Dirty Horse

Z

zoeadey

Member
Joined
12 February 2009
Messages
15
Visit site
Could anyone recommend a good bedding type to use for a dirty gelding. He burys his poos and wees all over the place! He has rubber matting down and like to lie down at night, making the problem worse!
He is out all day and I would like to think he enjoys his own space in his stable at night away from the other ponies.
Many thanks
 
My mare is awful for burying her poos and is a nightmare on shavings because of this. She is also quite wet and I have found that she is actually easiest on straw believe is or not as she can't kick it all around!

For added absobancy you can put shavings underneath but I find regular fresh straw means the 'bits/seeds' that fall out of it help soak some of the wee up.

Obviously depends on if he will eat lots of it or has problems with dust..

She has rubber mats and has the back half of the stable bedded and it seems to work fine. Full muck out more or less daily which is quick as only half the stable.

Lots of people do say the more bedding the cleaner the bed. I only have rubber mats to save me worrying about her sleeping on the concrete rather than to save on bedding. Tried the minimal bed thing but didn't like the mess it made of her rugs (turnouts) and didn't look pleasant to lie on.
 
Megazorb - only stuff that deals with Farra who poos and pee as only a 17 hand clydesdale mare on high fibre diet can.
smile.gif


I put at first 4 bags over the bag half of the stable and add 1 - 1 1/2 bags a week which is put down each day as a thin top layer. I have left the bed to form a hard solid base, and only take out worst of wet every few weeks.

Pee is soaked up, poo is easily scraped or raked into a pile with a shavings fork - what would have been 30 mins and several wheel barrows even on a small shavings bed is one barrow and 10 mins max to do with this method.

She is more than happy to lie down on the bed.
 
I have actually used megazorb too and it was ok, so if I had a problem with dust or her eating the straw I would def go back to this or maybe try the wood pellets.
But but as i get decent straw at 2.50 a bale I find it more economical than I did with megazorb. At the moment money dictates as she does well on straw if managed well.
 
Thanks for all the ideas so far - I am going to look into megazorb as i have heard this mentioned somewhere before. I have tried straw but he eats rather alot and i worry about colic. On the plus side he has just been taking part in a feature for Allen & Page horse feeds and is going to be in Your Horse magazine soon! My only claim to fame!
 
1.50 a bale would be great! Where are you?

Hopefully if we get a good summer, next winters straw prices will drop but I wonder if they might just stay up now. :/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top