped rape straw is the best for him but he’s still a messy bugger

 

[Abacus]

Changing to wood pellets from shavings switched my filthy horse into a clean one overnight. No idea why. It wasn’t deep littered or had any complicated system.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Either rubber mats and minimal bedding or a deep straw bed.

 

[maya2008]

Straw so long as she isn't very very wet, or rubber mats and a small amount of bedding you clear out daily. I would say wood pellets but not with the price they are now. Long-term I only found relief with deep litter and a new sprinkle of shavings daily.

 

[Goldenstar]

I won’t deep litter but a true deep litter on straw is probably the cheapest and best way to manage a messy horses as long as you put aside the potential for damage to the horses respiratory system .

 

[southerncomfort]

I use a mix of shavings and sawdust from our local timber merchant (£4.99 each) as a base then top up with straw.

First year trialling this and so far I'm very pleased.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I would go for straw for cost effective-ness if nothing else, could try un soaked wood pellets under the straw but might make a bigger mess

 

[holeymoley]

Wood pellets is you’re best option but they are extortionate right now. Shavings aren’t worth the money if you have a messy horse. I’m not a fan of bedmax as I don’t think it ever soaks up the pee properly unless you use the littlemax. Is it maybe the bedmax that isn’t working? It smells lovely but absorbency-wise bogged standard shavings works better than bedmax imo.
That said, you could go down the straw route with a bit of shavings/sawdust on the base to soak up.

 

[scats]

I feel your pain. Polly is vile. She simply poos wherever she is standing and then box walks it into mulch. I take pretty much the whole middle out everyday. I have to put 2-3 bags a week down.

 

[atropa]

Could you do either a big straw bed with some type of pellet underneath, add clean to the top everyday and pull out at the weekend (so semi deep litter), or switch to pellets?
I use straw pellets and it has made a huge difference to my very messy mare.
Also second the person who said to make sure nothing about her stable set up is stressing her out

 

[Lady Jane]

Those of you who you wood pellets, what make do you use?

 

[Goldenstar]

Wood pellets is you’re best option but they are extortionate right now. Shavings aren’t worth the money if you have a messy horse. I’m not a fan of bedmax as I don’t think it ever soaks up the pee properly unless you use the littlemax. Is it maybe the bedmax that isn’t working? It smells lovely but absorbency-wise bogged standard shavings works better than bedmax imo.
That said, you could go down the straw route with a bit of shavings/sawdust on the base to soak up.

Bed max is designed fo promote foot health by reducing how much it can clump in the feet the large pieces are also are better for wind health so it does depend on what’s your need out of your bedding .
We use a little straw max under the bed where the horse pees for the wet horse .
Straw max would be a good choice under straw for a deep litter .

 

[Caol Ila]

We will try straw with a layer of shavings/pellets underneath (which is the system we use for Fin) and see how it goes.

I don't know what she does at night but I don't think she boxwalks. The disaster zone is in a contained area, not spread through the whole stable (which is really big). When I watch her in the stable, she just eats and watches stuff out the door.

 

[Horseysheepy]

My gelding is on rubber mats with a thin layer of straw on top, no banks because he pulls them down!. Twice a week I remove all straw and start again, once daily, droppings removed only and fresh straw added. He's quite tidy in that he'll poo all along the back, so I just have to scrap the back strip out, so he's dead easy!. It's literally less than ten minutes to muck out and he's having to be in 24/7 at the moment.
Maybe mats and minimal bedding is your answer?

 

[HashRouge]

We will try straw with a layer of shavings/pellets underneath (which is the system we use for Fin) and see how it goes.

I don't know what she does at night but I don't think she boxwalks. The disaster zone is in a contained area, not spread through the whole stable (which is really big). When I watch her in the stable, she just eats and watches stuff out the door.

My mare was always quite messy when she was stabled and she was much better on straw than shavings. I think with her she was lying down and getting up quite a lot, and causing a bit of a stir when she stood up! She's out 24/7 now, but will be going back to overnight stabling soon so I need to think about bedding!

 

[Caol Ila]

Yeah, I know she lies down overnight because there are always shavings in her tail.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Those of you who you wood pellets, what make do you use?

I use sorbeo I just put a stubbs scoop full on the floor where they wee then lay the shavings, I tend to do a proper muck out twice a week in winter maybe 3 if they are in alot and it definitely stops any wee coming to the top but I do have very thick beds, I tend to use 1 bale of shavings a week when I could get megaspread or hunters but can't seen to get them so having to buy cheaper ones so use a bit more.