Do you make banks?

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smellsofhorse

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The whole issue about how fast it takes us to muck out!

Its our horse and our time so we ca do it as quickly or slowly as we like!


Do you however, make banks?

It think this is a big factor in how long it takes to muck out, digging out the banks and re making them.

Some woman told me that a horse on rubber matts doesnt need them.

Whats your opinion?
 
Its always a contentious issue...I used to bed mine on shavings, then moved to flax, then to cardboard except for the delightful cob who eats it so she is back on flax. (Quiet, Shils!) I used to build lovely banks until the day one got cast, then I realised that the banks would have to be huge to be of any useful help. As it was, this one was on flax and poor thing had the flax banks going up his nostrils, so if not found quickly he would have suffocated. Since then I have never used banks and my mucking out time has halved. I do, however, now have anti cast rubber bars all around the boxes at height which would acually be of some use in an emergency.
 
Red Nosed Old Bat said:
Its always a contentious issue...I used to bed mine on shavings, then moved to flax, then to cardboard except for the delightful cob who eats it so she is back on flax. (Quiet, Shils!) I used to build lovely banks until the day one got cast, then I realised that the banks would have to be huge to be of any useful help. As it was, this one was on flax and poor thing had the flax banks going up his nostrils, so if not found quickly he would have suffocated. Since then I have never used banks and my mucking out time has halved. I do, however, now have anti cast rubber bars all around the boxes at height which would acually be of some use in an emergency.
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Yeah i agree the banks would have to be huge to really help.

There is a young gelding at our yard, Standing 17ish hh at 3!

Every night he goes into his stable and rolls, at least once a week he almost gets stuck, luckily only once so far has he needed help to get him up.
 
Having banks doesn't affect my mucking out time at all, why would it?
I have no need to dig them out, simply do a normal muck out in the part of the bed dopey's made a mess of:D

Ofcourse, they're of no use in a casting situation unless they're huge, so it's more of an aesthetic thing for me.
 
My mare has rubber matting with a thick straw bed inc banks.

I skip out daily and take the wet out once a week.
The banks are big, thick ones so they are very rarely moved!

Timing is very quick for skipping out and bedding costs me about £3 a week :D
 
sleepingdragon10 said:
Having banks doesn't affect my mucking out time at all, why would it?
I have no need to dig them out, simply do a normal muck out in the part of the bed dopey's made a mess of:D

Ofcourse, they're of no use in a casting situation unless they're huge, so it's more of an aesthetic thing for me.
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I was always tought to dig the banks out, which creates clean bedding and makes them tidy and uniform again.
I have often mucked out the day after someone that doesnt dig out the banks.
Its surprising how much bedding gets trapped and compacted!
 
blucanoo1990 said:
I was always tought to dig the banks out, which creates clean bedding and makes them tidy and uniform again.
I have often mucked out the day after someone that doesnt dig out the banks.
Its surprising how much bedding gets trapped and compacted!
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I don't dig my banks out, nothing has ever been mushed into it. He's wees, poos and sleeps in the same places. I bring it down when i'm replacing the banks.
 
This is actually a really interesting topic to me. When I moved to Holland I did notice some big differences in stable management. The major ones being:

a. the stables are tiny
b. thin beds
c. no banks

Now you'd think with that combination you'd have horses getting cast left right and centre. In the 3 years I've been riding over here and 4 different yards I have never seen or heard of a horse getting cast even when asking about it. I have come to the conclusion that banks are actually completely pointless except for a purely aesthetic reason.

Its really funny if you try to explain to someone what banks are... they look at you as if you're mad :D
 
For those who proudly announce that they never move the banks!

When I bought my big mare I bought her with all her "belongings" including some rather nice mats. Her stable was big and made up with decent size banks and a nice clean bed, however when we cleared the stable to get the mats up the banks were riddled with rat runs! Her previous owner was mortified.
 
*hic* said:
For those who proudly announce that they never move the banks!

When I bought my big mare I bought her with all her "belongings" including some rather nice mats. Her stable was big and made up with decent size banks and a nice clean bed, however when we cleared the stable to get the mats up the banks were riddled with rat runs! Her previous owner was mortified.
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That's why I let one of the yard dogs into my stable and say "rats!"

He's very good and very tidy :p
 
banks won't prevent the horse from getting cast unless they are about 4' thick in width from the wall imho (so horse can't get his body closer than that when rolling, hence can't get cast.)
the anti-cast rubber bars that Red Nosed Old Bat mentions are far better.
mares in particular would need the banks checking and cleaning every day, as they tend to wee against the walls, whereas geldings tend to wee in the middle of the stable.
i do tiny banks sometimes for aesthetics but tbh they make no difference to the horse, unless the stable is horribly draughty i guess!
 
I do make them, and muck them out every other day, it takes me about 15-20 mins longer.
I do a normal muck out sweep etc then pull all the bank straw into the middle and scrap and sweep away the dirt, leave to dry then re bed.

We can use as much straw as we want for £6 a month :D
 
I don't do banks any more. I've had horses for over 30 years and found that banks don't seem to make any difference to whether they get cast or not. In fact, my old mare seemed to get cast MORE often when she was at a yard that did big banks.
 
TGM said:
I don't do banks any more. I've had horses for over 30 years and found that banks don't seem to make any difference to whether they get cast or not. In fact, my old mare seemed to get cast MORE often when she was at a yard that did big banks.
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agreed, i've known 2 horses that got cast just about every night and both of them were in small stables with decent banks. maybe they couldn't judge where the walls were or something.
i've never had a horse cast in a stable without banks, fwiw.
 
My horse is stabled on thick rubber matting but with a full shavings bed and very thick wide banks.

She is on part/full livery so I rarely muck out but I asked to lay her new bed down myself when we arrived as I wanted to lay it to how I want it so as to show the the yard girls what bed I expect her to have and to maintain it accordingly........although I think they baulked at how many shavings bales I used as other horses beds are very small due to having rubber matting. But each to their own :)

So far I cannot complain really they do a good job compared to some yards I have been on over the years, except the they dont dig up her her banks and relay them every day, so I do this myself a few times a week as I dont really expect them to do it as long as they keep her main bed clean and dry I am happy to let my OCD tendancies with banks take over when I am down there.

I agree that if you have banks they need to be big, tightly packed and wide to help in any way to go towards helping to prevent the horse getting cast. Anything less is useless IMHO.

Sadiemay
 
Ooo you're on dodgy ground here! You risk the ire and fire of the people who "know" best, ha,ha.

Luckily, I've never had any of my horses cast themselves but have helped get two others up, both in boxes with banks and nice deep beds - much of that problem depends on the horse's personality and whether they will spook when they get themselves into difficulties.

I kept my mare on a very deep deep litter bed with banks in winter which used to quietly brew enough to keep your tootsies warm; however; it was very well skipped out ( easy because she was almost housetrained) and she'd wee right in front of the door so a barrowload out did that. Deep litter should be disinfected but don't use any product that turns white in water ( not good for animals ) any new bedding was first put it the banks with old stuff on top to hold it down. I reccommend eveyone to lay down in their horse's box at least once to check for drafts! It's surprising how air moves close to the ground where your horse will be trying to kip.

Just how you lot are managing on £3 to £6 a week on bedding these days confounds me because it was costing me far more twenty years ago. My mare would eat anything remotely edible so she was on woodshavings - a lot of them.
 
My lad is on rubber matting and I still do small banks, purely for aesthetic reasons as I know they wouldn't do a thing unless far larger, and for a place to keep my new shavings! He has a massive stable (16x14) and none of the horses have been cast in them afaik. I dig out my banks properly once a week but pull them down gradually in between new shavings. I put all my new shavings into my banks and then pull them down from there over the week.
 
I have straw on rubber... and have always made banks - its just a habit. I tend to do a mid week skip out ...and a full muck out at the weekend.

The mares all have their banks moved on a Saturday.

The geldings only have parts of their banks turned over on a Saturday to get the rest of the wet out from under them.

It works really well. 4 horses to do, 1 bale of straw a day for all 4.

I love my banks... all square and tidy. Lush.
 
mrussell said:
I have straw on rubber... and have always made banks - its just a habit. I tend to do a mid week skip out ...and a full muck out at the weekend.

The mares all have their banks moved on a Saturday.

The geldings only have parts of their banks turned over on a Saturday to get the rest of the wet out from under them.

It works really well. 4 horses to do, 1 bale of straw a day for all 4.

I love my banks... all square and tidy. Lush.
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Agree!
 
you mean like this? :)

101_1870.jpg


I hadn't previously bothered with banks with my boy as he is a bank destroyer - some nights he doesn't touch them but others he stands and digs them out. when he does, it takes me an extra 10 minutes I'd say to sort them out.

However, back to my reason for building them. He was previously without and a few days before christmas I came down to find him cast. I was on my own and with him being a strapping 17hh and over half a tonne I wouldve struggled to sort him out on my own. Thankfully he got himself down but not without bashing his legs about quite a lot and grazing his head. The banks may not prevent him getting cast (although I hope they do) but I would hope that they help prevent injury and also help him get a purchase on the wall so that he can push himself off.

As you can see. the banks are big and pretty solid - take a good while for initial construction. Other than days where he destroys them, I don't touch them - he wee's in the middle and it drains to the front but I will periodically rebuild them - for the main reason stated above - RATS!
 
I do build banks, I think more because it doesn't make the bed look so 'mean' and that I have always done beds with banks. So far (touch wood) I've had no probs with a horse getting cast, so would be scared that changing anything would mean my mare would get herself cast! No logic really, just one of those things I have always done. I totally take out and re do her banks a couple of times a week as she likes to poo right on the top of them and wee on them too. She has a full muck out each day, but I do like to go through everything each time a new bale goes in to make sure it is all clean and dry.
 
It takes me no longer to muck out with banks, as the bottom of my banks are made up of small straw bales, with loose straw on the top. I've always had banks, because my mum has always had banks, and horses at OHs all have banks, although they do little to prevent a horse from becoming cast, we have big enough stables anyway, and none of our horses are prone to being cast.
 
i only build banks as taz has quite a drafty stable, and due to all the wet weather we have been having it stops to much water getting into his stable and drowning him out, they look good as well if done properly
 
I have always put banks in and my horse tends to like to sleep propped up against his banks (I know because I can see exactly where he lies when i do the stable on a morning!). He poos in the same place, always has done, and always lies in the back corner. He now has rubber matting and I still bed on straw as previously but I don't put as much straw in and, in fact only cover a corner of the stable with 2 banks at the part where he lies down.

We muck ours out everyday and lift the whole bed - it doesn't take long at all. The beds are left up to air all day and then are laid down at night before we bring in.
 
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_Rach_ said:
I do make them, and muck them out every other day, it takes me about 15-20 mins longer.
I do a normal muck out sweep etc then pull all the bank straw into the middle and scrap and sweep away the dirt, leave to dry then re bed.

We can use as much straw as we want for £6 a month :D
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Same here. I share a yard with a friend who never cleans her banks from one month to the nxt and they are full off dust/mould and iv never heard horses cough like hers. When I went to help her out when she was Ill I couldn't believe now much crap gets caught up in the banks.

I muck out, sweep up , put beds into middle and air it all out. It may take me time but their beds are so clean and never a cough in sight
 
When I did my NVQ we were told that banks preventing casting is a myth, we were shown how to do it because many employers want it. I guesse they may prevent drafts.

When I moved into my last house the old owner, a local show jumper and trainer, left her stables made up with very very thick banks. When I cleaned them out the banks were moudly and rotten and and rat infested at the bottom not ideal for by girlies delicate airways.

I also think they restrict the floor space in a stable, for those of us who have the standard 12 x 12.
 
Yes I do, always have and always will. It was the way I was taught to make beds. To stop the horse laying too close to the wall.

I build my banks solidly and only remove them once a year - mind you they live out all summer. You can literally stand on my banks without them collapsing.

Three of mine are on paper and one on flax and because I muck out every day the banks do not get wet so do not go mouldy.

I don't have rats either.
 
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nope mainly as i believe they would have to be pritty big to stop my horses getting cast and my YO is a stickler for straw usage.
 
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