Do you make banks?

I do! I'm unconvinced whether they are effective but if there's any chance they do help to stop horses getting cast - I think its worth it.

Both my horses lay right up against their banks so I can't help but think they might get thier withers wedged against the wall if the banks weren't there. Or they might lay in the middle instead?

Just thought I'd add though that when the old boy had a stay in horsepital - they don't use banks and I guess they know what they're doing.
 
My late grandmother always claimed that actually, having big banks (straw) would actually make it more likely that a horse would get stuck, so she made sure that none of her 15 horses had banks. None got cast that I recoil. Her reasoning was this; horse comes in from work or play and sees a nice bed. Horse wants to roll, so horse scuffs straw and then sits. Horse starts to roll but where the pile of scuffed straw is now creates a 'false wall of straw' and the horse is stuck between that and the stable wall - thus getting stuck. She was also under the theory that a bigger stable would also encourage rolling, and so her stables were built on the small side 12 x 10, even for the big horses (2 x 16.2hh) and for the mare and foal ponies. (she bred a few!) She never had problems, and until her death a few years ago she was adament her theory was best. Time has changed, and now appearance has a lot to answer for. I can't comment on other types of bedding as she only used straw though.
ETS - mine live out, but they do have small banks when in to help against drafts, nothign to do with cast or not!
 
hate banks, not paying £8 a bale shavings to keep the walls warm! Horse wees in them so would have to pull down everyday to clean. YUK!
 
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