Farmers lung.

[laura_nash]

I really feel for you. You say you use wood pellets, have you tried straw pellets? These are supposed to be less dusty than wood ones.

I use straw pellets, they are pretty low dust (horse has ROA and I have asthma) but do go moldy easily (they compost really quickly on the much heap too). The only completely dust free bedding I've had was the peat which was in when I moved in, which also didn't seem go very mouldy, but I had trouble with thrush when they were on that.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

I use this stuff for my chickens, and intend to start using it in my stables as and when I next need to rebed them. It's more like small slivers of wood than shavings, and is the least dusty bedding that I've found so far: https://www.equisupermarket.co.uk/p/laysoft-horse-bedding/25kg

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

If you have rubber mats in your stable then you do not need big thick beds, you only need sufficient to absorb the pee. The rubber mats will prevent capped hocks etc. Less bedding means fuller pockets as well. If hay is dusty then soak it or steam it. Failing that try haylage. The amount of dust you have in the stable can be controlled by the horse owner. We've been through all this, I have a horse that we nebulise every morning so ding that & controlling his bedding, hay & feed we manage his issue.

 

[Spotherisk]

Anything that solves the problems is going to be a pretty big change. Consider draining the worst fields... using mud mats in front of a field shelter which has rubber matting but no bedding, rather than stabling... buying a hay steamer so your OH has less to do... unsure about your mask, is it fit tested? If not make a change to a fit tested mask, and obviously have it fitted correctly. Buy a commercial washer so dirty rugs can be kept cleaner. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

 

[bouncing_ball]

Cardboard?

 

[chaps89]

Are you mucking out daily or semi-deep littering OP?
If you semi-deep litter then on a daily basis it's just taking droppings out and sweeping up so minimal dust, would that be manageable?
Then if OH or a freelancer did your full muck out and lay new bedding once a week for you that could help perhaps?
Apologies if you're already doing this.

I don't like it as a bedding particularly as I don't find it overly absorbent and think it can't be too soft, but the cheap wood chip slivers are probably one of the most dust free bedding I've come across.
Or, as already mentioned, can you change your muck disposal method and move to cardboard/paper?

 

[Mule]

I'd keep them out 24/7 and feed haylege. It might not be possible on your current yard but better than having to give up horses.

 

[MrsMozart]

Ditto the keeping them out - mud mats and hay.

Failing that, the rubber mats that allow the wee to flow away and go underneath.

Our old and retired horses are out 24/7/365. They're very rarely rugged. Have free access to a shelter, which is currently deep littered on straw but will go to rubber mats in the Spring, and they use it sometimes. I've seen them out in the most revolting of weather looking perfectly happy. There's plenty of grass and they have ad lib hay in a round so limited human exposure to dust with just the daily check, and it's outside so no noticeable dust.

 

[meleeka]

I understand that you don’t like minimal bedding OP, but if it’s a case of that or give up your horses, I know which I’d choose, especially with the new style mats.

 

[cauda equina]

If your setup allows it could you add a small outside pen to each stable with eg sand or gravel and then have just mats in the stables?

 

[Tarragon]

At previous stables, someone used to just put a bucket of sawdust on to thick mats to soak up the wet. That worked well in terms of being dust free and mucking out was a doddle.

 

[Tarragon]

In Australia they just had stables straight onto the sand so naturally draining and no bedding. Mucking out just consisted of poo picking

 

[spacefaer]

Have a look at Hippotile. It might offer a solution.
It’s a rubber surface designed specifically to allow urine to drain through to a gravel system below. You can then use minimal bedding on the top surface (or whatever thickness bedding you want - they just suggest that you don't need a lot)

I am in no way connected to the company!

http://www.hippotiles.co.uk

 

[paddy555]

Have a look at Hippotile. It might offer a solution.
It’s a rubber surface designed specifically to allow urine to drain through to a gravel system below. You can then use minimal bedding on the top surface (or whatever thickness bedding you want - they just suggest that you don't need a lot)

I am in no way connected to the company!

http://www.hippotiles.co.uk

very interesting. I think if you had your own land/stables you could make those work for F Lung.
You would need drains in the gravel but the main problem would be draining a lot of water away in land drains.
You could use it without any bedding if you had a high pressure hose. Just clean out the dung, have the hose hung on the stable wall connected to a tap and give the floor a good blast each day. You could keep it very clean and it would be very quick to do.

To make both the hippotiles and the fieldguard mats work well you are looking at the minimum of bedding to avoid blocking their drainage methods.

 

[catembi]

I haven't read all the replies - could you get a large hard standing area put in & leave them out? We are on v v heavy clay that can go full swamp after a couple of days' rain & then stays like it til spring. Our building work is finally finished & I have 2 stable blocks on opposite sides of a square, & the middle was dug out, membraned, hard cored, eco-grids laid, then gravel. It is a pain to poo pick but all mine stay out. I have 6 stables for 4 horses, all rubber matted, and also a 20 x 20 area of field that is fully mud control matted. I have shut my fields off & they will stay shut til spring, unless it gets exceptionally dry. The stables are open all the time, all with hay nets, & the trough is in the mud matted bit. No mud (hurray!!!!), and no mucking out - only poo picking. Might work for you? (We got planning for the hard cored area.)